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Yikes .... The Game Pack Trailer has more dislikes than likes

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  • luxsylvanluxsylvan Posts: 1,922 Member
    luxsylvan wrote: »
    ryttu3k wrote: »
    So just to have something to compare to, I went back and checked out a lot of other reveal/first look trailers. Here are the ratios of likes to dislikes!

    Strangerville: 80k to 4.2k
    Island Living: 120k to 1.1k
    Moschino: 26k to 7.6k
    Realm of Magic: 125k to 3.1k
    Discover University: 132k to 2.8k
    Tiny Living: 118k to 4.3k
    Eco Lifestyle: 93k to 39k
    Nifty Knitting: 51k to 5.6k
    Journey to Batuu: 36k to 81k

    Goodness! EL (and Moschino) did have a fair amount of Dislikes, but their like to dislike ratio is still positive, and it's almost reverse that of JtB. For the sake of disclosure, I Liked all but Moschino and JtB, which I Disliked, and I've since changed my mind on Moschino and really enjoy it as a pack.

    Okay, that's Youtube. How about on the forums? The next three polls are all, "Are you buying?" polls:

    Eco Lifestyle, initial: yes 162 / 50%, no 67 / 20%, maybe 93 / 28%
    EL, after the livestream: yes 250 / 77%, no 31 / 9%, maybe 40 / 12%
    Nifty Knitting: yes 238 / 70%, no 39 / 11%, undecided 59 / 17%

    So the initial reaction to EL was more skeptical, but at least half straight-out said, yes, we're interested, we like how it looks. By the time the livestream had come out, it was widely positive. NK was positive from the outset. There were detractors for both packs, yes, but the vast majority ended up quite positive, and even EL had more positive responses than negative even from the very beginning.

    What are the responses to Journey to Batuu so far?

    Are you excited for The Sims 4: Journey to Batuu?

    Yes: 84 / 22%
    No: 296 / 77%

    What do you think of Journey to Batuu?

    Can't wait!: 58 / 17%
    Pretty good: 25 / 7%
    Okay / not really bothered: 39 / 11%
    Definitely not buying: 189 / 56%
    Will buy in a sale: 20 / 5%
    If it has...: 4 / 1%

    Journey to Baatu : new pack! Your thoughts?

    I am not excited or interested. That reveal did nothing for me . I will most likely skip. 65% / 189 votes
    I am vaguely interested,and i will most likely buy the Star Wars pack 12% / 37 votes
    I am SUPER into the Star Wars theme and cant wait! 14% / 43 votes
    I dont care for the Star Wars theme much, but im buying this for Build/Buy/CAS , etc. 6% / 20 votes

    Are you looking forward to sims 4 journey to batuu

    Yes: 46 / 35%
    No: 84 / 64%

    Goodness.

    Whether this pack actually will be any good or not is kind of beside the point. I can't compare to MFPS because I wasn't following TS4 at the time, but this level of dislike and sheer lack of interest is vastly stronger than other 'contentious' packs like Eco Lifestyle (which has always been majority positive, even from the start!). The numbers straight-out say that the vast majority of those who have an opinion on it are not interested in this extended theme park advertisement cash grab, and I seriously hope EA actually listens.

    Amazing job working up some numbers. The hero we needed but not the one we deserved.

    The dislike to like ratio is INSANE and as someone who has been active here for a couple years, I was thinking I'd never quite seen as much unhappiness as with this but couldn't prove it. There is always give and take with new packs but...wow. Big miss on this one.

    It’s like this right now because players were angry but kept tolerating it. Star Wars happened to be the last thing that many just had enough. If Star Wars is being released no, it was in development probably since last year, when player were asking for farming or fixes to current bugs or updates to existing features, and we get this. EA had this coming

    Totally I agree, I've never seen anyone pitch a Star Wars idea. Space, yes, sci fi, yes but a specifically branded pack? No. I mean the Katy Perry pack is not well regarded among many TS3 players as far as I know. Moschino and Baby Ariel in TS4 had their uproar too (though it seems minimal in comparison to this). And with everything else not working well or needing improvement in the game it feels like a total slap in the face.

    What IS interesting though is that branded collabs have been happening since at least TS2 if I'm remembering correctly, with an H&M pack. It isn't exactly new for EA to do something like this but it doesn't make it suck any less.

    It also shows a disregard for what many people I've come across want fixed--bugs, personalities, babies, cars, life stages in general being more in depth, etc. I realize I have a niche and biased experience in the simmers I come across and have encountered a minimal amount compared to how many of us there are, so I don't speak for the whole community. But for myself and similar minded players I've seen here, YouTube, and Twitter, this is SO far from what we wanted.
  • bixtersbixters Posts: 2,299 Member
    edited August 2020
    bellagoth_ wrote: »
    girl exactly, the direction ea is trying to drive the sims franchise to is a mystery. virtual sandbox? realistic life simulator? story driven? are they using the sims as an experiment lab? what is it ea?? why don't just stick to its main goal back in sims 1?? if it worked and people loved it, why trying something new that most of the people is already disliking??

    That's exactly it, Maxis and EA don't know what The Sims is supposed to be.
    They're trying to make it into a lite RPG. Ever since Jungle Adventure, packs have been becoming more quest oriented. This game is a simulation, story telling and management game, not an adventure game.
    The team needs to go back to the Sims 1, 2 and 3 and realize what this game is.
  • BariSaxyBariSaxy Posts: 4,699 Member
    Finbar659 wrote: »
    why does it matter what anyone else thinks

    If majority dislikes a certain pack, it's an issue as EA has clearly ignored the surveys made to check most preferences on what they want in the game tbh. So yes. It matters

    Everybody will buy it anyways.

    Uh, no.

    I get where you're coming from, because a lot of people who are down on packs do turn around purchase them eventually. However, this isn't your standard The Sims pack. It's a very narrow focus, focused on a crossover with a specific franchise. Think of TS3's Katy Perry SP. Did "everyone" buy that anyway? I most certainly did not.

    The fact of the matter is that it would be harder for a non-Star Wars fan to find something to like in this pack then it would be for more general themes. Because it's all about Star Wars. There's nothing else to it.
    OO2UdmJ.png
  • LiELFLiELF Posts: 6,439 Member
    There's some very important factors to consider here, if we're trying to speak "facts" and truth. And people aren't going to like this, so if you're not someone who can handle harsh reality, then move along, move along, and skip my post.

    EA is a mult-billion dollar corporation. At their disposal, they have tons and tons of data, research, and analytics to make any major money-making decisions. They invest in this information on a regular basis, because they have shareholders to answer to. So.

    The core Sims community's unrest with this pack was not unanticipated. They very well knew the family players, realistic players, the "old school" Sims players, would have a cow over this. They knew. And they did it anyway. Why? Because they don't care anymore to cater to those players. They really don't. The CEO has been saying all along that they are chasing new trends, year after year. They have confirmed to be aiming at the new, younger gaming audience and building the player base. They have studied their statistical analysis and concluded that catering to the "old" isn't as lucrative as pandering to the "new". Therefore...

    They already knew there would be an outcry against this pack. They already knew they would lose some players over it. But statistically, it doesn't matter (to them). Because those Simmers on social media only make up a small percentage of the worldwide player community (25 million active players, as last revealed) and the potential for reaching new players, Star Wars fanatics, and trend followers, is much much more profitable. They even stated in a recent article in the Washington Post that from here on out, they will be focusing more actively on the trends and hype of young people, ranging from fashion to TV. So this is only the beginning.

    The only way...the only way they would bother to change direction, and it's a long shot, is if the sales of the Star Wars pack took a huge dive, and it would have to be significant enough to be a substantial monetary loss. Because they don't care how upset players are on social media, or how many downvotes the trailer gets. That's only in the thousands. The player base is millions and the Star Wars franchise is legendary. People everywhere, all over the internet are taking notice of the fabled "Sims Star Wars Pack". People who have never played a Sims game in their lives. Remember, they now also have the power of Disney backing them up. If there's one company I'd predict to take over the world one day, it would be Disney.

    I'm honestly very interested to see how this pack sells on release day because I feel like this is going to be the big test of the new direction for cross-marketing on a larger scale. I just wish they shared their numbers publicly. But I'll be keeping an eye out for that quarterly report after September to see if there's any mention of it. Because this move is going to change the franchise forever. Life simulator? hardly. Adventure simulator? Maybe. Trend simulator? You bet.
    #Team Occult
  • logionlogion Posts: 4,712 Member
    LiELF wrote: »
    There's some very important factors to consider here, if we're trying to speak "facts" and truth. And people aren't going to like this, so if you're not someone who can handle harsh reality, then move along, move along, and skip my post.

    EA is a mult-billion dollar corporation. At their disposal, they have tons and tons of data, research, and analytics to make any major money-making decisions. They invest in this information on a regular basis, because they have shareholders to answer to. So.

    The core Sims community's unrest with this pack was not unanticipated. They very well knew the family players, realistic players, the "old school" Sims players, would have a cow over this. They knew. And they did it anyway. Why? Because they don't care anymore to cater to those players. They really don't. The CEO has been saying all along that they are chasing new trends, year after year. They have confirmed to be aiming at the new, younger gaming audience and building the player base. They have studied their statistical analysis and concluded that catering to the "old" isn't as lucrative as pandering to the "new". Therefore...

    They already knew there would be an outcry against this pack. They already knew they would lose some players over it. But statistically, it doesn't matter (to them). Because those Simmers on social media only make up a small percentage of the worldwide player community (25 million active players, as last revealed) and the potential for reaching new players, Star Wars fanatics, and trend followers, is much much more profitable. They even stated in a recent article in the Washington Post that from here on out, they will be focusing more actively on the trends and hype of young people, ranging from fashion to TV. So this is only the beginning.

    The only way...the only way they would bother to change direction, and it's a long shot, is if the sales of the Star Wars pack took a huge dive, and it would have to be significant enough to be a substantial monetary loss. Because they don't care how upset players are on social media, or how many downvotes the trailer gets. That's only in the thousands. The player base is millions and the Star Wars franchise is legendary. People everywhere, all over the internet are taking notice of the fabled "Sims Star Wars Pack". People who have never played a Sims game in their lives. Remember, they now also have the power of Disney backing them up. If there's one company I'd predict to take over the world one day, it would be Disney.

    I'm honestly very interested to see how this pack sells on release day because I feel like this is going to be the big test of the new direction for cross-marketing on a larger scale. I just wish they shared their numbers publicly. But I'll be keeping an eye out for that quarterly report after September to see if there's any mention of it. Because this move is going to change the franchise forever. Life simulator? hardly. Adventure simulator? Maybe. Trend simulator? You bet.

    It feels like they have tried to make this a trend simulator for a while. I wish them good luck with this attempt. I'm not sure how many more new players this will draw in, they will probably buy the base game and this pack and then play it for a couple of hours, and the majority of people that don't engage with the community will probably buy it anyway.

    I would be fine with them chasing trends if the game felt more complete, but it isn't. Six years of game development and my babies are objects and my families can't save up money for a car, but they can fly a spaceship.
  • LiELFLiELF Posts: 6,439 Member
    logion wrote: »
    LiELF wrote: »
    There's some very important factors to consider here, if we're trying to speak "facts" and truth. And people aren't going to like this, so if you're not someone who can handle harsh reality, then move along, move along, and skip my post.

    EA is a mult-billion dollar corporation. At their disposal, they have tons and tons of data, research, and analytics to make any major money-making decisions. They invest in this information on a regular basis, because they have shareholders to answer to. So.

    The core Sims community's unrest with this pack was not unanticipated. They very well knew the family players, realistic players, the "old school" Sims players, would have a cow over this. They knew. And they did it anyway. Why? Because they don't care anymore to cater to those players. They really don't. The CEO has been saying all along that they are chasing new trends, year after year. They have confirmed to be aiming at the new, younger gaming audience and building the player base. They have studied their statistical analysis and concluded that catering to the "old" isn't as lucrative as pandering to the "new". Therefore...

    They already knew there would be an outcry against this pack. They already knew they would lose some players over it. But statistically, it doesn't matter (to them). Because those Simmers on social media only make up a small percentage of the worldwide player community (25 million active players, as last revealed) and the potential for reaching new players, Star Wars fanatics, and trend followers, is much much more profitable. They even stated in a recent article in the Washington Post that from here on out, they will be focusing more actively on the trends and hype of young people, ranging from fashion to TV. So this is only the beginning.

    The only way...the only way they would bother to change direction, and it's a long shot, is if the sales of the Star Wars pack took a huge dive, and it would have to be significant enough to be a substantial monetary loss. Because they don't care how upset players are on social media, or how many downvotes the trailer gets. That's only in the thousands. The player base is millions and the Star Wars franchise is legendary. People everywhere, all over the internet are taking notice of the fabled "Sims Star Wars Pack". People who have never played a Sims game in their lives. Remember, they now also have the power of Disney backing them up. If there's one company I'd predict to take over the world one day, it would be Disney.

    I'm honestly very interested to see how this pack sells on release day because I feel like this is going to be the big test of the new direction for cross-marketing on a larger scale. I just wish they shared their numbers publicly. But I'll be keeping an eye out for that quarterly report after September to see if there's any mention of it. Because this move is going to change the franchise forever. Life simulator? hardly. Adventure simulator? Maybe. Trend simulator? You bet.

    It feels like they have tried to make this a trend simulator for a while. I wish them good luck with this attempt. I'm not sure how many more new players this will draw in, they will probably buy the base game and this pack and then play it for a couple of hours, and the majority of people that don't engage with the community will probably buy it anyway.

    I would be fine with them chasing trends if the game felt more complete, but it isn't. Six years of game development and my babies are objects and my families can't save up money for a car, but they can fly a spaceship.

    Yeah, I totally get it. I've been rallying for Fear, better personalities and deeper romantic preferences and interactions and I've been doing it since at least 2015, lol. I think some things are too difficult to implement and some are just not profitable enough for the funding. It's unfortunate, because if the base game had just been allowed more time to be developed, we might have had more of these things in it. But then again, judging by the patches we've gotten, maybe not.

    The Sims 4 is just a different animal than the previous games. It has metamorphosed into something new and it looks like EA is keeping it that way.
    #Team Occult
  • alanmichael1alanmichael1 Posts: 5,384 Member
    @LiELF Your analysis is very good, but I still think that EA is making a mistake.

    The Sims is one of very few mega-successful decades-long entertainment franchises for all age groups, comparable to Harry Potter, Dr. Who in the UK or the detective series The Three Investigators (Die drei ???) in Germany. The success recipe of these franchises is that they never, never abandon their big aging fanbases. Instead the products become more mature with the audience. Acquiring young new fans is done via spin-offs for kids (the German series is a masterpiece in this respect, and also The Sims does this with the mobile phone games).

    If TS4 becomes a trendy game for teenagers only, they will loose their fans every 5 years and can start at zero. Sadly I think this is what happens.
  • GordyGordy Posts: 3,015 Member
    edited August 2020
    luxsylvan wrote: »
    Moschino and Baby Ariel in TS4 had their uproar too (though it seems minimal in comparison to this).
    Moschino was one of the better brand packs because it was a fashion and photography pack first, and barely had any Moschino stuff in it. You could easily ignore the brand deal outside of a few CAS items, which IIRC couldn't spawn on townies.
    LiELF wrote: »
    The Sims 4 is just a different animal than the previous games. It has metamorphosed into something new and it looks like EA is keeping it that way.
    If the Sims 4 is an animal, I would describe it as that human/dog chimera from Full-Metal Alchemist that was suffering and had to be put down.

    TS1_dragons_hatching.jpg
    The Sims 4 hasn't introduced a new musical instrument since 2017
  • luxsylvanluxsylvan Posts: 1,922 Member
    Gordy wrote: »
    luxsylvan wrote: »
    Moschino and Baby Ariel in TS4 had their uproar too (though it seems minimal in comparison to this).
    Moschino was one of the better brand packs because it was a fashion and photography pack first, and barely had any Moschino stuff in it. You could easily ignore the brand deal outside of a few CAS items, which IIRC couldn't spawn on townies.

    That's true, I think they can be done well. It just needs to balance. Fashion packs are easier for people to get behind because they tend to be stuff packs that are "unimportant" slots of content to take. And most people welcome new CAS items. Harder when an entire game pack slot is taken by a brand deal with what appears to be very little replay value or new/interesting ideas (to me).

  • FlyingPotato659FlyingPotato659 Posts: 1,473 Member
    edited August 2020
    Gordy wrote: »
    luxsylvan wrote: »
    Moschino and Baby Ariel in TS4 had their uproar too (though it seems minimal in comparison to this).
    Moschino was one of the better brand packs because it was a fashion and photography pack first, and barely had any Moschino stuff in it. You could easily ignore the brand deal outside of a few CAS items, which IIRC couldn't spawn on townies.
    LiELF wrote: »
    The Sims 4 is just a different animal than the previous games. It has metamorphosed into something new and it looks like EA is keeping it that way.
    If the Sims 4 is an animal, I would describe it as that human/dog chimera from Full-Metal Alchemist that was suffering and had to be put down.

    I want to point out that I purchased the Moschino stuff pack as I wanted to enjoy the photography career. The photography career was broken on the day I purchased.

    I tested this today. Its STILL BROKEN

    I never experienced a broken bug that hasn't been fixed for this length of time compared to previous games. And the fact they're still selling a pack with a broken gameplay is disgusting and a scam.
  • luxsylvanluxsylvan Posts: 1,922 Member
    Finbar659 wrote: »
    Gordy wrote: »
    luxsylvan wrote: »
    Moschino and Baby Ariel in TS4 had their uproar too (though it seems minimal in comparison to this).
    Moschino was one of the better brand packs because it was a fashion and photography pack first, and barely had any Moschino stuff in it. You could easily ignore the brand deal outside of a few CAS items, which IIRC couldn't spawn on townies.
    LiELF wrote: »
    The Sims 4 is just a different animal than the previous games. It has metamorphosed into something new and it looks like EA is keeping it that way.
    If the Sims 4 is an animal, I would describe it as that human/dog chimera from Full-Metal Alchemist that was suffering and had to be put down.

    I want to point out that I purchased the Moschino stuff pack as I wanted to enjoy the photography career. The photography career was broken on the day I purchased.

    I tested this today. Its STILL BROKEN

    I never experienced a broken bug that hasn't been fixed for this length of time compared to previous games. And the fact they're still selling a pack with a broken gameplay is disgusting and a scam.

    For real? 🤦🏼‍♀️ I shouldn't even be surprised, I was hoping it was working for the people that bought it. I didn't, so I wouldn't know, but considered getting it for the career. A total bummer :/
  • LiELFLiELF Posts: 6,439 Member
    @LiELF Your analysis is very good, but I still think that EA is making a mistake.

    The Sims is one of very few mega-successful decades-long entertainment franchises for all age groups, comparable to Harry Potter, Dr. Who in the UK or the detective series The Three Investigators (Die drei ???) in Germany. The success recipe of these franchises is that they never, never abandon their big aging fanbases. Instead the products become more mature with the audience. Acquiring young new fans is done via spin-offs for kids (the German series is a masterpiece in this respect, and also The Sims does this with the mobile phone games).

    If TS4 becomes a trendy game for teenagers only, they will loose their fans every 5 years and can start at zero. Sadly I think this is what happens.

    @alanmichael1 No, I hear you. I'm still a huge lover of Sims 2 and every single time I play Sims 4 I miss the depth of interaction and behaviors from that game. The early Sims games were very special and unique and had an extraordinary formula that worked perfectly. It's heartbreaking to see that formula washed down the drain of capitalism.

    I think that if they had not named TS4 as a sequel in the franchise, but rather as a stand alone, the reception may have been very different and the expectations wouldn't have been as high. Had they developed an additional game that was truer to its predecessors and released it a few years after TS4 and named it the fourth in the series, people might have supported both games and appreciated TS4 for what it is. But, alas, that didn't happen.

    Sims 4 was originally going to be an online game and its engine was built for it. Multiplayer online games usually have robust engines when performing for what they were intended. I have to wonder if this new story driven direction is a way to cater to the game's original purpose. Why fight the engine to make it something it really isn't when they could embrace it and go larger with what it's meant to do? Perhaps that's one of the reasons why they've switched direction. It doesn't mean players will like it, but it would make a little more sense as to why we're getting a pack like Star Wars.
    #Team Occult
  • ryttu3kryttu3k Posts: 1,148 Member
    ryttu3k wrote: »
    Journey to Batuu: 36k to 81k

    Are you excited for The Sims 4: Journey to Batuu?

    Yes: 84 / 22%
    No: 296 / 77%

    What do you think of Journey to Batuu?

    Can't wait!: 58 / 17%
    Pretty good: 25 / 7%
    Okay / not really bothered: 39 / 11%
    Definitely not buying: 189 / 56%
    Will buy in a sale: 20 / 5%
    If it has...: 4 / 1%

    Journey to Baatu : new pack! Your thoughts?

    I am not excited or interested. That reveal did nothing for me . I will most likely skip. 65% / 189 votes
    I am vaguely interested,and i will most likely buy the Star Wars pack 12% / 37 votes
    I am SUPER into the Star Wars theme and cant wait! 14% / 43 votes
    I dont care for the Star Wars theme much, but im buying this for Build/Buy/CAS , etc. 6% / 20 votes

    Are you looking forward to sims 4 journey to batuu

    Yes: 46 / 35%
    No: 84 / 64%

    Thought I'd pop back two weeks on and see what's changed!

    Youtube: the reveal trailer is now on 42k likes to 107k dislikes, or 71.8% dislikes. When I last checked, it was 36k to 81k, or 69.2% dislikes. So, more people dislike it.

    I linked four polls initially. Links are in the quoted section, so I'll just do these plaintext.

    Are you excited for The Sims 4: Journey to Batuu?

    Yes: 98 / 21%
    No: 351 / 78%

    Originally, No was on 77%, with 296 votes.

    What do you think of Journey to Batuu?

    Can't wait!: 73 / 16%
    Pretty good: 28 / 6%
    Okay / not really bothered: 52 / 11%
    Definitely not buying: 246 / 56%
    Will buy in a sale: 28 / 6%
    If it has...: 7 / 1%

    'Definitely not buying' has remained steady on 56%, as has 'okay' on 11% and 'if it has' on 1%. 'Can't wait!' and 'pretty good' have dropped by 1% each, 'will buy in a sale' has risen by 1%. So some of the more positive responses have tempered down to sale only.

    Journey to Baatu : new pack! Your thoughts?

    I am not excited or interested. That reveal did nothing for me . I will most likely skip. 209 / 64%
    I am vaguely interested,and i will most likely buy the Star Wars pack 42 / 13%
    I am SUPER into the Star Wars theme and cant wait! 48 / 14%
    I dont care for the Star Wars theme much, but im buying this for Build/Buy/CAS , etc. 24 / 7%

    The negative votes have dropped by one percent. Those who are vaguely interested and those interested in BB/CAS have risen by one percent, and those super into it have remained steady. Overall, a slight uptick in interest.

    Are you looking forward to sims 4 journey to batuu

    Yes: 73 / 31%
    No: 158 / 68%

    This ratio has changed - initially, it was 35% positive, 64% negative.

    Conclusions - still very, very negative. There has been some softening of dislike in some polls, but it's risen in others. JtB has now been out for a week, and there's been essentially no change in how people see it.
  • SharoniaSharonia Posts: 4,853 Member
    The reviews for it haven't been great so really I'm not surprised that the opinion hasn't changed much since it released. I stuck to my word and didn't buy it. I've seen reviews on it and they have confirmed for me that I'm making the right decision. The game play looks actually terrible. Even if it wasn't Star Wars themed but still had this same type of game play it would be a disappointment to me. I don't want repetitive missions, rabbit holes and loading screen after loading screen type game play personally.
  • BeardedgeekBeardedgeek Posts: 5,520 Member
    edited September 2020
    LiELF wrote: »
    There's some very important factors to consider here, if we're trying to speak "facts" and truth. And people aren't going to like this, so if you're not someone who can handle harsh reality, then move along, move along, and skip my post.

    EA is a mult-billion dollar corporation. At their disposal, they have tons and tons of data, research, and analytics to make any major money-making decisions. They invest in this information on a regular basis, because they have shareholders to answer to. So.

    The core Sims community's unrest with this pack was not unanticipated. They very well knew the family players, realistic players, the "old school" Sims players, would have a cow over this. They knew. And they did it anyway. Why? Because they don't care anymore to cater to those players. They really don't. The CEO has been saying all along that they are chasing new trends, year after year. They have confirmed to be aiming at the new, younger gaming audience and building the player base. They have studied their statistical analysis and concluded that catering to the "old" isn't as lucrative as pandering to the "new". Therefore...

    They already knew there would be an outcry against this pack. They already knew they would lose some players over it. But statistically, it doesn't matter (to them). Because those Simmers on social media only make up a small percentage of the worldwide player community (25 million active players, as last revealed) and the potential for reaching new players, Star Wars fanatics, and trend followers, is much much more profitable. They even stated in a recent article in the Washington Post that from here on out, they will be focusing more actively on the trends and hype of young people, ranging from fashion to TV. So this is only the beginning.

    The only way...the only way they would bother to change direction, and it's a long shot, is if the sales of the Star Wars pack took a huge dive, and it would have to be significant enough to be a substantial monetary loss. Because they don't care how upset players are on social media, or how many downvotes the trailer gets. That's only in the thousands. The player base is millions and the Star Wars franchise is legendary. People everywhere, all over the internet are taking notice of the fabled "Sims Star Wars Pack". People who have never played a Sims game in their lives. Remember, they now also have the power of Disney backing them up. If there's one company I'd predict to take over the world one day, it would be Disney.

    I'm honestly very interested to see how this pack sells on release day because I feel like this is going to be the big test of the new direction for cross-marketing on a larger scale. I just wish they shared their numbers publicly. But I'll be keeping an eye out for that quarterly report after September to see if there's any mention of it. Because this move is going to change the franchise forever. Life simulator? hardly. Adventure simulator? Maybe. Trend simulator? You bet.

    Coming in late here but remember what saved Sims 4 from being a mandatory Online Only experience? The fact that EA (and Maxis!) COMPLETELY botched the Sim City reboot to the point of a 6 person Indie Game developer from Finland beat them hands down making the best City Simulator in history.

    EA is most certainly capable of misjudging things, it's just that they have a huge margin due to being very very very rich.
    Origin ID: A_Bearded_Geek
  • LiELFLiELF Posts: 6,439 Member
    LiELF wrote: »
    There's some very important factors to consider here, if we're trying to speak "facts" and truth. And people aren't going to like this, so if you're not someone who can handle harsh reality, then move along, move along, and skip my post.

    EA is a mult-billion dollar corporation. At their disposal, they have tons and tons of data, research, and analytics to make any major money-making decisions. They invest in this information on a regular basis, because they have shareholders to answer to. So.

    The core Sims community's unrest with this pack was not unanticipated. They very well knew the family players, realistic players, the "old school" Sims players, would have a cow over this. They knew. And they did it anyway. Why? Because they don't care anymore to cater to those players. They really don't. The CEO has been saying all along that they are chasing new trends, year after year. They have confirmed to be aiming at the new, younger gaming audience and building the player base. They have studied their statistical analysis and concluded that catering to the "old" isn't as lucrative as pandering to the "new". Therefore...

    They already knew there would be an outcry against this pack. They already knew they would lose some players over it. But statistically, it doesn't matter (to them). Because those Simmers on social media only make up a small percentage of the worldwide player community (25 million active players, as last revealed) and the potential for reaching new players, Star Wars fanatics, and trend followers, is much much more profitable. They even stated in a recent article in the Washington Post that from here on out, they will be focusing more actively on the trends and hype of young people, ranging from fashion to TV. So this is only the beginning.

    The only way...the only way they would bother to change direction, and it's a long shot, is if the sales of the Star Wars pack took a huge dive, and it would have to be significant enough to be a substantial monetary loss. Because they don't care how upset players are on social media, or how many downvotes the trailer gets. That's only in the thousands. The player base is millions and the Star Wars franchise is legendary. People everywhere, all over the internet are taking notice of the fabled "Sims Star Wars Pack". People who have never played a Sims game in their lives. Remember, they now also have the power of Disney backing them up. If there's one company I'd predict to take over the world one day, it would be Disney.

    I'm honestly very interested to see how this pack sells on release day because I feel like this is going to be the big test of the new direction for cross-marketing on a larger scale. I just wish they shared their numbers publicly. But I'll be keeping an eye out for that quarterly report after September to see if there's any mention of it. Because this move is going to change the franchise forever. Life simulator? hardly. Adventure simulator? Maybe. Trend simulator? You bet.

    Coming in late here but remember what saved Sims 4 from being a mandatory Online Only experience? The fact that EA (and Maxis!) COMPLETELY botched the Sim City reboot to the point of a 6 person Indie Game developer from Finland beat them hands down making the best City Simulator in history.

    EA is most certainly capable of misjudging things, it's just that they have a huge margin due to being very very very rich.

    That's true. But to be honest, I don't think a Game Pack is going to be significant enough to make a difference, even if it tanks. I think their main purpose for doing Batuu is to rake in more players, not cater to the existing ones.

    In a business, the goal is always to try to beat your profit margins year over year. So EA's tactic is to offer new and different things to try to pull non-Sim players into trying out the game. That way, even if, say, two thirds of those people try it and then abandon it, they will have still gained sales as well as another new chunk of players who are now going to buy up packs (of which there are now, what, thirty?) and the overall revenue will increase.
    #Team Occult
  • drake_mccartydrake_mccarty Posts: 6,114 Member
    A bit of a stretch to think a player who’s interest in the whole game hinges on a $20 Star Wars pack is going to buy up 29 other packs that aren’t Star Wars whatsoever. I remember when Sims 4 and Final Fantasy did a crossover and I don’t think that resulted in a bunch of simmers going out and buying up FF15 and all it’s DLC. Just weird how some people assume this is a golden business move that can’t possibly have any negative outcome.
  • lousha_lovelousha_love Posts: 45 Member
    > @logion said:
    > It was the same with Eco Lifestyle I think. But this might be even worse from what I have seen on twitter and on discord.

    I definitely agree...
  • lousha_lovelousha_love Posts: 45 Member
    > @LiELF said:
    > (Quote)
    >
    > That's true. But to be honest, I don't think a Game Pack is going to be significant enough to make a difference, even if it tanks. I think their main purpose for doing Batuu is to rake in more players, not cater to the existing ones.
    >
    > In a business, the goal is always to try to beat your profit margins year over year. So EA's tactic is to offer new and different things to try to pull non-Sim players into trying out the game. That way, even if, say, two thirds of those people try it and then abandon it, they will have still gained sales as well as another new chunk of players who are now going to buy up packs (of which there are now, what, thirty?) and the overall revenue will increase.

    I could not have explained it better :)
  • FelicityFelicity Posts: 4,979 Member
    edited September 2020
    LiELF wrote: »
    LiELF wrote: »
    There's some very important factors to consider here, if we're trying to speak "facts" and truth. And people aren't going to like this, so if you're not someone who can handle harsh reality, then move along, move along, and skip my post.

    EA is a mult-billion dollar corporation. At their disposal, they have tons and tons of data, research, and analytics to make any major money-making decisions. They invest in this information on a regular basis, because they have shareholders to answer to. So.

    The core Sims community's unrest with this pack was not unanticipated. They very well knew the family players, realistic players, the "old school" Sims players, would have a cow over this. They knew. And they did it anyway. Why? Because they don't care anymore to cater to those players. They really don't. The CEO has been saying all along that they are chasing new trends, year after year. They have confirmed to be aiming at the new, younger gaming audience and building the player base. They have studied their statistical analysis and concluded that catering to the "old" isn't as lucrative as pandering to the "new". Therefore...

    They already knew there would be an outcry against this pack. They already knew they would lose some players over it. But statistically, it doesn't matter (to them). Because those Simmers on social media only make up a small percentage of the worldwide player community (25 million active players, as last revealed) and the potential for reaching new players, Star Wars fanatics, and trend followers, is much much more profitable. They even stated in a recent article in the Washington Post that from here on out, they will be focusing more actively on the trends and hype of young people, ranging from fashion to TV. So this is only the beginning.

    The only way...the only way they would bother to change direction, and it's a long shot, is if the sales of the Star Wars pack took a huge dive, and it would have to be significant enough to be a substantial monetary loss. Because they don't care how upset players are on social media, or how many downvotes the trailer gets. That's only in the thousands. The player base is millions and the Star Wars franchise is legendary. People everywhere, all over the internet are taking notice of the fabled "Sims Star Wars Pack". People who have never played a Sims game in their lives. Remember, they now also have the power of Disney backing them up. If there's one company I'd predict to take over the world one day, it would be Disney.

    I'm honestly very interested to see how this pack sells on release day because I feel like this is going to be the big test of the new direction for cross-marketing on a larger scale. I just wish they shared their numbers publicly. But I'll be keeping an eye out for that quarterly report after September to see if there's any mention of it. Because this move is going to change the franchise forever. Life simulator? hardly. Adventure simulator? Maybe. Trend simulator? You bet.

    Coming in late here but remember what saved Sims 4 from being a mandatory Online Only experience? The fact that EA (and Maxis!) COMPLETELY botched the Sim City reboot to the point of a 6 person Indie Game developer from Finland beat them hands down making the best City Simulator in history.

    EA is most certainly capable of misjudging things, it's just that they have a huge margin due to being very very very rich.

    That's true. But to be honest, I don't think a Game Pack is going to be significant enough to make a difference, even if it tanks. I think their main purpose for doing Batuu is to rake in more players, not cater to the existing ones.

    In a business, the goal is always to try to beat your profit margins year over year. So EA's tactic is to offer new and different things to try to pull non-Sim players into trying out the game. That way, even if, say, two thirds of those people try it and then abandon it, they will have still gained sales as well as another new chunk of players who are now going to buy up packs (of which there are now, what, thirty?) and the overall revenue will increase.

    I thought that for a minute until I saw some streams. Given that the devs are video game players of other games, they had to have known that it would not draw in people who liked other genres of video games. It's not going to draw in people who like strategy games because there's no strategy. It's not going to draw in people who like FPS games because, well, you can't even call the light saber fights interesting after the novelty of getting a light saber. It's not going to draw in either adventure players or rpg players because the quest system itself is the same unchallenging thing over and over. I'm not sure it would even draw in new players at all given how bad the reviews have been.

    Who it may draw in are hard core Star Wars fans, but without a lot of engaging game play, and that means a lot more than fetch quest after fetch quest, it won't keep them.

    Where I do agree is it won't make a difference if it tanks or not.
  • LiELFLiELF Posts: 6,439 Member
    A bit of a stretch to think a player who’s interest in the whole game hinges on a $20 Star Wars pack is going to buy up 29 other packs that aren’t Star Wars whatsoever. I remember when Sims 4 and Final Fantasy did a crossover and I don’t think that resulted in a bunch of simmers going out and buying up FF15 and all it’s DLC. Just weird how some people assume this is a golden business move that can’t possibly have any negative outcome.

    I highly doubt they are expecting a new player to buy all the packs, but there are a lot to choose from so there's a greater chance they will find something else that they like. People's interests are hardly ever singular. The FF "crossover" was just a single CAS item, wasn't it? That wasn't really an effort and nowhere near the scale of funding a GP.

    I'm not sure who said there can't possibly be a negative outcome, but the real question is if that outcome is enough to make a difference to send the message that players are trying to communicate. Players complain all the time, it has become the "norm", and Big Business is just that...a business. They're going to look more at proof of overall sales with a focus on new customers. If the overall sales reach the necessary quota, and the increase in new customers meets expectations, then, in theory, it will be considered successful, even if half the existing player base doesn't buy the pack.

    It's EA. They only care about numbers, not "core" players or "loyal" simmers. It's unfortunate, but true. They don't care if veteran players don't buy the pack as long as the slack is picked up by new players. So that's where the test is. If it fails, they will probably have to find a new tactic. But it will still be focused on getting new players. New players = financial growth. It's the ugliness of capitalism and it's out of control. This kind of thing is going on everywhere.
    #Team Occult
  • lousha_lovelousha_love Posts: 45 Member
    > @Felicity said:
    > (Quote)
    >
    > I thought that for a minute until I saw some streams. Given that the devs are video game players of other games, they had to have known that it would not draw in people who liked other genres of video games. It's not going to draw in people who like strategy games because there's no strategy. It's not going to draw in people who like FPS games because, well, you can't even call the light saber fights interesting after the novelty of getting a light saber. It's not going to draw in either adventure players or rpg players because the quest system itself is the same unchallenging thing over and over. I'm not sure it would even draw in new players at all given how bad the reviews have been.
    >
    > Who it may draw in are hard core Star Wars fans, but without a lot of engaging game play, and that means a lot more than fetch quest after fetch quest, it won't keep them.
    >
    > Where I do agree is it won't make a difference if it tanks or not.

    For me, I am simply into Life Simulation play with some fantasy like fairies. Star Wars is not a fantasy I can begin to wrap my head around, not even enough to watch lets plays of it on youtube. However, I have watched reviews on it.
  • lousha_lovelousha_love Posts: 45 Member
    > @Felicity said:
    > (Quote)
    >
    > I thought that for a minute until I saw some streams. Given that the devs are video game players of other games, they had to have known that it would not draw in people who liked other genres of video games. It's not going to draw in people who like strategy games because there's no strategy. It's not going to draw in people who like FPS games because, well, you can't even call the light saber fights interesting after the novelty of getting a light saber. It's not going to draw in either adventure players or rpg players because the quest system itself is the same unchallenging thing over and over. I'm not sure it would even draw in new players at all given how bad the reviews have been.
    >
    > Who it may draw in are hard core Star Wars fans, but without a lot of engaging game play, and that means a lot more than fetch quest after fetch quest, it won't keep them.
    >
    > Where I do agree is it won't make a difference if it tanks or not.

    Oh, wait... I began commenting just to say, I agree with you :D
  • LiELFLiELF Posts: 6,439 Member
    Felicity wrote: »
    LiELF wrote: »
    LiELF wrote: »
    There's some very important factors to consider here, if we're trying to speak "facts" and truth. And people aren't going to like this, so if you're not someone who can handle harsh reality, then move along, move along, and skip my post.

    EA is a mult-billion dollar corporation. At their disposal, they have tons and tons of data, research, and analytics to make any major money-making decisions. They invest in this information on a regular basis, because they have shareholders to answer to. So.

    The core Sims community's unrest with this pack was not unanticipated. They very well knew the family players, realistic players, the "old school" Sims players, would have a cow over this. They knew. And they did it anyway. Why? Because they don't care anymore to cater to those players. They really don't. The CEO has been saying all along that they are chasing new trends, year after year. They have confirmed to be aiming at the new, younger gaming audience and building the player base. They have studied their statistical analysis and concluded that catering to the "old" isn't as lucrative as pandering to the "new". Therefore...

    They already knew there would be an outcry against this pack. They already knew they would lose some players over it. But statistically, it doesn't matter (to them). Because those Simmers on social media only make up a small percentage of the worldwide player community (25 million active players, as last revealed) and the potential for reaching new players, Star Wars fanatics, and trend followers, is much much more profitable. They even stated in a recent article in the Washington Post that from here on out, they will be focusing more actively on the trends and hype of young people, ranging from fashion to TV. So this is only the beginning.

    The only way...the only way they would bother to change direction, and it's a long shot, is if the sales of the Star Wars pack took a huge dive, and it would have to be significant enough to be a substantial monetary loss. Because they don't care how upset players are on social media, or how many downvotes the trailer gets. That's only in the thousands. The player base is millions and the Star Wars franchise is legendary. People everywhere, all over the internet are taking notice of the fabled "Sims Star Wars Pack". People who have never played a Sims game in their lives. Remember, they now also have the power of Disney backing them up. If there's one company I'd predict to take over the world one day, it would be Disney.

    I'm honestly very interested to see how this pack sells on release day because I feel like this is going to be the big test of the new direction for cross-marketing on a larger scale. I just wish they shared their numbers publicly. But I'll be keeping an eye out for that quarterly report after September to see if there's any mention of it. Because this move is going to change the franchise forever. Life simulator? hardly. Adventure simulator? Maybe. Trend simulator? You bet.

    Coming in late here but remember what saved Sims 4 from being a mandatory Online Only experience? The fact that EA (and Maxis!) COMPLETELY botched the Sim City reboot to the point of a 6 person Indie Game developer from Finland beat them hands down making the best City Simulator in history.

    EA is most certainly capable of misjudging things, it's just that they have a huge margin due to being very very very rich.

    That's true. But to be honest, I don't think a Game Pack is going to be significant enough to make a difference, even if it tanks. I think their main purpose for doing Batuu is to rake in more players, not cater to the existing ones.

    In a business, the goal is always to try to beat your profit margins year over year. So EA's tactic is to offer new and different things to try to pull non-Sim players into trying out the game. That way, even if, say, two thirds of those people try it and then abandon it, they will have still gained sales as well as another new chunk of players who are now going to buy up packs (of which there are now, what, thirty?) and the overall revenue will increase.

    I thought that for a minute until I saw some streams. Given that the devs are video game players of other games, they had to have known that it would not draw in people who liked other genres of video games. It's not going to draw in people who like strategy games because there's no strategy. It's not going to draw in people who like FPS games because, well, you can't even call the light saber fights interesting after the novelty of getting a light saber. It's not going to draw in either adventure players or rpg players because the quest system itself is the same unchallenging thing over and over. I'm not sure it would even draw in new players at all given how bad the reviews have been.

    Who it may draw in are hard core Star Wars fans, but without a lot of engaging game play, and that means a lot more than fetch quest after fetch quest, it won't keep them.

    Where I do agree is it won't make a difference if it tanks or not.

    I'm not so sure. I think that we, as Sims players already, tend to look at every pack through the same eyes and from a specific perspective. The potential is with younger players who love anything Disney or Star Wars and have never tried a Sims game but may like other simulations, even on mobile. The Disney+ service just launched within the last year and there's an entire Star Wars segment with all of the films in the franchise as well as every series and a show about Galaxy's Edge. The Mandalorian is huge right now.

    I've also seen some positive streams about the pack, just not always from the usual simmers. People who have been to Galaxy's Edge, love Star Wars, and/or used to play the Sims a long time ago seem to be interested. Sims players who love to make creative builds or stylists who see the potential in CAS seem excited. And while the forums have been full of a lot of loud people protesting the pack, there are still threads where others are enjoying the pack and new people keep popping in who have decided to try it out and like it. I also think that, because of the public aggressive hostility that's been shown for this pack, that those who like it tend to be quieter about it because of fear of backlash from others. Some people don't like confrontation and don't care to get into a cage match over their right to enjoy something.

    I just think there is often a lot of misconception to the reality of Sims 4, particularly on the forums, because it skews what appears to be the "majority" and can amplify the vocal minority. I'm not saying that players who hate the Star Wars pack are definitely in the minority, I just don't think there's an accurate overall representation on social media.

    But I mean, that's just what I observe. It's possible that the pack doesn't end up doing well at all. I doubt we'll ever know until we see (or don't see) more branding in the game.
    #Team Occult
  • FelicityFelicity Posts: 4,979 Member
    edited September 2020
    LiELF wrote: »
    Felicity wrote: »
    LiELF wrote: »
    LiELF wrote: »
    There's some very important factors to consider here, if we're trying to speak "facts" and truth. And people aren't going to like this, so if you're not someone who can handle harsh reality, then move along, move along, and skip my post.

    EA is a mult-billion dollar corporation. At their disposal, they have tons and tons of data, research, and analytics to make any major money-making decisions. They invest in this information on a regular basis, because they have shareholders to answer to. So.

    The core Sims community's unrest with this pack was not unanticipated. They very well knew the family players, realistic players, the "old school" Sims players, would have a cow over this. They knew. And they did it anyway. Why? Because they don't care anymore to cater to those players. They really don't. The CEO has been saying all along that they are chasing new trends, year after year. They have confirmed to be aiming at the new, younger gaming audience and building the player base. They have studied their statistical analysis and concluded that catering to the "old" isn't as lucrative as pandering to the "new". Therefore...

    They already knew there would be an outcry against this pack. They already knew they would lose some players over it. But statistically, it doesn't matter (to them). Because those Simmers on social media only make up a small percentage of the worldwide player community (25 million active players, as last revealed) and the potential for reaching new players, Star Wars fanatics, and trend followers, is much much more profitable. They even stated in a recent article in the Washington Post that from here on out, they will be focusing more actively on the trends and hype of young people, ranging from fashion to TV. So this is only the beginning.

    The only way...the only way they would bother to change direction, and it's a long shot, is if the sales of the Star Wars pack took a huge dive, and it would have to be significant enough to be a substantial monetary loss. Because they don't care how upset players are on social media, or how many downvotes the trailer gets. That's only in the thousands. The player base is millions and the Star Wars franchise is legendary. People everywhere, all over the internet are taking notice of the fabled "Sims Star Wars Pack". People who have never played a Sims game in their lives. Remember, they now also have the power of Disney backing them up. If there's one company I'd predict to take over the world one day, it would be Disney.

    I'm honestly very interested to see how this pack sells on release day because I feel like this is going to be the big test of the new direction for cross-marketing on a larger scale. I just wish they shared their numbers publicly. But I'll be keeping an eye out for that quarterly report after September to see if there's any mention of it. Because this move is going to change the franchise forever. Life simulator? hardly. Adventure simulator? Maybe. Trend simulator? You bet.

    Coming in late here but remember what saved Sims 4 from being a mandatory Online Only experience? The fact that EA (and Maxis!) COMPLETELY botched the Sim City reboot to the point of a 6 person Indie Game developer from Finland beat them hands down making the best City Simulator in history.

    EA is most certainly capable of misjudging things, it's just that they have a huge margin due to being very very very rich.

    That's true. But to be honest, I don't think a Game Pack is going to be significant enough to make a difference, even if it tanks. I think their main purpose for doing Batuu is to rake in more players, not cater to the existing ones.

    In a business, the goal is always to try to beat your profit margins year over year. So EA's tactic is to offer new and different things to try to pull non-Sim players into trying out the game. That way, even if, say, two thirds of those people try it and then abandon it, they will have still gained sales as well as another new chunk of players who are now going to buy up packs (of which there are now, what, thirty?) and the overall revenue will increase.

    I thought that for a minute until I saw some streams. Given that the devs are video game players of other games, they had to have known that it would not draw in people who liked other genres of video games. It's not going to draw in people who like strategy games because there's no strategy. It's not going to draw in people who like FPS games because, well, you can't even call the light saber fights interesting after the novelty of getting a light saber. It's not going to draw in either adventure players or rpg players because the quest system itself is the same unchallenging thing over and over. I'm not sure it would even draw in new players at all given how bad the reviews have been.

    Who it may draw in are hard core Star Wars fans, but without a lot of engaging game play, and that means a lot more than fetch quest after fetch quest, it won't keep them.

    Where I do agree is it won't make a difference if it tanks or not.

    I'm not so sure. I think that we, as Sims players already, tend to look at every pack through the same eyes and from a specific perspective. The potential is with younger players who love anything Disney or Star Wars and have never tried a Sims game but may like other simulations, even on mobile. The Disney+ service just launched within the last year and there's an entire Star Wars segment with all of the films in the franchise as well as every series and a show about Galaxy's Edge. The Mandalorian is huge right now.

    I've also seen some positive streams about the pack, just not always from the usual simmers. People who have been to Galaxy's Edge, love Star Wars, and/or used to play the Sims a long time ago seem to be interested. Sims players who love to make creative builds or stylists who see the potential in CAS seem excited. And while the forums have been full of a lot of loud people protesting the pack, there are still threads where others are enjoying the pack and new people keep popping in who have decided to try it out and like it. I also think that, because of the public aggressive hostility that's been shown for this pack, that those who like it tend to be quieter about it because of fear of backlash from others. Some people don't like confrontation and don't care to get into a cage match over their right to enjoy something.

    I just think there is often a lot of misconception to the reality of Sims 4, particularly on the forums, because it skews what appears to be the "majority" and can amplify the vocal minority. I'm not saying that players who hate the Star Wars pack are definitely in the minority, I just don't think there's an accurate overall representation on social media.

    But I mean, that's just what I observe. It's possible that the pack doesn't end up doing well at all. I doubt we'll ever know until we see (or don't see) more branding in the game.

    I'm actually not talking about simmers loving or hating the pack. I'm talking about people who play other video games. There was one game changer I saw who got an advanced copy, not a simmer, but he reviewed it. I'll paraphrase him, but he was like, maybe if you like sims you'll like this, but it's boring.

    The problem with the pack, if it's trying to draw people in, it honestly needs to be spectacular. You're not getting the regular sims experience, because there's no building and very little CAS. The socialization is quite limited. And the tasks are repetitive. And if someone is trying the game solely because of Star Wars, that's going to be their first impression.

    Maybe it's a smash hit? I don't know. But I honestly cannot see them pulling people from other genres in because, honestly, games that do quests do them much, much better.
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