The Sims 4 Life and Death Ad Controversy Explained (2024)

One of the most exciting aspects of The Sims 4 is the consistent roll-out of DLC for the game. With at least one major pack being released each season, Simmers are constantly being fed new content to expand their game play. However, players have been very displeased with how The Sims 4 is showcasing its latest expansion pack.

promises to give players all new ways to experiment with one of the game’s most gruesome features – death. Descriptions of the expansion pack have confirmed that Simmers can experience a new grim reaper career, build graveyards, host funerals, and more upon purchase. Many fans have been excited about the pack, proving that the content of Life & Death is not what Simmers have been taking issue with. Rather, The Sims 4 has been inundating players constantly with an ad for the new expansion pack.

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EA's Controversial Advertising Strategy for The Sims 4: Life and Death

Sims 4's Macabre Mementos have Proven Maddening

Over the last few years, The Sims 4 has been promoting new DLC, particularly for larger content like expansion packs, by offering limited-time exclusive items to players who buy the new pack before a certain date. In the case of Life & Death, players who pre-order or buy the pack before December 12 will receive a collection of “Macabre Mementos” including a Lasting Legacy Family Portrait, a Mournful Melodies Music Box, and a Plumed Elegance Mask.

Once again, the controversy does not surround players being unhappy with the exclusive items that The Sims 4 team is offering them. Instead, the culprit is a popup ad for the exclusive items that appears upon launching the game. An advertisement for the rewards is present on the game’s main menu, making the additional popup ad feel redundant. The Sims 4 has faced fan backlash previously when it added a button to the game’s UI, leading to purchasable DLC. Pushing Macabre Mementos so heavily has made some Simmers reconsider if they’ll even buy Life & Death, despite how influential it could be on game play, proving that this heavy style of advertising is still controversial within The Sims community.

Previous Free Rewards in The Sims 4

Now that The Sims 4 is available to players for free, it makes sense that Maxis and EA are constantly encouraging players to buy DLC content. This obviously does not change the frustration that Simmers have, but it is a logical explanation.

Maxis has also incorporated new free-to-play quests for The Sims 4. The “Happy at Home” Sims 4 rewards program was a limited-time quest that launched in June. Players that logged-in enough times over the course of four weeks could earn eight free and unique rewards including a Bullseye Dartboard, Athleisure Wear, and a Practice Makes Perfect Trait.

Considering that new traits are typically only included in the game’s DLC and new free furniture and Create-A-Sim items for The Sims 4 are typically only available when The Sims developers update pre-existing items in the base game, this limited-time log-in event was a great opportunity for Simmers. Yet, many players missed out on the Happy at Home rewards program despite mass promotional images and links on The Sims 4 main page during and before the event.

This could be yet another explanation for the mass promotion of the Macabre Mementos. Life & Death has been advertised as a necessary expansion pack in the same vein as Seasons or Cats and Dogs. These kinds of expansion packs not only build upon preexisting aspects of game play, but change the way Simmers play The Sims 4 entirely. With many Simmers planning on buying the pack, The Sims team may be pushing them to buy the pack earlier so they don’t miss out on “free” exclusive items.

Some Simmers aren’t so optimistic about the motives of these advertisements. EA announced in May that it's considering implementing more advertisements in its AAA titles, which includes The Sims 4. These advertisements would be inside the game itself, unlike the controversial shop button.

Those that want to buy The Sims 4’s latest expansion pack can pre-order it now or wait till the DLC's Halloween release. Either way, they’ll receive the Macabre Mementos that Maxis and EA seem so eager to give away.

The Sims 4 Life and Death Ad Controversy Explained (2)

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The Sims 4

Unleash your imagination and create a unique world of Sims that’s an expression of you. Download for free, and customize every detail from Sims to homes and much more. Choose how Sims look, act, and dress, then decide how they’ll live out each day. Design and build incredible homes for every family, then decorate with your favorite furnishings and décor. Travel to different neighborhoods where you can meet other Sims and learn about their lives. Discover beautiful locations with distinctive environments and go on spontaneous adventures. Manage the ups and downs of Sims’ everyday lives, and see what happens when you play out scenarios from your own real life. Tell your stories your way while developing relationships, pursuing careers and life aspirations, and immersing yourself in this extraordinary game, where the possibilities are endless

Simulation

Systems

The Sims 4 Life and Death Ad Controversy Explained (6) OpenCritic Reviews
Top Critic Rating:70/100 Critics Recommend:26%
Franchise
The Sims
Platform(s)
PS4 , Xbox One , PC

Released
September 2, 2014
Developer(s)
Maxis

Publisher(s)
Electronic Arts

Engine
Proprietary Engine

ESRB
T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence

How Long To Beat
N/A

Steam Deck Compatibility
yes

X|S Optimized
No

File Size Xbox Series
22 GB (November 2023)

OpenCritic Rating
Fair

Cross Save
no

Cross-Platform Play
Xbox, PlayStation, and computer versions of Sims 4 are all separate games incompatible with each other
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  • The Sims 4

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The Sims 4 Life and Death Ad Controversy Explained (2024)

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