Careers have always been an integral part of The Sims franchise, and The Sims 4 is no exception. With so many DLC expansions over the game’s almost eleven-year history, The Sims 4 has hit several goldmines but also landed some duds through these packs’ new career additions. As the first Expansion Pack for The Sims 4, Get to Work not only feels outdated, but has its fair share of annoying traits that should be fixed in some capacity. Fortunately, an upcoming new Expansion Pack for The Sims 4 could do just that.
In celebration of The Sims franchise’s twenty-fifth anniversary on February 4, EA and Maxis have announced a variety of new and old content. From fresh Kits and Expansions to rereleases and base game updates, there’s plenty of incredible content for both new players and seasoned Simmers alike. Most of these announcements were made in a Behind the Sims 25th Birthday Special livestream on January 14. Though explicit details about some of this new content were confirmed in the stream, other content has remained shrouded in mystery, meaning it's possible to speculate about what it will offer.
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The Unconfirmed Businesses and Hobbies Expansion Pack
Data miners may be spilling the beans on The Sims 4’s Motherlode Season before EA and Maxis have the chance. The Behind the Sims 25th Birthday Special livestream did not announce any upcoming Expansion Packs, but considering the ambiguous titles like “Nostalgia Now,” “Motherlode Season”, and a teasing side-eye emoji, an Expansion Pack is definitely not out of the question.
According to a post by data miner anadius on X (formerly Twitter), The Sims 4’s next Expansion Pack will be called Businesses and Hobbies. Like previous Expansion Packs, bonus content will be available for Simmers who buy early or pre-order.
The data miner also mentioned something entitled “Set Up Shop” which could either be a new feature or additional separate DLC for The Sims 4.
Considering the title of this alleged Expansion Pack, one alleged official announcement date for the pack could be on February 6, which the aforementioned Behind the Sims 25th Birthday Special livestream deemed as “Motherlode Season.” This referential name fits perfectly with an Expansion Pack called Businesses and Hobbies, as “Motherlode” is a money cheat that gives Simmers 50,000 Simoleons. Another option is February 4, during The Sims’ 25th Birthday Celebration, which includes a twenty-five-hour livestream, a free content drop, and other events. The Sims team has historically announced new content on Tuesdays, which February 4 falls upon, making it the more likely date of the two.
Businesses and Hobbies Could Give Get to Work Some Much Need TLC
Get to Work was the first Expansion Pack created for The Sims 4. This Expansion Pack debuted in 2015, making its 10th anniversary this year alongside the franchise’s 25th. Up until Get to Work, all career paths in The Sims 4 were “rabbit-hole careers,” meaning no actual gameplay was included with these jobs. Get to Work allowed players to follow their Sims to work and to actually perform tasks as a doctor, scientist, or detective. Additionally, players could create their own small retail business.
Unfortunately, Get to Work has remained extremely buggy since its release. Additionally, many of the tasks, particularly in the detective career, can feel repetitive. The doctor career also requires tasks that can take extended amounts of time, making Sims leave extremely late from work and thereby messing up other kinds of gameplay.
If the Businesses and Hobbies Expansion is true, this content could introduce new gameplay elements that improve Get to Work or, at the very least, give The Sims developer Maxis an excuse to update The Sims 4’s first Expansion Pack. Creating DLC that effectively changes other DLC rather than the base game has been a controversial move, but Businesses and Hobbies would likely have its own standalone gameplay in addition to these fixes. Other Expansion Packs have improved upon their predecessors in the past, with High School Years revamping Get to Work’s retail stores and For Rent revamping apartments, first introduced in City Living and briefly expanded in Eco Lifestyle, while simultaneously having their own features.
Though The Sims franchise’s birthday season will certainly bring about good news for its biggest title, hopefully the alleged Businesses and Hobbies Expansion will be one such addition to The Sims 4.
The Sims 4
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 70 /100 Critics Rec: 26%
- Released
- September 2, 2014
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Maxis
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Cross-Platform Play
- Xbox, PlayStation, and computer versions of Sims 4 are all separate games incompatible with each other
- Cross Save
- no
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
