The Sims 4 has been on the market since 2014. Many fans of the Sims series, including me, were disappointed with the game when it first came out due to the lack of improvements since The Sims 3. Recently, there have been rumors of The Sims 5 swimming around on the Internet, and I feel like we’re all going to be let down yet again. Several features that were developed in The Sims 3 were stripped in The Sims 4, and I predict The Sims 5 might just follow suit.
The Sims, a popular life simulation video game series developed by EA Maxis and published by Electronic Arts, has been around since February 2000, almost 16 years. In those 16 years, four games have been released: The Sims, The Sims 2, The Sims 3 and The Sims 4. Along with those four games, several expansion packs, stuff packs and game packs were released, all of which are meant to enhance the player’s experience by adding bonus gameplay and items into the game. Each pack is sold separately, costing anywhere from $13 to $40.
Over the years, the Sims series has improved primarily in terms of gameplay and graphics. That’s how most game series should work. However, a large majority of Sims players feel like the release of the Sims 4 has been a step backwards for Maxis. From The Sims to The Sims 3, it seemed that the game was improving, but when Sims 4 came out, many dedicated fans couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Up until The Sims 4, things were rapidly improving with each new game. The Sims 4 brought about a shocking lack of features that had been praised in the previous games.
The Sims 4 did away with the toddler life stage that was previously available in the past two games as well as several core features that Simmers praised in the past. Color wheel customization was eliminated in the Sims 4, along with swimming pools which were later added back into the game in a patch due to multiple complaints. The most notable downgrade in the gameplay was the removal of the open world.
Open world gameplay was added in The Sims 3, which made it a very successful game in the series. In open world games, also known as sandbox or free roam games, players can move their characters around the digital world without having to wait on loading screens. I loved The Sims 3 because I could see the entirety of a town without having to click and wait for the page to load. However, Maxis decided to get rid of that in The Sims 4.
Now there are rumors that The Sims 5 will be released in 2019. No information has been leaked about the new game, but fans of the series are understandably weary because of what happened with The Sims 4. What other features will be taken out of The Sims 5? If the prediction is based on what happened in The Sims 4, I’m expecting something along the lines of an integral feature being eliminated. Parts of the game that no one ever had a problem with in the first place.
I think Maxis and EA are downgrading the quality of the series. The Sims 4 was not good enough to stand on its own, like previous games. This is obvious to see when examining how many packs were created to add on in the game. Like I stated before, expansion packs, game packs and stuff packs are bought separately from the original game. The Sims 4 has only been out for two years, and there has already been three expansion packs, three game packs, and eight stuff packs. Clearly, The Sims 4 cannot stand on its own very well if so many packs were created to pair with it.
I think when more information about The Sims 5 gets leaked as time goes on, people will definitely be more skeptical. Optimism was high when The Sims 4 was released, and many players were disappointed. Knowing that Maxis and EA can completely delete so many cherished features of the game, I am ready for disappointment yet again.