The Sims 4 Trivia | 57 facts about the videogame

“The Sims 4” is the latest videogame in the renowned franchise and it became free-to-play for everyone.

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the videogame.

1. The Sims 4 is a free-to-play social simulation game
2. It is developed by Maxis
3. The game is published by Electronic Arts
4. It was announced on May 6, 2013, as the sequel to The Sims 3 (2009)
5. It is the fourth major title in The Sims series
6. The game was first released in North America on September 2, 2014 for Microsoft Windows, as a paid title
7. A macOS version was released in February 2015
8. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were released in November 2017
9. The game moved to a free-to-play model on October 18, 2022
10. The game is monetized by the purchase of various paid downloadable content (DLC) packs
11. Like previous titles in the series, The Sims 4 allows players to create and dress characters called “Sims”, build and furnish houses for “Sims”, and simulate their everyday lives
12. The game introduces a newly-developed custom game engine, with improved character creation and house-building tools, as well as deeper in-game simulation with the new emotion and personality systems for Sims
13. Development of The Sims 4 began as an online multiplayer title
14. Plans were shifted to a single-player experience after the negative launch reception of Maxis’ SimCity in 2013
15. In the months leading up to the game’s release, Maxis revealed that several features present in prior The Sims main titles would be omitted at launch
16. Citing insufficient development time and technical complexity
17. This was received negatively by players
18. The Sims 4 received mixed reviews from critics upon its initial release
19. Critics praised the game’s visual design, improved AI simulation for Sims, and the simplified building tools
20. They criticized the lack of content compared to prior The Sims titles, frequent loading screens, and missing features
21. The Sims 4 has been commercially successful
22. Topping the all-format video game chart in 2014
23. The videogame has received 36 million players worldwide as of 2021
24. Since its release, the game has been supported with numerous paid DLC packs
25. Namely twelve expansion packs, twelve “game packs”, and several “stuff packs” and “kits”
26. The most recent expansion pack, The Sims 4: High School Years, was released on July 28, 2022
27. Free patches that introduce and expand major features have also been released throughout the game’s lifespan
28. Such as swimming pools, more character customization options, more building tools, and gameplay scenarios
29. Development of The Sims 4 began as an online multiplayer title, under the working title of “Olympus”
30. It was planned to incorporate online multiplayer gameplay, as part of publisher Electronic Arts’s (EA) plan to release more online multiplayer titles
31. EA labels president Frank Gibeau stated in 2012, “I have not green-lit one game to be developed as a single player experience. Today, all of our games include online applications and digital services that make them live 24/7/365”
32. However, these plans were changed following the negative launch reception of Maxis’ SimCity in March 2013
33. SimCity was plagued with widespread technical and gameplay problems related to the game’s mandatory network connection
34. As a result, “Olympus” was reworked to a single-player experience, and was released as The Sims 4
35. The release version of the game only requires an internet connection during the initial installation process, for game activation with an Origin account
36. Development of The Sims 4 was also affected by layoffs at EA Salt Lake in January 2014, which was assisting in development of the game
37. The remaining employees working on The Sims 4 were transferred to Maxis’ Redwood Shores, California studio
38. British neoclassical composer Ilan Eshkeri composed the game’s orchestral soundtrack, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, and performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra
39. The Windows and macOS versions of The Sims 4 have extensive mod support, as per tradition in the main The Sims series
40. There are two types of mods: script mods and custom content
41. Script mods are written in Python, typically modifying or adding gameplay mechanics
42. There is also a large variety of custom content available, including custom hairstyles, clothing, and furniture
43. In the months leading up to the game’s release in 2014, Maxis revealed that several gameplay features previously included in previous The Sims titles, such as swimming pools and the toddler Sim life stage, and family trees would not be included in The Sims 4
44. Some gameplay features present in The Sims 3 would also not be added to the game, such as the “Create-a-Style” color customization feature, basements, and town buildings such as grocery stores, schools and work locations
45. These announcements sparked criticism among players, who speculated that the exclusion of arguably core features were intended to be left out for paid downloadable content, or in order to make rushed deadlines
46. Maxis cited allocating development resources to the newly developed game engine, technologies, AI simulation system, as well as the revamped Create-a-Sim and Build modes, as reason for the omitted features
47. They contended that it was “not possible for us to include every single feature and piece of content we added to The Sims 3 over the last five years”
48. But clarified that they may be able to add these features back in at some point in the future
49. Review aggregator site Metacritic gave The Sims 4 a score of 70%
50. Based on 75 reviews
51. Indicating “mixed or average reviews”
52. The Sims 4 has received 36 million players worldwide across all platforms as of 2021
53. The game has generated over $1 billion of total revenue as of 2019
54. NetBet released a survey in 2021 on video game revenue data, estimating that The Sims 4 brings in $462 million annually
55. In 2014, The Sims 4 was the first PC game to top the all-format video game charts since Guild Wars 2 (2012)
56. In 2018, EA reported that the game had 10 million players
57. All expansion packs had sold a combined 30 million units