One Of Sims 4's Most Annoying EA Features Is Now Gone Thanks To Fan

Summary A fan-created mod removes annoying DLC ads from The Sims 4 main menu, giving players a cleaner experience for free.

The Sims 4 has been criticized for the overwhelming amount of expansion packs behind paywalls, making gameplay feel like a cash grab.

Maxis has hinted at Project Rene, rumored to be The Sims 5, but a release date remains unknown as development continues.

While The Sims 4 may have a passionate community that adores the game, one disgruntled fan has taken it upon themselves to fix one of the widely hated parts of the game. Despite Maxis' life simulator impressing with the sheer size of its scope, players have long argued that the constant rollout of paid DLC, both minor and major, has made the title feel like a chore. Some have accused publisher EA of greedy business practices which came to a head when a recent update added a new UI element to the main menu which advertised more DLC.

Finding the addition distasteful, SimMattically shared their excellent mod on Reddit that removes the Shopping Cart button from the UI while also streamlining some elements of the display.

The creator notes on their Patreon that they wanted to create a version of The Sims 4 where the game booted into a "peaceful" main menu that wasn't littered with advertisements and news pop-ups. The community has flocked to the mod, which is a free download, and praised SimMattically for addressing what was considered to be a massive eyesore a stain upon the experience.

The Sims 4 Has Way Too Many Expansions

While The Sims 4 has managed to sustain and grow its audience since its launch in 2014, one recurring issue the community has addressed is the sheer amount of extra content that's locked behind a paywall. At the time of writing, The Sims 4 has 15 Expansion Packs, 12 Game Packs, 19 Stuff Packs, and 27 Kits, nearly all of which require some kind of additional payment. Expansion Packs and Game Packs are the two more substantial categories of add-ons while the latter two simply include a handful of extra furniture and clothing options.

Given the amount of time Maxis has spent growing the game, it stands to reason that a few expansions would be released over the course of a decade. Having said that, none of the precious Sims games had this many expansions, prompting many to question their necessity. Whether this business model is retained for any future standalone releases remains unknown.

While The Sims 4 shows no signs of slowing down, Maxis confirmed in 2022 that it's currently in the process of developing something called Project Rene. While not explicitly stated as such, the community believes this to be the working title of The Sims 5. The studio has yet to provide a solid release date for the next major release but more updates on its progress will likely be shared in the coming months.

Source: SimMattically/Reddit, Patreon