Are Game Packs Dead?

I’m pretty sure they’ll be back next year. I might be wrong of course, but I’ve wondered if the 3 EPs this year is a kind of recovery post-lockdown/catch-up, given that they work on EPs for years and there have been a few very light roadmaps since covid. As we’re getting 3 EPs this year we don’t need a GP as well, so my guess is we’ll get one early next year. The last GP was Werewolves which was really well received (and really well done - I got it in the current sale and I’m impressed). But imo Werewolves is still a much lighter pack than Horse Ranch, so I don’t see any need to think that EPs are taking over GPs.

Oh, GPs still exist. They're just called EPs now (Growing Together, Horse Ranch).

I don't personally own horse ranch yet, but from what I've seen it doesn't seem like a gamepack to me. I suppose I could be a little bit biased because horses are my dream.

I hope they haven't discontinued game packs. We're going to have three EPs and one stuff pack and many kits this year, so I wouldn't worry yet. However, I sure hope that future EPs won't be like the horse pack because it had too little gameplay for me. I mean if you aren't into horses, there's not much else there. Goats and wine making aren't as fleshed out to compensate. I would have expected at least a wine festival or a wine making and tasting event and to be able to sell the wines in the restaurant menu.

"Eleri;c-18311690" wrote:
@FreddyFox1234 I think I should have been clearer and less cutesy with my poll options. I meant "They're on a break" to mean that you expect them to come back after a lengthy hiatus, similar to SP after Paranormal. It sounds like you're aligned more with "They're still alive, I think" which is if you expect them to return next year, but think there's room for doubt. "GP will never die!" is if you're firmly convinced they're coming back next year.

OK, thanks for the explanation. Yes, the ‘They’re still alive’ option probably fits me better then.

I think we as players see and feel the effect of their allocated budgets a lot in their packs. The reason why Growing Together and Horse Ranch might feel like game packs is probably because they spent a lot of their resources adding Infants and Horses to the game and they don't want to increase their budget to make the packs "feel" more like expansion packs.

They do seem to make more requested features for the game now, which I do like. We see less "weird" and "innovative" packs now.

But some of the more requested features that people want for The Sims 4 does require a fair bit of development which in turn prevents them from releasing them as game packs, so I think that's the reason why we have not seen game packs for a while.

My guess is that they’re under development. The GP format seems to be where all of the occult packs land, so if we get anything new along those lines (fairies, zombies, upgraded aliens) that will probably be the format used. And, if they’re planning to continue TS4 alongside Renee, GPS and Stuff Packs might actually become more common than EPS because of the development requirements.

"cyncie;c-18311735" wrote:
My guess is that they’re under development. The GP format seems to be where all of the occult packs land, so if we get anything new along those lines (fairies, zombies, upgraded aliens) that will probably be the format used. And, if they’re planning to continue TS4 alongside Renee, GPS and Stuff Packs might actually become more common than EPS because of the development requirements.

Not sure why we need to guess anything anymore they literally confirmed this game is not going to get dropped anytime soon and before anyone tags me or anything (with pure respect <3), YES SimGurus including SimGuruLyndsay herself, executive producer, confirmed Sims 4 WILL indeed continue to get content packs, updates AND support (not just the support), as they literally talked about spin-offs once the Rene segment in the latest Sims Summit stream started. I wasn't surprised about this announcement at all, as I knew from external reliable sources that this game will last a long time, possibly even decades to come, not just for a few more years, nope actually way longer than that. This game is a money machine so they have zero plans to drop it anytime soon + now it does seem like Rene is actually a side-game/spin-off with a different audience than The Sims 4, and the fact they mentioned the spin off games like Castaway, The Sims Bustin Out etc, implies it is planned as its own new Sims-themed game now, but yes I know they talked about that game getting DLC as well. Sims Medieval got one adventure pack as well, so technically spin-offs have already received expansion packs on their own outside the main Sims franchise. And I am pretty sure game packs are coming back next year, I am very happy a new SP is coming after a long while, however I had this feeling they would return, too. And I kind of had a strong "yup they are coming back sooner than we think" feeling once they replied to that comment about a player of Sims 4 missing the stuff packs. So now I am sure even if cars won't come this year (I kind of hope not because I love surprises every once in a while with the EPs, so hopefully the third EP of 2023 will be about something like apartment life or real estate rather than vehicles), that they will most likely come next year. 2024 does feel like the defining year for cars to arrive to Sims 4. But I believe they will need to be supported by an expansion packs that will make sense with a possible Cars base game update, they always need the budget for base game updates so it will be created with the content packs resources like it has always been.

"logion;c-18311713" wrote:
We see less "weird" and "innovative" packs now.

This saddens me. I want to see more of these weird and innovative packs. It keeps things fresh. All the recent packs have been extremely realism heavy, its time for weird again. Occult/ Offbeat themed Game Packs are perfect and very necessary to scratch that fantasy player’s fantasy itch. There’s so few of them.

Game Packs are staying, and for me the weirder, the better! ???☠️

Game Packs are the only way occult players get anything so they better not be dead.