Summary
The status ofThe Simsas the premier life simulator franchise doesn’t seem to be under threat any time soon, with Maxis claiming a stranglehold on the category through a consistent stream of Stuff Packs and DLC players never knew they needed. Since it launched about a decade ago,The Sims 4has received 15 expansion packsand countless updates to give its fan base a better experience. However,The Sims 4’s area of greatest strength is also its most criticized, as gamers have had to dole out sizeable sums for each expansion pack. WhileThe Sims 5, currently codenamed Project Rene, is adopting a free-to-download approach, the upcoming title finds itself in an unenviable situation regarding player satisfaction if it toes the same line asThe Sims 4.
Electronic Arts has an impressive resume containing some of the most popular games in the industry, and although the quality of their releases is usually near top-class, gamers have complained in increasing numbers about the publisher’s strategy in recent years. In the case ofThe Sims, avid enjoyers could easily have racked up a bill well north of a thousand dollars by paying for every expansion and stuff pack since the base game came out. WithThe Sims 5being free-to-playgoing around, additional content is sure to follow the expensive trend fromThe Sims 4, which places the project in a bit of a pickle.
Free-to-Play Strategy Doesn’t Fix The Sims 5’s Problems
Paying Twice for Similar Content Won’t Sit Well with The Sims Players
Monetizing content released after launch is not a concept peculiar to EA, and gamers understand that developers make money by providing value. However, this is whereThe Sims 5and Maxis will undoubtedly run into issues.The Simsfranchise has a long-standing pattern of not carrying over additional content, and there’s an added incentive for the developer to keep that formula since the base game might be free. Fans have bemoaned the strategy in the past, but have tended to come around when the new game’s content drops because of the undeniable improvements and flavor each pack brings.
The unique problemThe Sims 5faces is that some of the EPs forThe Sims 4have become synonymous with the franchise’s identity, such as the Get To Work andNeighborhood Storiespacks. Since they are both DLC, givenThe Sims' historical stance, they will likely not carry over toThe Sims 5’s base game. The big question for the developer is whether fans will basically pay twice for the same content, just in different titles.
Breaking Tradition Could Be the Answer for The Sims 5
This question poses aroadblock forThe Sims 5, as the upcoming installment’s content has to be distinctive enough to convince fans to leave years of purchases behind to play the new game in the first place. If players have to pay for things they already spent hundreds of dollars on inThe Sims 4once again, many might choose to stay put in the previous game instead. This is presumably the reason EA is reportedly making the base game free to download, to lower the overall cost ofThe Sims 5. However, that “reduced risk” incentive might not be enough if its DLC isn’t convincingly unique.
ForThe Sims 5to be a commercial success, EA might have to abandon its fresh start stance for each iteration of the life simulator and add some of the essential DLCs that are sure to be replicated to the base game. This approach, or letting gamers carry overThe Sims 4content for a discounted fee, seems to be the best bet to generate a sizable player count forThe Sims 5.
The developer could also decide not to rock the apple cart with its strategy and hope that the long wait for the next installment ofThe Simsis enough to convince players to make the switch anyway, risking drawing the ire of its fans. Whatever the case may be, tough decisions lie ahead withThe Sims 5’s free-to-downloadapproach.
