With the recent news about EA shying away from The Sims 5 due to the concern about player investment in The Sims 4, the topic has been hot over here at TSN. I’ve already gone into why the issue of expansion bloat is — I feel — a major problem for The Sims 4.
But now I’m asking that most interesting question; should expansions be free going forward?
No such thing as a free expansion
Now, we’re going to go over the pros and cons. After The Sims 5 was on everyone’s lips for a while, the move to eschew development on that in favour of The Sims 4 was attributed by EA to the heavy investment players had already made in the latter. And while The Sims 4 may be overloaded with expansions, they may have a point.
However, the conversation about expansions has been ongoing since day one. Is it just reselling features from previous releases? Was The Sims 4 half-baked already on release? It’s a complicated question, and whether or not to make them free is only one small facet. But here’s the arguments ‘for’ that I can think of…
Pros
- Players get access to more content freely
- Expansions don’t need ‘frills’ to justify the price
- New players can access additional content without a buy-in
- More substantial additions than in the free updates
Of course, there’s always the arguments against. But these are a little more vague. Especially since they mainly pertain to the business side of things.
Cons
- Game updates are supported by expansion sales, so if these slow so do updates
- EA is not known for charity work, and wouldn’t be likely to maintain this new setup for long
- Existing expansions are unlikely to be made free, otherwise players already purchasing them would feel left out
Can we find a solution?
I think it’s inarguable that the model for The Sims 4 and its expansions needs to change. Other examples on PC, such as medieval dynasty simulator Crusader Kings (or pretty much the entire Paradox catalogue) have been stymied in their popularity by massive DLC catalogues.
And if EA wants to keep The Sims 4 going for the foreseeable future, then sooner or later they’ll need to figure out how to make expansions easier to access. Right now, if you buy via Steam without waiting for a sale, the entire Sims 4 catalogue sits at roughly $1800. For reference, the entire Stellaris (also by Paradox) bundle for the massive, galaxy spanning grand strategy game sits at around $300.
Subscription service
However, with Paradox Interactive we do see a potential solution. For Stellaris, the developer debuted a monthly subscription pass offering access to all the game’s DLCs, with options for payment in different instalments as well. For something like Stellaris, a grand-strategy that many players will sink dozens of hours into, this can be a bit of an off-putting idea considering some people bounce off it and return after long absences.
However, for The Sims 4? As much as it pains me to say, that might be the most feasible option for EA to pursue. They already technically have it with EA Play, but considering certain DLC is excluded and the fact that this is sold as a total access package to all EA’s releases, this is far from ideal.
The live-service conundrum
Ultimately, what The Sims 4 is headed towards is what faces all the ‘live service’ type games EA promotes. But, The Sims is a creature all of its own with a passionate and thriving community — a true legacy to live up to and its own niche.
Right now, EA is using an outdated business model with The Sims 4. Clearly wanting us to play more, but still leaving exciting features compartmentalised in different expansions. And the bigger it gets the more players are likely to feel they’re missing out if they don’t have everything.
If The Sims 5 isn’t set to happen, then it seems like the one thing that would keep The Sims 4 going strong would be a new approach to expansions and content updates. Because while The Sims has lifelong fans, it’s also got competition not just from games like Inzoi but free-to-play competitors on platforms like Roblox.
So, will things change? Or does EA have a golden goose? Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
