When Do You Think Sims 4 Will End?

"Writin_Reg;c-16315857" wrote:
Erpe - the teams are not machines - they don't just spit out packs - their pcs they use to make them are reformatted or replaced (upgraded with new technology and the new series tools etc) when one game ends and a new one is being made - as every system, engine, language even changes in a new series. It's why all work stops on the present game when a new one is being readied to be launched. They don't go back to former games as it is usually not possible.

Only time in history of the Sims I know of where a pack came out after the main studio and teams were working on the new series was in Sims 3 when ITF was made - it was done in the closing studio in Salt lake city on machines that still had the programming etc for the Sims 3 in them - while the Red Wood City main Maxis studio and teams were busy working on the base game (etc) of Sims 4. Otherwise we would have never gotten ITF from my understanding.

The work on Sims 4 started already around 2009 where TS3 was released. Sims 4 was suddenly announced officially by EA in May 2013 and then released in September 2014. After the announcement of TS4 EA released the following packs for TS3:
Island Paradise EP in June 2013.
Movie Stuff SP in September 2013.
Midnight Hollow (in the Sims 3 Store) in September 2013.
Into the Future EP in October 2013.
Roaring Heights (in the Sims 3 Store) in December 2013.

It was just because of the extra studio in Salt Lake because the same happened 5 years earlier when TS3 was announced in July 2007 to be released at February 20, 2009 - except that TS3’s release later was postponed to June 2, 2009. After the announcement of TS3 EA still released for TS2:
Bon Voyage EP in September 2007
Teen Style Stuff SP in November 2007
Free Time EP in February 2008
Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff SP in April 2008
IKEA Home Stuff SP in June 2008
Apartment Life EP in August 2008
Mansion & Garden Stuff SP in November 2008

It is true that EA usually don’t release packs for the previous game just one or two months before the release of the next basegame. But it hasn’t anything to do with the developers being busy because EA has several teams working on different things at the same time. But EA wants people to switch quickly to the new game and therefore has a short break in the pack releases just before the new basegame is released.