I figured this was important enough news to have its own topic. EA has laid off multiple developers on The Sims 4, including several veteran employees. No work has been started on a sequel for The Sims 4, and it's believed that EA is shifting their focus to mobile titles. Not great news for the future of the series. I've bolded some parts of quotes for emphasis.

SimsVIP article


SimsCommunity article


SimsCommunity's source also shared:


Meanwhile on Reddit, a user claiming to be a former SimGuru chimes in through multiple posts:

Interesting. Not great news for the series, this cannot be good news for that.

Stop. And then what awaits us on EA Play?

RIP The Sims

The End.

This has pretty much been my prediction all along. Now they *may* have an opening for these veterans on Will Wright's project - although that's not going to be a replacement for The Sims, from what I have read it is still human-life based so could be of interest to a sims player.

PS I guess that they're treating the game like they treat its bugs - don't bother fixing it, just dump it.

There's so much feedback, spin-offs, four successful main games, Gurus who worked for every Sims generation and have so much experience, no competitor - And apparently they're still about to drive it against a wall. Jesus Christ.

Gosh, that doesn't look good. I really hope it doesn't entirely move to mobile, I have no interest in micro-transaction oriented gamplay and real time mechanics. I play Sims to express creativity and just play around, I don't like restriction. I also have 3 separate games, modded to have their own themes.

I hope this isn't what's going to happen. I hope they're just getting a new team but I'm doubtful. I really am going to need to set up a "retro" PC so I can always be able to play the old games.

Getting rid of multiple longstanding employees like this usually means a) the company no longer has need of their expertise, b) the company is planning a radical change and is clearing out any potential opposition. The "fractured EA-Maxis relationship" sounds as though they have indeed been trying to resist corporate nonsense as much as possible.

EA is being stupid and shortsighted as usual. Every time EA has gone "Every game we make must have X" things have backfired for them. Every attempt to move The Sims series away from its traditional format has bombed (The Sims Online, The Urbz, The Sims Stories, The Sims Medieval, The Sims Social, Project Olympus, et al). Unfortunately when this move inevitably backfires (and it will) this time there will be nobody left to pick up the pieces.

It's worth noting that The Sims Mobile has already dropped hard out of the top games charts on Google Play and the App Store. The audience for the PC series does not overlap with the mobile version. The poor developers are left once again to patch a sinking ship.

I don't think they're going to dump TS4 right away...expect lots of cross-promotion, tie-ins and in-game advertising designed to "encourage" players to move to the mobile game.

Nothing about this surprises me. EA doesn't deserve the Sims franchise. This whole thing makes me sad. I think a part of me supported Sims 4 because in the back of my head I was assuming we'd get a Sims 5, no matter how irrational that is. It's like being in a toxic relationship. LOL Btw I haven't even glanced at the Sims mobile game. I'm not a mobile gamer, and I never will be.

I don't have objection to mobile games per se, but for a game like The Sims there is so much to cram onto the screen I don't see h ow it's possible!

I haven't played Sims hardly at all for the past month, because all the crap with My First Pet Stuff just was too much drama for me. I play Sims to get away from stress not create more. So, sadly, I'm kind of ready for it to end. I just hope EA makes some kind of official statement telling the community what's going on. If they're going to shut Sims 4 down and just focus on mobile, then they need to say so, and be done with it.

The thing that worries me the most is how bad some of the outstanding bugs in the game are. I hope at least some of them are addressed before things are over for good.

I'm also not against mobile games (I'm playing Animal Crossing Pocket Camp all the time lately), but Sims Mobile is terrible. I haven't the slightest idea how anyone who loves the Sims on PC could enjoy it.

According to LinkedIn, SimGuruDuke (head of the porting team) is now working on an unrelated mobile game for EA and not TS4 console edition. With all of the talk just months ago at how successful a console port would be, this clearly says that it is not taking off in that direction. What is it people say? Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-duke-b009a06

Mobile Sims 4 is also not doing well. The new tie in picture frame was a clue, but the fact it’s steadily dropping on the top gross charts means it’s not making any money. Putting both of those flops together with EA’s latest PR nightmare (MFPS pack....) they have successfully damaged their longest held IP.

They should but they won’t . Many fans would jump off the already sinking ship.

I think the force online/multiplayer element will be presented at EA PLAY, other than simsSeasons and I don't think their is a good reason to introduce mobile game on such big event that barely any of the simmers would care about it. PC, by all means, is dominant.

Well, that didn't surprise me at all. My only hope is now that someone else thinks about making a new PC Sims game. Meanwhile, I'll stick to TS3.

Well...this is...concerning. I suppose Grant will blame us for this

Grant is a turd. It's not the players fault when they create a subpar game and sell it as a triple A title. But it's very telling that he said it, because I believe he was telling the truth in his own way. Another thing that is obvious is that their tale of the successful Sims 4 is spun of delicious lies, and nothing else.

Threads about this topic are being locked, too. Apparently it's not appropriate to discuss. Which seems odd to me, like Dorsal Axe said, I would've thought it'd be big enough news to warrant discussion.



wait what

It was inevitable. It’s sad to see this happen to the developers, but it’s nothing no one could not have guessed given the quality of the product. It was only a matter of when.

So much for “5 Million Copies Sold.”

A while back, when a fan asked about TS5, Grant pretty much said there will be no TS5 unless we all buy TS4. A very true statement but, in typical Grant fashion, it came off like he was trying to guilt trip people into buying. Aside from that it...just didn't need to be said.

Oh shit, now you mention it I think I recall that. I vaguely remember someone saying there wasn't going to be a TS5 unless TS4 sells well. Presumably that's what you're referring to?

Yep. That is exactly what I'm referring to. Guess that's coming to pass. Meanwhile, censorship abound on the official forum. .

The king is dead, (Maxis Sims) Long live the king, (Paradox Sims)

Could be they may have gotten wind a better, more proficient developer is coming to a People Simulator world near you soon, and are getting out of Dodge before the inevitable game comparisons become a circus of utter embarrassment and shame that would further damage the credibility of any other EA projects. (Again with the SimCity fiasco.)