Are Game Packs Dead?

Well, since Stuff Packs were gone for a long time and then returned, I can't say that we'll never see another Game Pack.

For sure, Horse Ranch should have been a Game Pack. I have no idea what EA was thinking. (I know, they were thinking of money). It's like they have just upgraded (in name only) any Game Packs they make to Expansion Packs to make more money.

"BariSaxy;c-18329142" wrote:
Well, since Stuff Packs were gone for a long time and then returned, I can't say that we'll never see another Game Pack.

For sure, Horse Ranch should have been a Game Pack. I have no idea what EA was thinking. (I know, they were thinking of money). It's like they have just upgraded (in name only) any Game Packs they make to Expansion Packs to make more money.

I agree. As much as I love horses, Horse Ranch should've been a GP from the get-go. Compared to Growing Together and the upcoming For Rent, Horse Ranch was definitely shallow in terms of gameplay. ?

"BariSaxy;c-18329142" wrote:
Well, since Stuff Packs were gone for a long time and then returned, I can't say that we'll never see another Game Pack.

For sure, Horse Ranch should have been a Game Pack. I have no idea what EA was thinking. (I know, they were thinking of money). It's like they have just upgraded (in name only) any Game Packs they make to Expansion Packs to make more money.

Horse ranch could not been game pack.The amount resources needed to be expansion pack

"Horrorgirl6;c-18329233" wrote:

"BariSaxy;c-18329142" wrote:
Well, since Stuff Packs were gone for a long time and then returned, I can't say that we'll never see another Game Pack.

For sure, Horse Ranch should have been a Game Pack. I have no idea what EA was thinking. (I know, they were thinking of money). It's like they have just upgraded (in name only) any Game Packs they make to Expansion Packs to make more money.

Horse ranch could not been game pack.The amount resources needed to be expansion pack

I also believe Horse Ranch was always meant to be an expansion pack, I don't buy this theory created by disappointed Simmers who deemed it a game pack despite the fact we have never gotten a game pack with a world that has 13 lots in it, new animals and more than 1 Skill (Riding and Nectar Making + all the 4 new Horse Skills). This deserved to be an EP, however, I wish they included actual unicorns as an occult/life state for horses instead of making a gorgeous glittering magical effect and a horn for horses as an accessory, that did kind of feel disappointing and rubbed some of us the wrong way...wish they could still include unicorns in a future pack somehow if it could make sense or even better, refresh Horse Ranch someday and add the missing Unicorn life stage. There was a Sims 4 Horse Ranch EP satisfaction survey earlier this year in-game and they asked me what could have been better etc. I mentioned there should be actual unicorns and the nectar making skill should be 10 level skill with the ability to make unique combinations like in Sims 3 World Adventures EP. But yeah Horse Ranch was 100% an EP, could have been better but nothing is perfect. I also wish they will not drop Fairies GP early next year, would be better for them to save it for May or summer 2024, they really should release the rumored Grim Reaper/Dangerous/Grave & Beyond game pack maybe either January or February. Also there are apparently new hints for a new Romantic/Wedding-themed stuff pack coming early next year, so maybe we will get a SP instead of a new GP first. The new Kits I don't know when they are supposed to release but maybe also January or February, I think those are almost ready soon, so they can schedule them for EA app etc, and it feels like they are going to be out at the same time. I mean the Goth and Castle Kits. <3

@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.

"ULIBABA66;c-18311766" wrote:

Not sure why we need to guess anything anymore they literally confirmed this game is not going to get dropped anytime soon

We're talking about Game Packs specifically, not DLC generally. SimGuruLyndsay did not confirm that Game Packs would be returning. Over the course of the Sims 4 lifespan, we've seen pack series evolve and devolve. We've seen kits added. We've seen stuff packs killed off and then resurrected like a soap opera character. The Sims 4 is here to stay, yes. That doesn't mean that Game Packs are.

"GrumpyGlowfish;c-18311689" wrote:
Oh, GPs still exist. They're just called EPs now (Growing Together, Horse Ranch).

@GrumpyGlowfish I don't agree that Growing Together is a GP. I think it's actually one of the most complex EPs we've ever had. I have a pet theory that people who think Growing Together is GP-level never played infants without it and assume that most of the infant-related game play that Growing Together added was part of the base game update. You can correct me if I'm wrong.
They had to add the infant life stage to base game, because they had promised not to release anymore DLC of DLC. If infants weren't in base game, they couldn't add additional content for them to other DLC. At the same time, base game infants are an extremely shallow feature. They don't develop skills or abilities, there are not many interactions adults can have with them other than attending to their basic needs. Aside from the crib and a few decorative items, there aren't many items specifically for them, although they can use toddler toys.
Now there's a lot of other content that comes with Growing Together, but if a person mistakenly thinks that most of the infant game play was patched into base game, it'll make that EP seem lighter weight than it really is. Getting back to the main topic, I'm not, at this point, concerned that proper EPs are going away, I just think they'll alternate them with gamespansion packs, instead of alternating them with Game Packs.

"cyncie;c-18311735" wrote:
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 I can definitely see this happening down the road if they stick with the GP series. On the other hand, if they take GP-level topics, pad them with a few fluff features and release them as an EP, that might reduce the concern about development requirements. Let's take Fairies as example. Suppose we have fairies + a rejiggering of the Romantic Garden wishing well + a ballet skill (cause Sugar Plum Fairy). Voila! An EP!

I think gamepacks are around to stay, although we didn't get one this year, I expect we'll get one next year. We'll be taking a break from expansions after getting 3 this year.

I think we’ll get another game pack … eventually, lol.