Earlier this month, The Sims team released a letter to the player community on the official forums. The message went into detail regarding issues that players have criticized for months.
The content ranged from releasing a more diverse range of skin tones and hairstyles, along with being more transparent. The letter comes after months of criticism that Maxis and EA were not listening to longtime fans of the series. Many have only recently began playing, while others have been loyal Simmers since February 2000, when the first game launched.
The team wanted fans to know what to expect in the future as well. Earlier this year, the team released a road map containing upcoming content. That content turned out to be the Eco Lifestyle Expansion Pack, The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu Game Pack, and the community voted Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack.
Hey Simmers, we apologize for the slow response to recent concerns and want to let you know we hear you. The Sims universe is always growing, but we know we need to keep you up to date as best we can. Here is an update from Sims GM Lyndsay Pearson. https://t.co/si2OaFf897
— The Sims (@TheSims) September 3, 2020
The letter also contained a surprise announcement that a new Expansion Pack would be announced in the next few weeks. The content has been in progress since last year but has had some hiccups due to forcing many from working in an office to working from home.
The letter states:
In just a matter of weeks we’ll be sharing more about our next Expansion Pack, which we’ve been working on since last year. I want to set expectations now, though, that cars, babies, farms and bunk beds are not part of this EP. We understand how important these features are to you but we want to be honest that they are not part of this upcoming pack.
The Sims team made sure to point out what would not be a part of the upcoming Expansion Pack. This may be due to a rumor that began to spread before the official announcement of Eco Lifestyle. Fans were led to believe that the next EP would be farming-theme. After the rumor was debunked, many fans became upset and began to comment on The Sims‘ social media accounts and the Eco Lifestyle trailer.
While The Sims team hasn’t revealed the release date of the announcement, many anticipate the release of The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu Game Pack. The Game Pack launches today on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.