For those who have lost interest in TS4, yes, it should end. It's in it's sixth year, by next Sept. it will go into it's seventh year immediately on it's sixth birthday you start aging and working on the next year of life. Seven years of the chaos this game and forum have been. :o
It's not been all happy, happy. It's been pleas for info, pleas for normal gameplay, pleas for such normal things as toddlers in a life simulator, I mean really who would think a life simulator would jump a baby to a ten year old kid. It's all been about all of us scrambling to get what we wanted in this version because by default they left out by design (for more money) the very things people expect in a life simulator. So, yes, it's had a very long life as far as games are concerned of this genre. I know someone will point out how long MMORPGs go but this is The Sims, six/seven years was long enough (actually too long) to add in toddlers, or terrain tools and or cars (if ever), and many other things,while they chased branding.
There is still yet a big list of things people should expect in a base game and or at least in some hefty EPs that never happened. Do any of us really, really want to repeat how they handled TS4? No, I mean really? We had grown accustom to extra things like Seasons being a separate pack but c'mon would we wait on toddlers, nannies, butlers, jobs, traits, emotions (any new? not much) etc. if we had known this is how it would have been? I know I wouldn't have. But hindsite is 20/20.
No, I don't think 2020 is it's last year, there is still more to milk. But seriously with the expected and larger EPs out of the way, the rest is just going through the motions by this time, and not really worth staying engaged just to be milked for more for three more years. It's time to take a hard look at what has been done outside of the major packs people always want and expected. Things like SV, time and money wasted on a pack hardly anyone (even if they liked it) will play a second time when that money could have went for something most players would have wanted. Tiny Stuff pack, sold an idea to players they were already doing in the game since TS1. Challenging themselves to build a tiny home to see how a Sim could handle it or not. (routing). So, consumers paid for nothing more than a lot trait and another buff (gameplay) for $10.00 since they could already do this since 2000 in any iteration.
35+ packs and those wish lists still haven't been filled for normal gameplay we all expected.
If TS5 was a step up from the backward TS4 then yes it should be announced but if it's more of the same and or even worse( multiplayer) then I think they should just retire TS4 and learn a few lessons of why it received so much backlash and why so many see it as nothing more than microtransactions sold under the guise of stuff packs and GPs for more money. (when any of it could and have been in EPs). Analogy, turkey day, you had the turkey, it wasn't all that great in the first place, then sell you the left overs for seven more years, aka rehashed meshes, recolors, animations, and interactions, same traits by another name etc. and ideas. They literally sold you an EP with one career (actor), and it does't even work... geez how far the glory of The Sims have fallen. They literally pay influncers to tell you how great it is...nobody need pay anyone for a product if it's a good product. Who was paid EA for The Sims? Whether it's swag, or a free trip and or actual income, how many influncers did TS1 need outside the normal trailers and TV ads? That's the difference. TS4 needs to con the public.
