E3 came and went with no update on The Sims 4 release for Xbox One or PlayStation 4. September marks two years since The Sims 4 released for PC, but two expansion packs, three game packs and eight stuff packs later, there’s still no console release date. Every rumor possible has swirled around, hoping to justify why EA has paid no mind to gamers who would much prefer to play with the comfort of a couch beneath their bums and controller in hand.
The latest is that EA may be holding back for the next generation of consoles to release -- particularly Microsoft’s Project Scorpio (speculated for release in the 2017 holiday season) and Sony’s PlayStation Neo (official announcement speculated for the annual PlayStation Experience event in December), though the Xbox One S is arriving next month. Both Project Scorpio and PlayStation Neo will feature robust 4k gaming and possibly even limited virtual reality compatibility. These upgraded graphics provide the conditions necessary to make a life simulation game like The Sims damn near perfect on consoles.
Considering The Sims 4 hasn’t been very well received among the community aside from its wildly improved computer graphics and smoother processing, this may be the smartest move to make lifelong fans happy. It simply may be a better use of EA’s time to develop The Sims 5 earlier than expected.
Patient Sims fans are still hoping for The Sims 4 to release on a variety of consoles this fall or early 2017 at the latest. Rumors linked the delay to technical difficulties in the porting process. Forum speculation suggested EA would make an announcement late March 2016, but obviously that window has come and gone. The worst-case scenario is that fan disappointment in The Sims 4 gameplay may cause EA to forgo the console release altogether. A substantial amount of Simmers still prefer and play The Sims 3 regularly because they can’t stand The Sims 4’ s restricted and limited gameplay options, most importantly the ability to raise toddlers.
It’s important to remember The Sims 4 is a PC game. It’s become common knowledge the game converts poorly to consoles. Could EA be shifting attention from The Sims 4 console ports because they plan to build The Sims 5 with console compatibility as a top priority? Working from the ground up with new powerful consoles on the horizon certainly makes sense.
The setup for The Sims 4 is very experimental. The Sims team made huge changes to the game by axing the open world, deleting toddlers and making Create-A-Sim unisex. As of late, it’s not unusual for the creative team to ask players in the community for feedback. However, this could just be a strategy to combat heated forum discourse and endless complaining.
Another reason for the delay could be The Sims team is waiting for all DLCs to release so they can port the entire game over at once, but both The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 released for consoles just over a year after the the PC version. Even if the The Sims 5 is already in the works, it’s not expected until 2019. Sims producers have asserted on social media the next version depends on the success of The Sims 4 . These statements struck fans as odd, considering by the end of 2015 The Sims 4 was sitting pretty with 5 million copies sold, even with the plethora of negative reviews. In comparison, the The Sims 2 and Sims 3 each received strong reviews and have sold 6 million copies and 7 million copies since their release, respectively. All four iterations of The Sims top the list of the best-selling PC games of all time.
It’s a given EA will pursue The Sims 5 . Discontinuing the franchise is not an option, but that doesn't mean a complete platform redesign is off the table. Branching out from the limited PC gaming audience would be a smart move, especially with virtual reality gaming and the 4k standard on the horizon.
Do you think EA is gearing up for big change in The Sims franchise? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
