Yikes .... The Game Pack Trailer has more dislikes than likes

"Simburian;c-17635753" wrote:

"Gordy;c-17634272" wrote:

"Simburian;c-17634254" wrote:

"KaeChan2089;c-17634212" wrote:

"alanmichael1;c-17632905" wrote:

"BatmanFanGirl;c-17631010" wrote:
The one thing that makes me kind of mad (and I could be totally wrong) is that it looks like they invested way more money into this pack than others. That's just so unfair. Like did Disney throw money at them? Did EA think that because it would maybe pull in Star Wars fans into the Sims that they were willing to spend more money? It really frustrates and upsets me. The CAS items alone had to cost way more money than normal.

Why do you think that?? I see only recycled items and animations from Jungle Advdentures and Get Famous in the trailer.

It only has a bigger budget because Disney threw money at them.

Isn't that a good thing if they did have money thrown at them? Programmers might have slyly fixed some bugs with it as well.

If it is a success the next Expansion might be improved as well.

We ought to be grateful that Sims 4 has turned out a money winner as it looks as if a new Sims game is in the works. I hope they don't call it Sims 5 though. We wouldn't be getting that if Sims 4 failed as the CEO said something like that at the time Sims 4 came out.

If this pack a success, we might get tons more crossovers over highly-requested themes.

We shouldn't be grateful, because we were the ones funding it. We made them successful. They should be grateful to us for buying their shallow and underdeveloped offerings.

If you don't want to fund it that's your own personal choice but I and many are grateful we fund it. We need an adventure to break the monotony from time to time. I just wish it was as full of choices as World Adventures was for Sims 3.

I'm not saying that you can't like it or support it. Honestly, I hope you enjoy JtB. I'm saying that this pack being successful won't necessarily mean that other packs will benefit from it, or that extra money will be funneled into them. Support for this is far more likely to result in more brand crossovers.

I want adventure, too. I loved Jungle Adventure and I'd be ecstatic to get a World Adventures for S4. But I don't want another franchise's adventure grafted onto mine.

I think one of the most bonkers thing about the pack is that most likely we’ll have some freak townies that are going to populate wearing some Star Wars space garb and ruin the neighborhood aesthetic even further lol.

"luxsylvan;c-17635771" wrote:

"ryttu3k;c-17635404" wrote:
So just to have something to compare to, I went back and checked out a lot of other reveal/first look trailers. Here are the ratios of likes to dislikes!

Strangerville: 80k to 4.2k
Island Living: 120k to 1.1k
Moschino: 26k to 7.6k
Realm of Magic: 125k to 3.1k
Discover University: 132k to 2.8k
Tiny Living: 118k to 4.3k
Eco Lifestyle: 93k to 39k
Nifty Knitting: 51k to 5.6k
Journey to Batuu: 36k to 81k

Goodness! EL (and Moschino) did have a fair amount of Dislikes, but their like to dislike ratio is still positive, and it's almost reverse that of JtB. For the sake of disclosure, I Liked all but Moschino and JtB, which I Disliked, and I've since changed my mind on Moschino and really enjoy it as a pack.

Okay, that's Youtube. How about on the forums? The next three polls are all, "Are you buying?" polls:

Eco Lifestyle, initial: yes 162 / 50%, no 67 / 20%, maybe 93 / 28%
EL, after the livestream: yes 250 / 77%, no 31 / 9%, maybe 40 / 12%
Nifty Knitting: yes 238 / 70%, no 39 / 11%, undecided 59 / 17%

So the initial reaction to EL was more skeptical, but at least half straight-out said, yes, we're interested, we like how it looks. By the time the livestream had come out, it was widely positive. NK was positive from the outset. There were detractors for both packs, yes, but the vast majority ended up quite positive, and even EL had more positive responses than negative even from the very beginning.

What are the responses to Journey to Batuu so far?

Are you excited for The Sims 4: Journey to Batuu?

Yes: 84 / 22%
No: 296 / 77%

What do you think of Journey to Batuu?

Can't wait!: 58 / 17%
Pretty good: 25 / 7%
Okay / not really bothered: 39 / 11%
Definitely not buying: 189 / 56%
Will buy in a sale: 20 / 5%
If it has...: 4 / 1%

Journey to Baatu : new pack! Your thoughts?

I am not excited or interested. That reveal did nothing for me . I will most likely skip. 65% / 189 votes
I am vaguely interested,and i will most likely buy the Star Wars pack 12% / 37 votes
I am SUPER into the Star Wars theme and cant wait! 14% / 43 votes
I dont care for the Star Wars theme much, but im buying this for Build/Buy/CAS , etc. 6% / 20 votes

Are you looking forward to sims 4 journey to batuu

Yes: 46 / 35%
No: 84 / 64%

Goodness.

Whether this pack actually will be any good or not is kind of beside the point. I can't compare to MFPS because I wasn't following TS4 at the time, but this level of dislike and sheer lack of interest is vastly stronger than other 'contentious' packs like Eco Lifestyle (which has always been majority positive, even from the start!). The numbers straight-out say that the vast majority of those who have an opinion on it are not interested in this extended theme park advertisement cash grab, and I seriously hope EA actually listens.

Amazing job working up some numbers. The hero we needed but not the one we deserved.

The dislike to like ratio is INSANE and as someone who has been active here for a couple years, I was thinking I'd never quite seen as much unhappiness as with this but couldn't prove it. There is always give and take with new packs but...wow. Big miss on this one.

It’s like this right now because players were angry but kept tolerating it. Star Wars happened to be the last thing that many just had enough. If Star Wars is being released no, it was in development probably since last year, when player were asking for farming or fixes to current bugs or updates to existing features, and we get this. EA had this coming

I'm so actually disgusted by this pack that it drove me back to the Sims 3 and considering my opinions of the Sims 3 from my past experience that is quite an achievement.

I will not buy the Star Wars pack and just the fact that it even exists has put me off playing the game altogether.

I don't know who they are creating this game for anymore but it certainly doesn't seem to be for me. I want a life simulation game but sadly the Sims 4 seems to be going in another direction from that.

"Sharonia;c-17635792" wrote:
I'm so actually disgusted by this pack that it drove me back to the Sims 3 and considering my opinions of the Sims 3 from my past experience that is quite an achievement.

I will not buy the Star Wars pack and just the fact that it even exists has put me off playing the game altogether.

I don't know who they are creating this game for anymore but it certainly doesn't seem to be for me. I want a life simulation game but sadly the Sims 4 seems to be going in another direction from that.

girl exactly, the direction ea is trying to drive the sims franchise to is a mystery. virtual sandbox? realistic life simulator? story driven? are they using the sims as an experiment lab? what is it ea?? why don't just stick to its main goal back in sims 1?? if it worked and people loved it, why trying something new that most of the people is already disliking??

"SelinaKyles;c-17635785" wrote:

"luxsylvan;c-17635771" wrote:

"ryttu3k;c-17635404" wrote:
So just to have something to compare to, I went back and checked out a lot of other reveal/first look trailers. Here are the ratios of likes to dislikes!

Strangerville: 80k to 4.2k
Island Living: 120k to 1.1k
Moschino: 26k to 7.6k
Realm of Magic: 125k to 3.1k
Discover University: 132k to 2.8k
Tiny Living: 118k to 4.3k
Eco Lifestyle: 93k to 39k
Nifty Knitting: 51k to 5.6k
Journey to Batuu: 36k to 81k

Goodness! EL (and Moschino) did have a fair amount of Dislikes, but their like to dislike ratio is still positive, and it's almost reverse that of JtB. For the sake of disclosure, I Liked all but Moschino and JtB, which I Disliked, and I've since changed my mind on Moschino and really enjoy it as a pack.

Okay, that's Youtube. How about on the forums? The next three polls are all, "Are you buying?" polls:

Eco Lifestyle, initial: yes 162 / 50%, no 67 / 20%, maybe 93 / 28%
EL, after the livestream: yes 250 / 77%, no 31 / 9%, maybe 40 / 12%
Nifty Knitting: yes 238 / 70%, no 39 / 11%, undecided 59 / 17%

So the initial reaction to EL was more skeptical, but at least half straight-out said, yes, we're interested, we like how it looks. By the time the livestream had come out, it was widely positive. NK was positive from the outset. There were detractors for both packs, yes, but the vast majority ended up quite positive, and even EL had more positive responses than negative even from the very beginning.

What are the responses to Journey to Batuu so far?

Are you excited for The Sims 4: Journey to Batuu?

Yes: 84 / 22%
No: 296 / 77%

What do you think of Journey to Batuu?

Can't wait!: 58 / 17%
Pretty good: 25 / 7%
Okay / not really bothered: 39 / 11%
Definitely not buying: 189 / 56%
Will buy in a sale: 20 / 5%
If it has...: 4 / 1%

Journey to Baatu : new pack! Your thoughts?

I am not excited or interested. That reveal did nothing for me . I will most likely skip. 65% / 189 votes
I am vaguely interested,and i will most likely buy the Star Wars pack 12% / 37 votes
I am SUPER into the Star Wars theme and cant wait! 14% / 43 votes
I dont care for the Star Wars theme much, but im buying this for Build/Buy/CAS , etc. 6% / 20 votes

Are you looking forward to sims 4 journey to batuu

Yes: 46 / 35%
No: 84 / 64%

Goodness.

Whether this pack actually will be any good or not is kind of beside the point. I can't compare to MFPS because I wasn't following TS4 at the time, but this level of dislike and sheer lack of interest is vastly stronger than other 'contentious' packs like Eco Lifestyle (which has always been majority positive, even from the start!). The numbers straight-out say that the vast majority of those who have an opinion on it are not interested in this extended theme park advertisement cash grab, and I seriously hope EA actually listens.

Amazing job working up some numbers. The hero we needed but not the one we deserved.

The dislike to like ratio is INSANE and as someone who has been active here for a couple years, I was thinking I'd never quite seen as much unhappiness as with this but couldn't prove it. There is always give and take with new packs but...wow. Big miss on this one.

It’s like this right now because players were angry but kept tolerating it. Star Wars happened to be the last thing that many just had enough. If Star Wars is being released no, it was in development probably since last year, when player were asking for farming or fixes to current bugs or updates to existing features, and we get this. EA had this coming

Totally I agree, I've never seen anyone pitch a Star Wars idea. Space, yes, sci fi, yes but a specifically branded pack? No. I mean the Katy Perry pack is not well regarded among many TS3 players as far as I know. Moschino and Baby Ariel in TS4 had their uproar too (though it seems minimal in comparison to this). And with everything else not working well or needing improvement in the game it feels like a total slap in the face.

What IS interesting though is that branded collabs have been happening since at least TS2 if I'm remembering correctly, with an H&M pack. It isn't exactly new for EA to do something like this but it doesn't make it suck any less.

It also shows a disregard for what many people I've come across want fixed--bugs, personalities, babies, cars, life stages in general being more in depth, etc. I realize I have a niche and biased experience in the simmers I come across and have encountered a minimal amount compared to how many of us there are, so I don't speak for the whole community. But for myself and similar minded players I've seen here, YouTube, and Twitter, this is SO far from what we wanted.

"bellagoth_;c-17635801" wrote:

girl exactly, the direction ea is trying to drive the sims franchise to is a mystery. virtual sandbox? realistic life simulator? story driven? are they using the sims as an experiment lab? what is it ea?? why don't just stick to its main goal back in sims 1?? if it worked and people loved it, why trying something new that most of the people is already disliking??

That's exactly it, Maxis and EA don't know what The Sims is supposed to be.
They're trying to make it into a lite RPG. Ever since Jungle Adventure, packs have been becoming more quest oriented. This game is a simulation, story telling and management game, not an adventure game.
The team needs to go back to the Sims 1, 2 and 3 and realize what this game is.

"alanmichael1;c-17635498" wrote:

"Finbar659;c-17635484" wrote:

"comicsforlife;c-17635459" wrote:
why does it matter what anyone else thinks

If majority dislikes a certain pack, it's an issue as EA has clearly ignored the surveys made to check most preferences on what they want in the game tbh. So yes. It matters

Everybody will buy it anyways.

Uh, no.

I get where you're coming from, because a lot of people who are down on packs do turn around purchase them eventually. However, this isn't your standard The Sims pack. It's a very narrow focus, focused on a crossover with a specific franchise. Think of TS3's Katy Perry SP. Did "everyone" buy that anyway? I most certainly did not.

The fact of the matter is that it would be harder for a non-Star Wars fan to find something to like in this pack then it would be for more general themes. Because it's all about Star Wars. There's nothing else to it.

There's some very important factors to consider here, if we're trying to speak "facts" and truth. And people aren't going to like this, so if you're not someone who can handle harsh reality, then move along, move along, and skip my post.

EA is a mult-billion dollar corporation. At their disposal, they have tons and tons of data, research, and analytics to make any major money-making decisions. They invest in this information on a regular basis, because they have shareholders to answer to. So.

The core Sims community's unrest with this pack was not unanticipated. They very well knew the family players, realistic players, the "old school" Sims players, would have a cow over this. They knew. And they did it anyway. Why? Because they don't care anymore to cater to those players. They really don't. The CEO has been saying all along that they are chasing new trends, year after year. They have confirmed to be aiming at the new, younger gaming audience and building the player base. They have studied their statistical analysis and concluded that catering to the "old" isn't as lucrative as pandering to the "new". Therefore...

They already knew there would be an outcry against this pack. They already knew they would lose some players over it. But statistically, it doesn't matter (to them). Because those Simmers on social media only make up a small percentage of the worldwide player community (25 million active players, as last revealed) and the potential for reaching new players, Star Wars fanatics, and trend followers, is much much more profitable. They even stated in a recent article in the Washington Post that from here on out, they will be focusing more actively on the trends and hype of young people, ranging from fashion to TV. So this is only the beginning.

The only way...the only way they would bother to change direction, and it's a long shot, is if the sales of the Star Wars pack took a huge dive, and it would have to be significant enough to be a substantial monetary loss. Because they don't care how upset players are on social media, or how many downvotes the trailer gets. That's only in the thousands. The player base is millions and the Star Wars franchise is legendary. People everywhere, all over the internet are taking notice of the fabled "Sims Star Wars Pack". People who have never played a Sims game in their lives. Remember, they now also have the power of Disney backing them up. If there's one company I'd predict to take over the world one day, it would be Disney.

I'm honestly very interested to see how this pack sells on release day because I feel like this is going to be the big test of the new direction for cross-marketing on a larger scale. I just wish they shared their numbers publicly. But I'll be keeping an eye out for that quarterly report after September to see if there's any mention of it. Because this move is going to change the franchise forever. Life simulator? hardly. Adventure simulator? Maybe. Trend simulator? You bet.

"LiELF;c-17636175" wrote:
There's some very important factors to consider here, if we're trying to speak "facts" and truth. And people aren't going to like this, so if you're not someone who can handle harsh reality, then move along, move along, and skip my post.

EA is a mult-billion dollar corporation. At their disposal, they have tons and tons of data, research, and analytics to make any major money-making decisions. They invest in this information on a regular basis, because they have shareholders to answer to. So.

The core Sims community's unrest with this pack was not unanticipated. They very well knew the family players, realistic players, the "old school" Sims players, would have a cow over this. They knew. And they did it anyway. Why? Because they don't care anymore to cater to those players. They really don't. The CEO has been saying all along that they are chasing new trends, year after year. They have confirmed to be aiming at the new, younger gaming audience and building the player base. They have studied their statistical analysis and concluded that catering to the "old" isn't as lucrative as pandering to the "new". Therefore...

They already knew there would be an outcry against this pack. They already knew they would lose some players over it. But statistically, it doesn't matter (to them). Because those Simmers on social media only make up a small percentage of the worldwide player community (25 million active players, as last revealed) and the potential for reaching new players, Star Wars fanatics, and trend followers, is much much more profitable. They even stated in a recent article in the Washington Post that from here on out, they will be focusing more actively on the trends and hype of young people, ranging from fashion to TV. So this is only the beginning.

The only way...the only way they would bother to change direction, and it's a long shot, is if the sales of the Star Wars pack took a huge dive, and it would have to be significant enough to be a substantial monetary loss. Because they don't care how upset players are on social media, or how many downvotes the trailer gets. That's only in the thousands. The player base is millions and the Star Wars franchise is legendary. People everywhere, all over the internet are taking notice of the fabled "Sims Star Wars Pack". People who have never played a Sims game in their lives. Remember, they now also have the power of Disney backing them up. If there's one company I'd predict to take over the world one day, it would be Disney.

I'm honestly very interested to see how this pack sells on release day because I feel like this is going to be the big test of the new direction for cross-marketing on a larger scale. I just wish they shared their numbers publicly. But I'll be keeping an eye out for that quarterly report after September to see if there's any mention of it. Because this move is going to change the franchise forever. Life simulator? hardly. Adventure simulator? Maybe. Trend simulator? You bet.

It feels like they have tried to make this a trend simulator for a while. I wish them good luck with this attempt. I'm not sure how many more new players this will draw in, they will probably buy the base game and this pack and then play it for a couple of hours, and the majority of people that don't engage with the community will probably buy it anyway.

I would be fine with them chasing trends if the game felt more complete, but it isn't. Six years of game development and my babies are objects and my families can't save up money for a car, but they can fly a spaceship.