The Sims’ 20th Anniversary - missed opportunity?
Hey guys, just wanted to share my thoughts on the recent milestone; but first of all just a disclaimer, I absolutely love The Sims franchise! I have been a avid player for 20 years and have purchased almost every single expansion, game & stuff pack etc. I genuinely want the best for the game and suspect I will always be a loyal player for the many years to come no matter what direction the game takes.
However, I also think it’s important to share and discuss our feedback, the good & the bad in the most constructive way possible. So while I give credit for many of the brand’s positive steps like the pride inclusivity & gender update; I think the Sims’ team failed to give the 20th anniversary the acknowledgment it deserved and here’s why....
it’s a HUGE deal for any brand to last 20 years and The Sims audience is growing every year (along enjoying healthy sales & profits as EA’s CEO recently said) they’re literally selling millions of copies every year and there was no real sense of ‘Thank you’ or we appreciate you’. I wasn’t expecting each player to get a hand written note from EA or anything 😂 but given the game’s success and value to the company; they could’ve done something more significant to mark the milestone and not even reward fans, but make reference to the legacy and journey of The Sims.
This could’ve been done by several ways:
- Creating a reflective video showing the progress each generation of the game had similar to what they did for the 10th anniversary.
- A video message from the Senior managers of the Sims ‘joining in the celebrations’ giving us an insight into how they were marking the occasion behind the scenes in the office.
- Testimonials from staff members, EA Game Changers, General Simmers sharing stories about their first experience with Sims.
- An official #Sims2020 on social media like they did with #PLAYWITHLIFE for all Simmers to use as a common ‘space’ to post their Sims’ Birthday content.
- A Maxis Monthly kinda video with key members giving us a little teaser about future content (I know this is not always allowed but c’mon it’s an anniversary and we learned more about the future of the Sims from the back of a EA financial quarterly interview last week which was vague and random)
I accept a lot of these things I’ve mentioned are just tokens and ‘mushy’ concepts but for me; these kind of things would’ve been cute. Slightly dramatic but it seems the heart of The Sims is missing, the company behind the game don’t seem to be invested emotionally, it’s becoming more and more transactional and robotic. Obviously I’m sure they do care and not suggesting otherwise, just the corporate tone of the milestone was very dull and disengaged.
They posted on social media but nothing endearing, they’re doing giveaways which I’m sure will be nice for the handful of people who benefit but a purposefully-made anniversary video Would’ve been wider reaching. I’m also aware they recycled a hot tub object which again is okay but not substantial enough for a 20th anniversary (in my humble opinion).
I’m not forgetting about the sale they have on either but for me; the anniversary shouldn’t have been about sales or object giveaways; it was a chance to unite the Sims community, reflect on some nostalgia, get us excited about the future of the franchise as well as reigniting our passion for the game after a few bumpy years. The celebration should’ve been more emotionally & community driven rather than a cheap way of boosting sales. I’m not bitter or even angry; I’m just disappointed as someone who has played the game for 20 years seeing this culture shift from what the franchise was to how it’s being managed at the moment. In conclusion, a missed opportunity!
EA might be listening - but they don’t seem to be hearing.
However, I also think it’s important to share and discuss our feedback, the good & the bad in the most constructive way possible. So while I give credit for many of the brand’s positive steps like the pride inclusivity & gender update; I think the Sims’ team failed to give the 20th anniversary the acknowledgment it deserved and here’s why....
it’s a HUGE deal for any brand to last 20 years and The Sims audience is growing every year (along enjoying healthy sales & profits as EA’s CEO recently said) they’re literally selling millions of copies every year and there was no real sense of ‘Thank you’ or we appreciate you’. I wasn’t expecting each player to get a hand written note from EA or anything 😂 but given the game’s success and value to the company; they could’ve done something more significant to mark the milestone and not even reward fans, but make reference to the legacy and journey of The Sims.
This could’ve been done by several ways:
- Creating a reflective video showing the progress each generation of the game had similar to what they did for the 10th anniversary.
- A video message from the Senior managers of the Sims ‘joining in the celebrations’ giving us an insight into how they were marking the occasion behind the scenes in the office.
- Testimonials from staff members, EA Game Changers, General Simmers sharing stories about their first experience with Sims.
- An official #Sims2020 on social media like they did with #PLAYWITHLIFE for all Simmers to use as a common ‘space’ to post their Sims’ Birthday content.
- A Maxis Monthly kinda video with key members giving us a little teaser about future content (I know this is not always allowed but c’mon it’s an anniversary and we learned more about the future of the Sims from the back of a EA financial quarterly interview last week which was vague and random)
I accept a lot of these things I’ve mentioned are just tokens and ‘mushy’ concepts but for me; these kind of things would’ve been cute. Slightly dramatic but it seems the heart of The Sims is missing, the company behind the game don’t seem to be invested emotionally, it’s becoming more and more transactional and robotic. Obviously I’m sure they do care and not suggesting otherwise, just the corporate tone of the milestone was very dull and disengaged.
They posted on social media but nothing endearing, they’re doing giveaways which I’m sure will be nice for the handful of people who benefit but a purposefully-made anniversary video Would’ve been wider reaching. I’m also aware they recycled a hot tub object which again is okay but not substantial enough for a 20th anniversary (in my humble opinion).
I’m not forgetting about the sale they have on either but for me; the anniversary shouldn’t have been about sales or object giveaways; it was a chance to unite the Sims community, reflect on some nostalgia, get us excited about the future of the franchise as well as reigniting our passion for the game after a few bumpy years. The celebration should’ve been more emotionally & community driven rather than a cheap way of boosting sales. I’m not bitter or even angry; I’m just disappointed as someone who has played the game for 20 years seeing this culture shift from what the franchise was to how it’s being managed at the moment. In conclusion, a missed opportunity!
EA might be listening - but they don’t seem to be hearing.
