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Is The Sims at risk? - Going Downhill or Uphill

ID-ChristianID-Christian Posts: 128 Member
I have been reading the forums, comments, tweets, pretty much anything and everyone seems to be very negative about the future of The Sims. I was kinda struck by all the negativity. Maybe it is the dislike of EA (named "the worst company in America" several times), and the worry that they might shut everything down at not so promising sales. But The Sims 4 player base did grow by nearly two-thirds in the fiscal year. Maybe it is the current silence. Maybe is the fact that The Sims 4 will NOT be at EA PLAY 2016. Maybe is the disappointed community and quite negative responses. A score of 3.9 out of 10 in the Metacritic by User Score. I keep reading comments and people seem that The Sims is in danger. We recently have seen the closing of Disney infinity, that was pretty much out of the blue for the community. To remind that EA did shut Down SimCity Developer Maxis at a failed launch. A beloved franchise that had so much potential,but instead of fixing it they seemed to have just "left it behind".

There are several plans ahead for The Sims, GP3 coming soon and SP7 coming this Summer, so I personally believe that The Sims 4 is here to stay, at least for a little more. But perhaps The Sims funds are getting more limited, and we will see less EP. (This is merely speculation, opinion and it is probably not true). Perhaps The Sims is just a little behind schedule trying to give us the best Game Pack possible and the most polished content as they can. We complain when content is "half-baked" and we complain when they take their time. I know that most of the people are just excited and just want at least some news to feed on. And I do side with you guys and believe there should me more communication. Also more communication in the medias and forums, especially with not so popular simmers. (But honestly The Sims is the only franchise I know that has "Gurus" on twitter and are so active and engaged with the community in medias, and that is fantastic! But its never enough :p )

--- Side note: Something that I noticed is that tweets, and things in general by not so popular simmer do not seem to get noticed as much. I messaged @SimGuruDrake 2 months ago about a thread I believe it got deleted without any notice. I then messaged her again later and still nothing. I do understand that she is probably flooded with messages, and it might take awhile for her to go through every each message and notification. This is an opinion, do not take my word as a matter of fact. But it seems to me that a tweet or comment by a popular simmer will have a higher chance to receive a reply ----

I honestly am not quite sure what to think. The idea of The Sims franchise ending does scare me, because it does have so much potential. Just because The Sims 4 launch was not the best in the series yet, according to some, does NOT mean the whole franchise is not worth it. The developers keep rolling out updates that does improve the gameplay, they added pools, ghosts, grill cheese aspiration, tragic clown, gardeners and so much more. I actually do think that The Sims 4 is quite amazing, but I understand where some of these people come from. Honestly, we cannot just jump into conclusion, but I understand that sometimes it is hard not to.. I am very dissapointed to see that The Sims will not be at EA PLAY, I was very excited to see what would be announced... That is actually what pushed me to write this thread.

I personally really like The Sims 4. Even at launch day I managed to spend many hours before I got bored. Yea I did get bored, but so I did when I played The Sims 3 base game. I started finding it really fun when Late Night came in. I look forward to seeing what The Sims has to offer, since I do want to see lots of more content.

*UPDATE*
The Sims 4 seems to have been the best selling computer title of 2015! Well this can make us relax, as I think that provides more evidence of The Sims success!

Anyways...
I REALLY want to hear the community opinion on the matter, on the future of The Sims.
What do you guys think? Is The Sims actually in danger?

NOTICE
Please be respectful towards others opinions. Do not attack players, developers/simgurus. Believe it or not the developers behind The Sims do try their best and they are amazing people - yes they are people. I do appreciate for all the hard work they do. Oh and be aware that there is a difference between fact and opinion.

Some Sources
The Sims 4 will not be on EA PLAY:
http://simsvip.com/2016/05/11/the-sims-4-will-not-be-present-at-the-ea-play-event/
EA Fiscal Year Results:
http://ir.ea.com/common/mobile/iphone/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=970304&CompanyID=ERTS
EA named worst company:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2013/04/09/ea-voted-worst-company-in-america-again/#300f626f816d
Metacritic:
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/the-sims-4/user-reviews
EA Shuts Down SimCity Developer Maxis:
http://kotaku.com/ea-shuts-down-simcity-developer-maxis-1689454903
Best Selling Computer Title
http://essentialfacts.theesa.com/Essential-Facts-2016.pdf

*ignore possible typos found in the text lol*
Post edited by ID-Christian on

Comments

  • I8PIKACHUI8PIKACHU Posts: 572 Member
    They're about to release a game pack.

    While the office might be thin and moved onto other projects, it might be temporary and was seen in previous versions of the series, most recently when TS3 had few updates or contact at about the same time as this game.

    The lack of communication is confusing, though. Not sure why it has to be a secret and let simmers wonder if their game is about to disappear.
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  • MocaJavaMocaJava Posts: 1,392 Member
    The next EP could be something spectacular, who knows. I try not to get too optimistic. I'm not sure any pack/EP they put out could fix the game for me. For me the main problem is the lifeless, cardboard cutout personalities of the Sims.
  • ZafireriaZafireria Posts: 3,640 Member
    Don't know why you have made this post when SimGuruDrake has stated sims are doing fine.
    The Sims 4 is doing just fine. As many of you have noted from our financial report that The Sims 4 player base grew by nearly two-thirds in the fiscal year <<this is fact, not opinion (and before it gets asked: no I will not be providing any additional information that was not shared in our financial reports.)

    Source: http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/886735/the-sims-4-and-ep3-will-not-be-present-in-the-ea-play-event/p8
  • ZafireriaZafireria Posts: 3,640 Member
    Piperbird wrote: »
    Zafireria wrote: »
    Don't know why you have made this post when SimGuruDrake has stated sims are doing fine.
    The Sims 4 is doing just fine. As many of you have noted from our financial report that The Sims 4 player base grew by nearly two-thirds in the fiscal year <<this is fact, not opinion (and before it gets asked: no I will not be providing any additional information that was not shared in our financial reports.)

    Source: http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/886735/the-sims-4-and-ep3-will-not-be-present-in-the-ea-play-event/p8

    I don't know if you've ever worked at a place that is going out of business, but they will tell you it is doing fine right up until they announce the closure. I was there when Montgomery Ward closed (remember that place!), and they told us everything was fine, we have loads of money, several stores are even getting renovations, and we've just hired Sammy Sosa as spokesperson!. Aaaaaand you're all out of a job. One grocery store I worked at closed on Christmas Eve with no warning. At the end of our shift we were told not to come back. Two restaurants in my town closed, and the employees found out when they came to work and found the doors chained. My roommate just got a job at a brand newly built 🐸🐸🐸🐸 Fabrics, and now every one of them is closing. Place hasn't even been open six months.

    TL;DR: They always tell you they are doing fine. They have to. But it isn't always the truth.
    Its unlikely to close down if their player base has grown, which means more money.
  • PiperbirdPiperbird Posts: 4,161 Member
    Zafireria wrote: »
    Piperbird wrote: »
    Zafireria wrote: »
    Don't know why you have made this post when SimGuruDrake has stated sims are doing fine.
    The Sims 4 is doing just fine. As many of you have noted from our financial report that The Sims 4 player base grew by nearly two-thirds in the fiscal year <<this is fact, not opinion (and before it gets asked: no I will not be providing any additional information that was not shared in our financial reports.)

    Source: http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/886735/the-sims-4-and-ep3-will-not-be-present-in-the-ea-play-event/p8

    I don't know if you've ever worked at a place that is going out of business, but they will tell you it is doing fine right up until they announce the closure. I was there when Montgomery Ward closed (remember that place!), and they told us everything was fine, we have loads of money, several stores are even getting renovations, and we've just hired Sammy Sosa as spokesperson!. Aaaaaand you're all out of a job. One grocery store I worked at closed on Christmas Eve with no warning. At the end of our shift we were told not to come back. Two restaurants in my town closed, and the employees found out when they came to work and found the doors chained. My roommate just got a job at a brand newly built 🐸🐸🐸🐸 Fabrics, and now every one of them is closing. Place hasn't even been open six months.

    TL;DR: They always tell you they are doing fine. They have to. But it isn't always the truth.
    Its unlikely to close down if their player base has grown, which means more money.

    I don't think EA itself will close down, their other games are doing too well. I worry about the Sims section of it, though. I know they said the player base has grown, but if that growth hasn't overcome any deficits they have, it really doesn't balance. Plus, they would need that money for the hefty severance packages the guys at the top get. The guys at the bottom get hosed. Business!
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  • alanmichael1alanmichael1 Posts: 5,384 Member
    As Sims 4 was released in September 2014 it's quite a banality that they grew two thirds in 2015.
  • NeiaNeia Posts: 4,190 Member
    Piperbird wrote: »
    Zafireria wrote: »
    Piperbird wrote: »
    Zafireria wrote: »
    Don't know why you have made this post when SimGuruDrake has stated sims are doing fine.
    The Sims 4 is doing just fine. As many of you have noted from our financial report that The Sims 4 player base grew by nearly two-thirds in the fiscal year <<this is fact, not opinion (and before it gets asked: no I will not be providing any additional information that was not shared in our financial reports.)

    Source: http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/886735/the-sims-4-and-ep3-will-not-be-present-in-the-ea-play-event/p8

    I don't know if you've ever worked at a place that is going out of business, but they will tell you it is doing fine right up until they announce the closure. I was there when Montgomery Ward closed (remember that place!), and they told us everything was fine, we have loads of money, several stores are even getting renovations, and we've just hired Sammy Sosa as spokesperson!. Aaaaaand you're all out of a job. One grocery store I worked at closed on Christmas Eve with no warning. At the end of our shift we were told not to come back. Two restaurants in my town closed, and the employees found out when they came to work and found the doors chained. My roommate just got a job at a brand newly built 🐸🐸🐸🐸 Fabrics, and now every one of them is closing. Place hasn't even been open six months.

    TL;DR: They always tell you they are doing fine. They have to. But it isn't always the truth.
    Its unlikely to close down if their player base has grown, which means more money.

    I don't think EA itself will close down, their other games are doing too well. I worry about the Sims section of it, though. I know they said the player base has grown, but if that growth hasn't overcome any deficits they have, it really doesn't balance. Plus, they would need that money for the hefty severance packages the guys at the top get. The guys at the bottom get hosed. Business!

    I doubt they would cite The Sims 4 in their examples to highlight how phenomenal 2016 was or call it a powerful brand if it had a deficit.

    So no, I'm not worried for the future of TS4.
  • Renamed2002180839Renamed2002180839 Posts: 3,444 Member
    I had my concerns much earlier on after GTW but at this point it seems to be doing fine. They've just announced new teasers and the return of Live Plays and there's a kid's pack following this GP. It seems like some moves are being made to calm players angst and I think if a shut down were close they wouldn't be going to those extremes. (Shrug) who can say for sure BUT EA just released their fiscal info. Go check their stock, if the stock didn't plummet then they are doing fine and the information recently released HAS TO BE ACCURATE. No matter what a small town business may tell it's employees right before locking the doors, a MAJOR PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY has to be honest with their fiscal reports to shareholders or risk extremely stiff penalties. I think we have the Sims 4 for a good couple of more years.
  • sparkfairy1sparkfairy1 Posts: 11,453 Member
    What makes me sad is it should be doing so much better. I want to see the rush of excitement, the community looking forward together in anticipation of future content and a base that was solid enough to carry multiple play styles without alienating others. I honestly never thought that this far post release they would still be playing catch up with base content-and if I had there was no way I would have bought. I'd have waited until they got around to it besides releasing all this paid for content.

    I wanted to see TS4 prove that despite a rough start it could be worked on to make up for the poor release with fantastic experiences for their many different customers in the time post release. That has just not been the case and I can't help but feel sad that they didn't delay the game even further to get it all done in a timely fashion rather than playing catch up over years while distracted by working on extra paid content.
  • JCsS1MSJCsS1MS Posts: 1,148 Member
    I hope not :/
  • PiperbirdPiperbird Posts: 4,161 Member
    I had my concerns much earlier on after GTW but at this point it seems to be doing fine. They've just announced new teasers and the return of Live Plays and there's a kid's pack following this GP. It seems like some moves are being made to calm players angst and I think if a shut down were close they wouldn't be going to those extremes. (Shrug) who can say for sure BUT EA just released their fiscal info. Go check their stock, if the stock didn't plummet then they are doing fine and the information recently released HAS TO BE ACCURATE. No matter what a small town business may tell it's employees right before locking the doors, a MAJOR PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY has to be honest with their fiscal reports to shareholders or risk extremely stiff penalties. I think we have the Sims 4 for a good couple of more years.

    I wouldn't exactly call a national department store that was open for 80 years and invented Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer for an ad campaign a 'small town business', but my point was, what we see in the paper and what they tell the employees is never the full story. I don't want to see them fail, I hope they are doing well. But just because they say they are doing well, does not mean that they are. A lot of the time the guys at the top don't let on how a company is really doing. Do you really think that if 🐸🐸🐸🐸 Fabrics (another national chain, around for about 50 years) knew they were about to go under, they would have build several new stores? That information is kept close until there is no choice to keep it a secret any more.

    I wonder how separate the EA sections are? Does money from all the games go into one big pile? Or is DA money only for more DA stuff in the DA department? (Simplified, I know, but you see what I am saying?). Can they use money from say, the EA Nintendo games to develop more Sims stuff, or is it all independent? If it's all one big pile, I don't think we have anything to worry about. If it is separate, then I really don't know what the future of Sims will be.
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  • sparkfairy1sparkfairy1 Posts: 11,453 Member
    @Piperbird I'm pretty sure SC2013 was a shock for those staff too. Came out of nowhere from the look of it and it was a huge shame to see it end that way. Certainly was a shock to their customers to hear it in the press-I went to their forums and saw a lot of upset. Especially the way it went-they completed and patched offline then totally dropped the game-like here's what you've been asking for now bye kind of thing.

    I hope they are doing well. I just wish that they were doing better for more of their customers that have been forced to give up on the sims or return to older games. That's sad to me.
  • PiperbirdPiperbird Posts: 4,161 Member
    @sparkfairy1 I agree. I wonder why they don't announce new packs earlier? Someone said it was because then the people that didn't want that pack would be upset, but that doesn't make sense to me. Say they announced something like, and underwater world pack. Half the forums are thrilled, the other half disappointed. But if it was announced a month before release, maybe all the happy people talking about it and making plans would change the disappointed half's mind? Then they would sell more copies than if they just sprung it on us right before release.

    There must be some reason behind how they do things.
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  • NinoosimNinoosim Posts: 387 Member
    Piperbird wrote: »
    Just from the info available, it doesn't look good. I am really happy some people are enjoying the game, but I have spent almost the last two years literally forcing myself to like it. I've loved playing Sims for so many years, since the first one came out, I just can't admit to myself that this one is properly awful. I want it to do well, for the sake of the name if nothing else, I suppose, but I worry.

    My thoughts exactly :cry:
  • DarkslayerDarkslayer Posts: 9,074 Member
    Gruffman wrote: »
    I would say your main problem is in your first sentence of your post:
    I have been reading the forums, comments, tweets, pretty much anything and everyone seems to be very negative about the future of The Sims.

    Don't take what goes on here on the forums as proof of anything.

    This. 100% this.
  • luthienrisingluthienrising Posts: 37,617 Member
    As Sims 4 was released in September 2014 it's quite a banality that they grew two thirds in 2015.

    Increasing basegame sales by over half again what they were in the year that starts half a year after release, in spite of negative reviews, strikes me as very much not banal.

    +1 to Gruffman. Actual evidence that Sims and its part of Maxis are doing poorly is basically nonexistent.
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  • GabbyGirlJGabbyGirlJ Posts: 6,858 Member
    edited May 2016
    jackjack_k wrote: »
    The Sims 3 went through the exact same phrase during Late 2010 to Late 2011.

    After Late Night, it there was barely anything happening, after 9 months we got an Expansion Pack about the size of a Game Pack, and it looked like EA were downgrading Sims 3 down to a much smaller level.

    Suddenly Pets was announced and bam. Everything sped back up.

    It's normal for a game to go through a quiet patch, that doesn't mean it's bad.

    EA announced like two days ago, that The Sims 4 has grown two thirds in the last 12 months, and 12 months ago they said The Sims 4 was their biggest game.

    It's very clear it's not going anywhere.

    Generations came out 7 months after Late Night, not 9. Up until Supernatural there was an average of 5 - 7 months between EPs, so this wasn't any bigger than say, the gap between WA and Ambitions. And we did get a Stuff Pack shortly after Gen.

    The store was also actively producing sets throughout 2011: http://store.thesims3.com/setsProductListing.html?scategoryId=12926

    When did EA say that The Sims 4 was their "biggest game?" I don't remember that quote. I'd really like to check it out if you have the source.

    I don't know if I it's clear to me that it's "not going anywhere." Simply because they're so tight-lipped about content. And, nothing's certain in the world of gaming anyway. Franchises end, studios close, etc. It's business. Something that you thought would always be around could very well be gone tomorrow with no warning. I've seen games get shut down shortly after sharing their plans for future content with their fans.

    I think it's good news for the franchise that the audience has grown. That's probably the most positive news that I've heard about TS4 in a while. However, we don't know anything about what their goals are and if they're being met. We don't know anything about any content that may come after this quarter or how far ahead they've planned. We're just too much in the dark for any educated guesses. And I agree with @Piperbird . Hearing that they are doing "fine" is, well, fine. But it doesn't tell us much about the future. And they can't tell us more, which I understand.
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  • ZafireriaZafireria Posts: 3,640 Member
    Piperbird wrote: »
    Zafireria wrote: »
    Piperbird wrote: »
    Zafireria wrote: »
    Don't know why you have made this post when SimGuruDrake has stated sims are doing fine.
    The Sims 4 is doing just fine. As many of you have noted from our financial report that The Sims 4 player base grew by nearly two-thirds in the fiscal year <<this is fact, not opinion (and before it gets asked: no I will not be providing any additional information that was not shared in our financial reports.)

    Source: http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/886735/the-sims-4-and-ep3-will-not-be-present-in-the-ea-play-event/p8

    I don't know if you've ever worked at a place that is going out of business, but they will tell you it is doing fine right up until they announce the closure. I was there when Montgomery Ward closed (remember that place!), and they told us everything was fine, we have loads of money, several stores are even getting renovations, and we've just hired Sammy Sosa as spokesperson!. Aaaaaand you're all out of a job. One grocery store I worked at closed on Christmas Eve with no warning. At the end of our shift we were told not to come back. Two restaurants in my town closed, and the employees found out when they came to work and found the doors chained. My roommate just got a job at a brand newly built 🐸🐸🐸🐸 Fabrics, and now every one of them is closing. Place hasn't even been open six months.

    TL;DR: They always tell you they are doing fine. They have to. But it isn't always the truth.
    Its unlikely to close down if their player base has grown, which means more money.

    I don't think EA itself will close down, their other games are doing too well. I worry about the Sims section of it, though. I know they said the player base has grown, but if that growth hasn't overcome any deficits they have, it really doesn't balance. Plus, they would need that money for the hefty severance packages the guys at the top get. The guys at the bottom get hosed. Business!
    EA won't shut down no, they have to many high profit games going at the moment and soon to be released.
    If Sims doesn't make the required profit then yeah EA might decide to spend those money elsewhere.

    Bottom line is that if Sims shuts down, it shuts down. The only way to really prevent this is buying the game plus its GP/EP/SP , which some are refusing to do, due to little content, or wrong content or some other reason. But since the player base grew it means more people are buying the game, which is a good sign in terms of them not shutting down (of course the increase in player base might not be enough)
    Should Sims shut down its probably due to it not making enough profit of it to be worth working on (since they have to pay wages to devs etc) and no Sims 5 won't start. Sims 4 didn't make a profit why would Sims 5? EA got a lot of other games that are earning them good profits, so why spend money on a game whose predecessor had to shut down due to not enough profit?

    I do not work within financial stuff, nor within business, so my words may not be correct. However, I am basing it on how other companies have done so in the past with games that didn't sell (including EA) doesn't mean it will be the case here tho. Personally I think Sims are doing fine for the moment, but should Sims fail, there will be no Sims 5.
  • NeiaNeia Posts: 4,190 Member
    Piperbird wrote: »
    @sparkfairy1 I agree. I wonder why they don't announce new packs earlier? Someone said it was because then the people that didn't want that pack would be upset, but that doesn't make sense to me. Say they announced something like, and underwater world pack. Half the forums are thrilled, the other half disappointed. But if it was announced a month before release, maybe all the happy people talking about it and making plans would change the disappointed half's mind? Then they would sell more copies than if they just sprung it on us right before release.

    There must be some reason behind how they do things.

    Money most likely. They probably want to announce new packs at the right time to make the most money out of the work of the rest of the developpers. If they announce too early, interest in the pack may dwindle before release, and, especially if there's no preorder, sales may be lower. If they announce too late, there's less time for the marketing campaing and to build hype, and sales may be lower.
  • blueturtleotterblueturtleotter Posts: 867 Member
    edited May 2016
    @jackjack_k can you provide a source for your claims that Maxis has hired a lot of new staff recently? And also one for your claim that they have moved staff off teams to work on other projects?

    This is a genuine question (not trying to be snarky) because if you can provide evidence of the above, that surely indicates that Maxis must be doing okay as one would not imagine them hiring new staff for The Sims if it was doing badly.
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