It looks like EA isn’t done with The Sims 4 yet, as the company has revealed a new six month roadmap which includes the release of multiple upcoming content packs. The Sims 4 has had more than thirty different content packs since release, the latest being The Sims 4: Discover University, a next-gen take on the previous iteration of The Sims college experience, The Sims 3’s University Life.
The Sims is one of EA’s longest-running, most popular franchises, and as downloadable content became more and more prevalent the series began gravitating towards a model which included a constantly-accessible store where players could buy premium content for real-world money. While the original version of The Sims saw a multitude of expansion packs in the form of $20 physical purchases, now developers of The Sims 4 can simply upload their new content to the cloud and charge players to download it easily. Some of this content, like Discover University, is worth the money, providing new gameplay experiences along with new features and items. Some of The Sims 4 DLC, many players have argued, is more frivolous.
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Now, thanks to a Twitter message from Senior Producer for The Sims 4‘s Michael Duke, players know that three new content packs are coming to the game over the next six months. In an expanded message to fans on EA’s The Sims 4 official site, Duke talks about how he (and the rest of The Sims 4 team) are now working from home due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, but that there are still plans to deliver content to fans in the coming months. Check out the official graphic below:
According to Duke, the team is “hard at work on the new Community Voted Stuff Pack,” although he gave no hints about the theme or even the pack’s name, saying “we have not voted on that yet, but I saw the list of options last week, and I have no idea which one you all will choose. I’m anxious to find out.” Duke also announced they are working on a new expansion pack with a theme which will be a “surprise to many of you.” Perhaps most curiously, Duke also said that a different group inside The Sims 4 development team is working on a new Game Pack, which he says is “a major first for us.” Duke ends by saying he wants people to “Stay Home and Play Together” but immediately adds “No, we are not doing multiplayer.”
The Sims 4 offers player not only escapism but also unparalleled freedom to play the game in whatever creative fashion they enjoy the most. Players in The Sims have created all kinds of crazy and entertaining stories and lives within the in-game engine (not to mention homages like the one player who built the house from Parasite) and despite EA’s affinity towards constantly releasing DLC packs for real money, especially while other long-running games like GTA Online offers content either for free or with the option of purchasing it using in-game money, The Sims 4 remains a popular and engaging choice for many players. Hopefully, when these new content packs are released later this year, they will live up to player expectations.
Source: Michael Duke/Twitter, EA
