It’s been a long week for both EA subsidiary Maxis and The Sims fans alike. After a lengthy development cycle, The Sims 4 has released to not-so-positive reviews across the board. The fears of many have come true, and it challenges the future of one of gaming’s most prolific.
Maxis Producer Grant Rodiek has replied to a user on the official The Sims forum who wrote a 13 point request for The Sims 5, highlighting the most tragic shortcomings of The Sims 4. Rodiek’s reply was the following:
We’re not working on Sims 5. We’re not thinking about Sims 5. If Sims 4 isn’t successful, there won’t be a Sims 5.
Rodiek has been working at Maxis ‘since The Sims 2 Open for Business‘ (2005), as indicated by his signature.
The Sims is the most commercially successful franchise of all time, selling more than 175 million copies around the world since its debut in 2000. The Sims 4, its latest iteration, is by far the most poorly received by critics and consumers alike, holding a 71 Metascore (I gave it a 7.0/10) and abysmally low user reviews on Metacritic and Amazon. Previously, the franchise’s lowest rated installment was The Sims 3, which has an 86% Metascore. It’s clear that something went wrong.
The biggest mistake Maxis made was not listening to fan feedback. The writing has been on the wall for more than half a year, with fans voicing concern about the uprooting of features that have given the series increasing depth.
Maxis gambled on its new foundation for the franchise, which admittedly is impressive. The Sims are far more engaging to watch, Build Mode is intuitive and feature-rich, and the pretty graphics have resulted in some great screenshots across the web. But that isn’t enough. This is a franchise that, for the most part, stands alone in its genre, and is held to extremely high standards.
Also See: The Sims 4 Review
Truth is, The Sims 4 will become great over time with the introduction of inevitable expansions. However, the damage has been done. Maxis has slipped twice in two years with its biggest franchises: The Sims and SimCity. Word has gotten around very quickly that The Sims 4 has a lot of negative reception attached, making many consumers cautious. While SimCity 2013 was able to sell more than two million units despite its poor reception, The Sims 4 may have a more difficult time. If that’s the case, the future of the franchise could be put in jeopardy.
For now, Maxis is undoubtedly working hard to right the ship. Post-launch content is definitely in the works, and the best thing it can do at this point is make some of it available for free. Earning the respect of The Sims massive community is important in making sure the series doesn’t suffer an early death.
