Is The Sims 4 Endgame?

I would also like to say that I believe TS4 will last longer than previous installments, but with only a small drizzle of content. *Like when someone doesn't turn the sink off properly. I have reasons to believe, but still stand by this likely being the last. If not then The Sims 5 likely won't see the light of day for a long. These are just my guesses based on what I know.
*As for rather or not it would be just as annoying is debatable.

"Erpe;c-16440850" wrote:
No, and the reason can be seen on http://simscommunity.info/2018/01/31/ea-talks-about-player-growth-with-the-sims-4-cats-dogs-console-release/

TS4 is still giving EA a huge amount of money and TS3 is still selling too which of course was EA’s main reason to make TS4 as it is.

But SPs and GPs seem to sell much better than the expensive EPs when they are sold as digital downloads. This is the change from earlier where EPs sold best on discs in the physical stores. Therefore TS5 likely only will get SPs and GPs which are cheaper to make and need less developers. Also EA has expanded Maxis to Finland where the Sims Mobile and TS4 for consoles mainly are made. So EA just need fewer devs in the main building for Maxis in Redwood.

That's a good point -- with the expansion to overseas development they need fewer people in Redwood Shores. If the GPs continue to be done as well as they have now, with SPs to fill in content gaps, I could go without giant EPs. Maybe they sell the worlds separate from the GPs so you can customize your game with the type of worlds you want; maybe you don't want a city world and want more rural or suburban environments but you still want some of the amenities of an urban environment like graffiti or basketball or industrial construction; those items could be provided in a GP or SP, then you get an empty urban world (or maybe with a few NPCs) to fill up if you wish.

I could live without personal cars in a Sims game if we had actual public transportation and not just effects. Imagine a Sim walking down the street in Willow Creek and appearing to board the "trolley" to travel to another town. Or in San Myshuno walking to one of the train stations and start walking up the stairs to the platform, then the "teleport" to the destination (you can imagine the assorted transfers). Or kids walking to the corner to "board" a school bus and be whisked off screen to school.

Another thing to consider is that Sims 4 might be sticking around a while longer to provide content to port for the console versions.

"aricarai;c-16441124" wrote:

"Erpe;c-16440931" wrote:

"aricarai;c-16440909" wrote:

"Erpe;c-16440850" wrote:
No, and the reason can be seen on http://simscommunity.info/2018/01/31/ea-talks-about-player-growth-with-the-sims-4-cats-dogs-console-release/

TS4 is still giving EA a huge amount of money and TS3 is still selling too which of course was EA’s main reason to make TS4 as it is.

But SPs and GPs seem to sell much better than the expensive EPs when they are sold as digital downloads. This is the change from earlier where EPs sold best on discs in the physical stores. Therefore TS5 likely only will get SPs and GPs which are cheaper to make and need less developers. Also EA has expanded Maxis to Finland where the Sims Mobile and TS4 for consoles mainly are made. So EA just need fewer devs in the main building for Maxis in Redwood.

@Erpe: You must not have seen the latest news on budget cuts and Gurus leaving or being shuffled around then.

http://simscommunity.info/2018/04/19/several-maxis-veterans-working-on-the-sims-4-got-laid-off-by-ea-for-budget-reasons/

https://simsvip.com/2018/04/19/maxis-update-multiple-sims-4-simgurus-fired-others-moved-to-mobile-teams/

Yes. But you need to look deeper:
1. The Sims 4 is selling very well according to http://simscommunity.info/2018/01/31/ea-talks-about-player-growth-with-the-sims-4-cats-dogs-console-release/
2. EA has expanded Maxis with studios in Finland where the main work on both the Sims Mobile and on TS4 for consoles is done. (The reason was more expertise in mobile games and their invention of a new technology which made it much cheaper and easier to transfer PC games to consoles.)
3. EA has for a long time seemingly wanted less EPs and more SPs and GPs (small half-priced EPs) instead of the bigger EPs which sold better in the physical stores. The reason must be that cheaper packs sell better as digital downloads. So I think that EA plans to soon completely stop with EPs and only make SPs and GPs which means that EA will need fewer developers.
4. The market for PC games is still growing even though the market for mobile games is growing even faster according to many sources. https://www.pcgamesn.com/pc-game-sales-numbers-market-share-2017 is just one of the sources.

So nothing points in the direction that EA should consider to stop the series. But a lot of things point in the direction that EA wants to make more and cheaper packs instead of the big EPs - and this is for me to see the far most likely reason for EA to reduce the budgets and the number of devs just a little.

Your sources are dated after the ones I provided and I was under the impression that the OP was talking about The Sims on PC.

If C&D sold so well, why the budget cuts and the redistribution of gurus, especially ones that have been around since the beginning? To me that makes absolutely no sense.

They may be leaning toward a direction of no EPs but then doesn't that point to The Sims as we know it being over?

Of course this is all speculation and we've still got EA Play to go, but it all seems a little suspect to me.

Evidently there was a recent change in upper management -- any time upper management changes you get a ripple effect down below. For all we know, maybe it means they're starting to work on the next iteration of the Sims, and they're shuffling around talent till they know how much staff they'll need to actually produce the game. The structure for the next game engine might be contracted to a group outside of the Sims if they shift staff to other projects (like Mobile and Console) they at least have them on hand if needed, but they can't hang on to everyone. I've been through layoffs before both as an observer and as the one let go. (Ironically when I signed up for the temp agency, my first assignment was back to my old employer.)

https://twitter.com/SimGuruDuke/status/987333783295639552?s=20

"New Maxis Project" = Sims 5?

I don't think it's Spore or SimCity...

"FreezerBunnyCowplant;c-16441645" wrote:
https://twitter.com/SimGuruDuke/status/987333783295639552?s=20

"New Maxis Project" = Sims 5?

I don't think it's Spore or SimCity...

It’s a mobile game.

"Bluebeard45;c-16441171" wrote:
Phones are fast becoming a mini PC and not to many want this huge thing sitting in there living room when they can have something that goes in there pocket. Sadly the Sims are headed the same as vinyl records.

The great irony is that mobile phone games look like the came out during the era of vinyl records. I guess it's consoles that are killing the pc market. But if Sims 4 is the way they planned on heading with it's reduction in quality and quantity it's probably better that Sims PC ends on this sour note.

"FreezerBunnyCowplant;c-16441645" wrote:
https://twitter.com/SimGuruDuke/status/987333783295639552?s=20

"New Maxis Project" = Sims 5?

I don't think it's Spore or SimCity...

I probably think "new project" means a non Sims game...

I bounced back and forth with this for a while but ultimately I think my answer is yes. With the lack of news, push for Sims Mobile, and the departure of quite a few gurus this year, TS4 feels like it's on unsteady ground. The rumors running around right now are also disconcerting.

after cats & dogs we had a big increase in the number of players. There will be no cancellation of the main series. News are coming! In fact, the sims mobile reached the 10 million download mark in the play store very fast. We already had a period of lack of information and the departure of Daniel from the team only made us worried, but the reality is that before his exit, the team had other stuffs in progress. Just wait for the news.
The game is not made by a single developer, it is by a team. Everyone who has worked with daniel has learned a lot about how he sees the game and how it does things. So just wait for the news.

I still think Seasons is coming out before TS4 is done. Surely Sims 4 wouldn't end without Seasons.