Although nothing official has been confirmed about The Sims 5, including when and if it will launch, the game would do best to debut with all of the features of The Sims 4, if it releases at all. Otherwise, it could compromise the game’s critical and fan reception by leaving players frustrated after having to start fresh all over again.
The Sims 4 launched in 2014. There are typically only a few years between installments. For instance, there was a five-year gap between The Sims 3 (2009) and The Sims 4 (2014). But six years after the latest game’s release, players are still waiting for confirmation about a fifth installment. According to Sims 4 producer Grant Rodiek, The Sims 5 may not happen anytime soon. “We’re not working on Sims 5. We’re not thinking about Sims 5,” he wrote on the official Sims forum soon after The Sims 4 launched, GamesRadar reports. “If Sims 4 isn’t successful, there won’t be a Sims 5.”
The Sims 4 has definitely been wildly successful, as new content drops and expansions continue to introduce new elements into the game. This could be a sign that The Sims 5 has a bright future, but regardless of when the next official entry in The Sims franchise drops, it would be wise to take the following simple idea into consideration.
The Sims 5 Better Not Force Players To Start Fresh
When The Sims 4 launched in 2014, it forced players to go back to square one. Anything that had been earned or purchased in The Sims 3 wasn’t transferable to the new game, forcing players to re-purchase similar downloadable content they had already bought for its predecessor. While this may have been a strategic move on part of Electronic Arts in order to profit more off of the new game, it left players feeling frustrated and cheated, especially given the time and effort they put into The Sims 3.
Therefore, when The Sims 5 eventually releases, it would be wise for the game to include all of the features The Sims 4 already has. Forcing players to purchase the same (or at least similar) DLC content as what’s already available in the fourth installment would be detrimental to The Sims 5’s success. However, launching with the same content would not only entice players to make the move to the newer title, but it would also give the developers the opportunity to focus on new DLCs that could be introduced following the game’s release.
The Sims 4 already includes nine expansion packs - Get to Work, Get Together, City Living, Cats & Dogs, Seasons, Get Famous, Island Living, Discover University, and Eco Lifestyle. It costs approximately $481.41 CAD or $349.91 USD to purchase all of The Sims 4's expansion packs. Similarly, with 16 different stuff packs, it costs nearly $215.84 CAD or $159.84 USD for PlayStation users to purchase them all. Add on a couple more hundred dollars for the price of buying all the game packs, and it becomes clearly evident how much time and money players can put into DLCs on The Sims 4. Because of this, having to start fresh with The Sims 5 would be like a slap in the face to many players, and wouldn’t exactly help encourage more people to play the new title.
Source: GamesRadar