I think making the game free is smart move.

The game will not be free to play. That is just a marketing tactic. Everything you will ever want will be behind a paywall unless all you will ever want to play is the Base. In order to make this game half the game all of the past games were you are going to have to shell out $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. I predict this is going to be the most expensive Sims game ever. Because they already know what is a draw in terms of game play and build/buy. I also think the multiplayer is going to be more a bother than fun. I already play other MMOs and the worst thing about the game are the other players. Combine that with EA's continued lack of accountability when they muck up a game (Looking at you Sims Mobile, they are fixing to have some legal issues methinks) and this is going to be monstrous. Then we will likely get the introduction of a facet of gaming we typically don't experience in the Sims, lag.

Free to play if you pay $4.99 a month for an EA Play subscription.

"kthompson21349;c-18311900" wrote:
Free to play if you pay $4.99 a month for an EA Play subscription.

That is not going happen
They confirmed this game will be free for everyone and not subscription base.

Making the base game free will extremely increase the number of Sims players, and it will cause normal people to be making requests, suggestions, and voting in surveys about future packs and kits, so... Expect a more class-diverse game with better representation of non-rich players.
One of the things you're going to see... Is people prefering singers over musicians. Yuh know, the ones who do the song and music writing... The ones who star in the bands... The ones with all the fame and fortune... Sims never should have prioritized musical instruments over singing.
You're also going to see with the increase of poor players an increase in request for multiplayer, and an increase in request for no subscriptions on the multiplayer, and an increase in people who want to play without the internet. You're going to see people wanting a multiplayer game that is offline, to not have to worry about internet costs and subscription costs, yuh know like a splitscreen multiplayer? Like the old console Sims games. They were multiplayer offline.
Increasing poor players will increase a desire in the player base for multiplayer, and it will increase a desire for no subscription fees, and no internet requirements. It will also increase desire for discs of the game instead of downloading it.

I recommend Sims indeed do the base game being free, that they keep the same kind of prices on Sims 5 as on Sims 4 so it doesn't get harder to afford, that they advertise it as normal to not buy every pack and kit, encouraging people to only buy the packs and kits they prefer, so poor players feel comfortable, return to selling disc copies of the game for people too poor to afford internet, return to not requiring internet access to play the disc copies of the game, so people don't need money for internet, and give multiplayer options on one copy of the game on one electronic, like the old console games, for both consoles and computers. People used to make multiplayer computer games that use only one copy of the game, and only one computer for two+ players. If they do all of this advice on Sims 5, it will greatly increase the Sims 5 player count, and their profits off packs and kits.

And the Sims 5, being free, will likely be even more bare bones than the Sims 4 at launch. How else are they going to make money? $10 for swimming pools, another $20 for toddlers, $40 to build your own house. They'll make their money back by nickel and diming for every little thing players want.
I think the Sims 5 base game will have the least amount of content of any Sims game. People might be be happy it's free at first, but then they'll realize how little content there is.
Just look at how much they charge for Sims 4 content. I can imagine it getting much, much worse.

"bixters;c-18331255" wrote:
And the Sims 5, being free, will likely be even more bare bones than the Sims 4 at launch. How else are they going to make money? $10 for swimming pools, another $20 for toddlers, $40 to build your own house. They'll make their money back by nickel and diming for every little thing players want.
I think the Sims 5 base game will have the least amount of content of any Sims game. People might be be happy it's free at first, but then they'll realize how little content there is.
Just look at how much they charge for Sims 4 content. I can imagine it getting much, much worse.

This is what I'm expecting. I learned my lesson with Sims 4 if basic things like cars life stages and world editing are not there I won't even download it for free not getting another barebones base game that is not setup to ever expand in a meaningful way that always leaves you wanting more because at the core it's just shallow. The base game should be designed so expansion content is cohesive and builds upon it not so that it creates endless mini games if 1 expansion adds trash, animals, high school, ocean swimming, apartments the base game should have been preplanned to integrate those features into every world old or new.