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The Sims’ 20th Anniversary - missed opportunity?
AlexSimmerman
Posts: 80 Member
Hey guys, just wanted to share my thoughts on the recent milestone; but first of all just a disclaimer, I absolutely love The Sims franchise! I have been a avid player for 20 years and have purchased almost every single expansion, game & stuff pack etc. I genuinely want the best for the game and suspect I will always be a loyal player for the many years to come no matter what direction the game takes.
However, I also think it’s important to share and discuss our feedback, the good & the bad in the most constructive way possible. So while I give credit for many of the brand’s positive steps like the pride inclusivity & gender update; I think the Sims’ team failed to give the 20th anniversary the acknowledgment it deserved and here’s why....
it’s a HUGE deal for any brand to last 20 years and The Sims audience is growing every year (along enjoying healthy sales & profits as EA’s CEO recently said) they’re literally selling millions of copies every year and there was no real sense of ‘Thank you’ or we appreciate you’. I wasn’t expecting each player to get a hand written note from EA or anything 😂 but given the game’s success and value to the company; they could’ve done something more significant to mark the milestone and not even reward fans, but make reference to the legacy and journey of The Sims.
This could’ve been done by several ways:
- Creating a reflective video showing the progress each generation of the game had similar to what they did for the 10th anniversary.
- A video message from the Senior managers of the Sims ‘joining in the celebrations’ giving us an insight into how they were marking the occasion behind the scenes in the office.
- Testimonials from staff members, EA Game Changers, General Simmers sharing stories about their first experience with Sims.
- An official #Sims2020 on social media like they did with #PLAYWITHLIFE for all Simmers to use as a common ‘space’ to post their Sims’ Birthday content.
- A Maxis Monthly kinda video with key members giving us a little teaser about future content (I know this is not always allowed but c’mon it’s an anniversary and we learned more about the future of the Sims from the back of a EA financial quarterly interview last week which was vague and random)
I accept a lot of these things I’ve mentioned are just tokens and ‘mushy’ concepts but for me; these kind of things would’ve been cute. Slightly dramatic but it seems the heart of The Sims is missing, the company behind the game don’t seem to be invested emotionally, it’s becoming more and more transactional and robotic. Obviously I’m sure they do care and not suggesting otherwise, just the corporate tone of the milestone was very dull and disengaged.
They posted on social media but nothing endearing, they’re doing giveaways which I’m sure will be nice for the handful of people who benefit but a purposefully-made anniversary video Would’ve been wider reaching. I’m also aware they recycled a hot tub object which again is okay but not substantial enough for a 20th anniversary (in my humble opinion).
I’m not forgetting about the sale they have on either but for me; the anniversary shouldn’t have been about sales or object giveaways; it was a chance to unite the Sims community, reflect on some nostalgia, get us excited about the future of the franchise as well as reigniting our passion for the game after a few bumpy years. The celebration should’ve been more emotionally & community driven rather than a cheap way of boosting sales. I’m not bitter or even angry; I’m just disappointed as someone who has played the game for 20 years seeing this culture shift from what the franchise was to how it’s being managed at the moment. In conclusion, a missed opportunity!
EA might be listening - but they don’t seem to be hearing.
However, I also think it’s important to share and discuss our feedback, the good & the bad in the most constructive way possible. So while I give credit for many of the brand’s positive steps like the pride inclusivity & gender update; I think the Sims’ team failed to give the 20th anniversary the acknowledgment it deserved and here’s why....
it’s a HUGE deal for any brand to last 20 years and The Sims audience is growing every year (along enjoying healthy sales & profits as EA’s CEO recently said) they’re literally selling millions of copies every year and there was no real sense of ‘Thank you’ or we appreciate you’. I wasn’t expecting each player to get a hand written note from EA or anything 😂 but given the game’s success and value to the company; they could’ve done something more significant to mark the milestone and not even reward fans, but make reference to the legacy and journey of The Sims.
This could’ve been done by several ways:
- Creating a reflective video showing the progress each generation of the game had similar to what they did for the 10th anniversary.
- A video message from the Senior managers of the Sims ‘joining in the celebrations’ giving us an insight into how they were marking the occasion behind the scenes in the office.
- Testimonials from staff members, EA Game Changers, General Simmers sharing stories about their first experience with Sims.
- An official #Sims2020 on social media like they did with #PLAYWITHLIFE for all Simmers to use as a common ‘space’ to post their Sims’ Birthday content.
- A Maxis Monthly kinda video with key members giving us a little teaser about future content (I know this is not always allowed but c’mon it’s an anniversary and we learned more about the future of the Sims from the back of a EA financial quarterly interview last week which was vague and random)
I accept a lot of these things I’ve mentioned are just tokens and ‘mushy’ concepts but for me; these kind of things would’ve been cute. Slightly dramatic but it seems the heart of The Sims is missing, the company behind the game don’t seem to be invested emotionally, it’s becoming more and more transactional and robotic. Obviously I’m sure they do care and not suggesting otherwise, just the corporate tone of the milestone was very dull and disengaged.
They posted on social media but nothing endearing, they’re doing giveaways which I’m sure will be nice for the handful of people who benefit but a purposefully-made anniversary video Would’ve been wider reaching. I’m also aware they recycled a hot tub object which again is okay but not substantial enough for a 20th anniversary (in my humble opinion).
I’m not forgetting about the sale they have on either but for me; the anniversary shouldn’t have been about sales or object giveaways; it was a chance to unite the Sims community, reflect on some nostalgia, get us excited about the future of the franchise as well as reigniting our passion for the game after a few bumpy years. The celebration should’ve been more emotionally & community driven rather than a cheap way of boosting sales. I’m not bitter or even angry; I’m just disappointed as someone who has played the game for 20 years seeing this culture shift from what the franchise was to how it’s being managed at the moment. In conclusion, a missed opportunity!
EA might be listening - but they don’t seem to be hearing.
17
Comments
The sale isn't anything special. I'm seeing the exact same stuff for 25% off that was marked that way about 3 or so weeks ago. The only thing I saw that was new was one pack, Movie Stuff, for 50%, which I did end up buying. Maybe some EP's are also 50% off? I own them all, so I don't know. I did see a banner about the base game being super cheap... but again, they do that several times a year. Sims 4 has had more sales than I can recall ever seeing with previous games. You always know, if you miss one, you can just wait a month or two.
It's 50% off. They always have sales. This is nothing special at all.
If there is enough backlash they may add something else.
I'm thinking a Gamepack Announcement is next.
1: they did a recolor of the main focus of a pack majority of us already paid $10 for. I’m sure not everyone bought it just for the hot tub, but it being a key feature, is one reason I did.
2: they hyped up the 20th anniversary. Interviews with Guru’s, hinting to Sims 5, releasing the survey they did about gameplay features/activities.
Then we get a hot tub, a few bug fixes and songs.... and on top of that, they thanked fans on their twitter for celebrating with them.. mind you, most of all the comments are of disappointment and very unhappy simmers. And they’ve yet to say anything about the back lash from it.
I'm sorry, Anyone who was, or is, expecting those personality changes before June simply has no clue how production really works.
They're still processing the feedback. Then they have to figure out the best way to implement those changes (some of which will involve text, which will need to be translated into ... what is it, 18 different languages?) assign people to make those changes, write the changes, test those changes, adjust those changes based on testing, repeat until they don't catch any errors or bugs, and hope in the mean time that no other changes being worked on (for new expansions, other bug fixes, etc) impacts the work they're doing.
At absolute best, it's a three month process, just due to the number of people and number of steps involved. The more of those changes they implement (and people basically wanted all of them) the more time it's going to take. Which is why I'm not looking for them before... January 2021.
Yes, EA could have taken this in a different direction by acknowledging a loyal fan base that has stayed with this franchise for twenty years. But instead of being inclusive, EA decided to celebrate the Sims4 with the new younger fans who aren't as emotionally attached to the franchise as some us are. Because those younger fans are easier to please. They may not have played past iterations so the game's shortcomings are not apparent to them. Not yet anyway. What EA has failed to realize is the fact these new fans won't always be teens, and any games they play now will need to grow up and evolve also. Or all the time and money EA put into building this new fan base will have been a waste of their resources. Which is ironic when EA has a faithful fanbase it spent twenty years cultivating only to alienate those fans, and who are now feeling obsolete and irrelevant. Where is all the inclusivity EA and the gurus have been talking about the past few years when part of the fan base has basically been hung out to dry after being told it is no longer important?
I did not expect a huge celebration for this anniversary. But I did hold out some hope EA would at least act as if it cares we are still here.
It's not even about getting things. It's about acknowledgement, and like OP said, bringing the community together and stirring excitement, happiness, and sharing. Because here we are yet again with unhappy people and the push and pull between players and forums filled with arguing and slander all over Twitter. They consistently claim to be "listening", they even state in articles that they're paying attention and trying to build a good relationship with their players, yet they somehow overlooked the great build of anticipation and hope on various forms of social media, including these forums, for the anniversary to be something special and nostalgic? Just...why??
And as other people have pointed out before, the little effort that was put into the anniversary, was spent aimed mostly at new players instead of being inclusive to the people who have carried this franchise throughout four iterations, particularly when the Sims 4 was struggling for success in the early years. But then again, the core player base seems to have lost its relevance in their eyes long ago.
I feel like even if EA/Maxis scrambles to try to correct this now, it would feel hollow and insincere. The damage is done. I just feel really sad about it.
I am glad that the dev's got a party at the studio, they did need to thank them somehow too but it was hard to watch. They maybe should have kept the tweets and instagrams bragging and showing off their fun to a minimum if they weren't going to include everyone.
A DLC announcement is honestly completely irrelevant to celebrate The Sims franchise.
Yes but if its something a lot of people are asking for it will make them forget their disappointment and give them hope.
How I wish that they should not resort to this in the first place. They have 20 years of experience, and I must say that for someone with 20 years working experience should be wise & can make a better judgement.
I'm sorry because, I won't forget my disappointment till the day I quit playing the game. Are they treating us like a little kid? Just give us a candy & we'll stop whining? IRL, I must say that, I'm a professional in my own field. And they are professional in their own field. So, if they want to talk head to head, this franchise need to do better than this. They can't just "silence" us just by giving us what we want, towards the end of the day after they have been busted. Even an apology is not enough. What's done is done. Announcement or anything onwards, it's nothing but just another statistic, KPI & revenue for them. It's no longer a game that I could enjoy & being appreciated to be part of it for 20 years.
@catloverplayer I just want to let you know, I don't aim anything above towards anyone but the franchise. They've ruined the special day for everyone. Thanks for being so calm & chill with regards to this matter.
Catloverplayer is forever calm and chill regardless of the situation 🤣🤣🤣 and I mean that in a good way 😎😎😎😎
Yeah I never said I expected anything anytime soon. Just speculating that their budget and time may be currently used up currently