The Simsis in a bit of a strange place right now. Its only current entry isThe Sims 4, and that game is nearly 11 years old. While it has been supported with numerous expansion packs and smaller pieces of DLC across the years, many are wondering what is next for the brand. After all, outside of MMOs, few video game series go so long without a new entry. Naturally, many assumed thatThe Sims 5would be on the horizon to finally giveThe Sims 4a rest.
However, that isn’t the case, asEA canceledThe Sims 5back in 2024 and announced it was working on a number of spin-off titles instead. Rather than making a direct mainline sequel toThe Sims 4, it would instead continue to support it. That decision, naturally, sparked a lot of backlash from the community, as well as a lot of understanding. However,EA has recently explained some of its reasoning behind the cancellation, and it doesn’t necessarily add up.
Why Sims 5 Isn’t Happening
It Was Canceled For Not Being “Player-Friendly”
In an interview withVariety, EA Entertainment president Laura Miele discussed all thingsThe Sims, including the cancellation of the proposed sequel.She explained that making a sequel wouldn’t be “player friendly and not a good idea for [the] community"due to the fact that they’ve potentially invested 10 years into their current Sims families or even just intoThe Sims 4as a whole.
That investment will be emotional, of course, but, more importantly, financial.Most players will have bought one or, likely, more of the 85 content packs EA has put out throughoutThe Sims 4’slifetime, which can become extremely expensive. Miele’s reasoning that EA doesn’t want players to “start from scratch and […] give up all the content that [they’ve] purchased” makes a lot of sense. In fact, many players believe it is better tokeepThe Sims 4alive, rather than release a sequel.
However, as much as it is respectable that EA doesn’t want players to feel as if they’ve wasted their money and time onThe Sims 4when a potential sequel launches, it doesn’t really make sense. That’s especially true when you consider thatThe Sims 4is not only no longer newcomer-friendly, but it isn’t even friendly towards its current player base, in large part thanks to itsridiculous and overwhelming DLC.
Sims 4 Is Getting Way Too Big For The Average Player
There Are Too Many Expansions
TheSims 4is too big now, especially if you have spent the considerable fortune it would take to acquire all 85 expansions. Not only is that an issue for those looking to get intoThe Sims- it can be hard to know which expansions are actually worth buying without conducting an inordinate amount of research - but it also poses a problem for current fans.The Sims 4is no longer optimized, and many are struggling to run it, even though it is almost 11 years old.
A game likeThe Sims 4shouldn’t really be performing poorly for most, yet it is. EA spent too long letting it get out of hand, and is now having to do damage control. However, for many, it is too little too late. The issue stems from the fact thatthe audience EA has cultivated forThe Sims 4is not the kind that has the hardware to run a game as unnecessarily demanding as it is.
Even With Optimization, Sims 4 Is Outgrowing Players
It No Longer Feels Like A Casual Life-Sim
Even if EA were to properly optimizeThe Sims 4, it is clear that it has outgrown its players. Because of its perceived status as a casual game, as well as due to its age, many assume that most laptops and PCs can runThe Sims 4without issue. However, that isn’t true now that its size has ballooned exponentially.You practically need a gaming PC to run it with all of its expansions, and that’s something its casual, cozy gaming community likely won’t have.
Fortunately, EA announced viaXthat it was hiring a team to help optimizeThe Sims 4back in 2024, buteven so, players are still encountering issues. Additionally,TheSims 4’sexpansions won’t stopany time soon, especially if EA plans to continue to supportThe Sims 4instead of releasing a sequel.
Fans need to get used to it no longer really being a casual experienceand instead see it asa game that requires a surprisingly powerful PC to run it, as well as a lot of money to enjoy even some of its most basic features. While I agree that The Sims 5may be perceived as being un-player-friendly,The Sims 4is undeniably heading that way.
Sims 5 May Have Been A Smarter Decision
It Would Have Been A Fresh Start
It genuinely feels like, at least to me, thatit would have been much better for EA to move on toThe Sims 5rather than stick withThe Sims 4. Many games that have adopted this approach to supporting a single experience eventually move on.Crusader Kings 2, a game infamous for its many expensive DLCs, was eventually replaced byCrusader Kings 3. TheMount and Bladeseries eventually gotBannerlord.
A sequel might mean giving up everything you’ve invested so much time and money in, but it also provides a way for developers to offer exciting new content, mechanics, and ideas it can’t shove into an existing, very old game. By sticking exclusively withThe Sims 4,EA is potentially restricting the level of innovation it can add to the experience. It is also making it so that newcomers and those who crave a fresh start have no easy way into the series.
The Sims 4is an amazing game, but it has been showing its age for a very long time. Refusing to move past it just to remain consumer-friendly seems noble, but it is only going to push people away from it, including those who have invested heavily in it. With players unable to run the game they once loved and newcomers having no easy way in, it seems far more logical for EA to finally stop supportingThe Sims 4and release the much-requestedSims 5.
