‘The Sims 4’ Dev Team Confirms New Game Pack, New Stuff Pack, And Return Of The Tragic Clown

The communications drought that frustrated Sims 4 fans in recent months has officially ended.

Following the February 2016 release of The Sims 4: Romantic Garden Stuff, the development team went silent. Maxis, the development team behind The Sims game franchise, continued to release their traditional monthly game patches. But there was no update on new expansion packs, stuff packs, or game packs. The lack of new content distressed Sims 4 fans, who have long complained that the game feels light on content compared to earlier eras of the franchise. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, fans of The Sims 4 took to social media to voice their displeasure.

On April 12, an employee at The Sims 4’s Latin America Facebook page interacted with several fans over Facebook Chat. The unidentified employee heavily implied that an announcement about new content for The Sims 4 was imminent. According to the unidentified employee, the new content would be restaurant-themed. The North American Maxis team distanced themselves from the leak but promised fans that news was coming.

On April 19, fans got the information they’ve been hungry for. If they knew where to look for it.

On the official Sims 4 forum, SimGuruLyndsay announced a new method to keep the lines of communication open between fans and developers. Every two to three months, the development team will release a season preview video. The video will contain short snippets teasing content the team expects to release over the next few months.

“I am really excited to share with you a new type of video today! This seasonal preview is something we will be presenting every few months to show you a look at the content to come in the next season for The Sims 4. (In this case a “season” means around 2-3 months)

“This will NOT replace our usual announcement videos and blogs but will give you a preview of the type of content and themes you can expect to see coming up.”

A new game pack and a new stuff pack are on deck for the Spring and Summer of 2016. First, the video confirmed the long-hinted restaurant game pack. Details on the specific content are scarce. In fact, the official title of the game pack hasn’t been announced yet, but that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating on social media.

Among the features fans of The Sims 4 hope most to see are wine making and food processors. One eagle-eyed fan spotted what looks like a glass of wine on a table during the restaurant game pack announcement. To preserve the T for teen rating of the series, the Sims franchise doesn’t contain alcohol. Instead, sims drink comically named non-alcoholic drinks. Instead of wine, sims drink nectar. Food processors and nectar making were popular features of The Sims 3 that didn’t make it into The Sims 4.

The photo was enough to convince some fans that wine or nectar making will feature in the next game pack. As evidence, the fan pointed to the Tragic Clown, a mysterious figure dating back to The Sims: Living Large expansion pack. On April 21, Maxis announced the Tragic Clown’s return to The Sims 4. Along with the Tragic Clown, the new free content update adds the Tragic Clown Painting, which can be used to summon the Tragic Clown.

According to Sim Universe, in Summer 2016, Maxis will release a child-themed stuff pack. Like the game pack, details of the stuff pack, including the title, are scarce. From the short teaser video, it seems the new stuff pack will include new clothes and new toys for sim children. It also looks like children may gain the ability to chat with monsters under their beds. Sorry, Sims 4 fans, it doesn’t look like toddlers will be part of either release.

[Image via The Sims]