Simmer Talk: It was all a test

Okay… Are We the Sims?

Does it feel like we’re living in the Matrix at this point? Like… are we the Sims and EA are the real players controlling the neighborhood? Look, I know that came out a lot. Stay with me.

I’m going to try my absolute hardest not to sound like a Reddit conspiracy theorist with a corkboard and red string on the wall. I’m just noticing things. Patterns. Decisions that don’t feel random when you zoom out a little. And once you notice the pattern… it gets harder to unsee.

So welcome back to another edition of Simmer Talk.

Patterns..

Let’s rewind for a second. Do you remember The Sims Mobile? Not the aesthetic. Not the characters. I mean the mechanics that ran that game. ⏣

Because if you played it, you probably remember things like this:

⟢ Lots could be unlocked with real money
⟢ Cosmetics like hair, clothes, and makeup were purchased individually
⟢ Players could host social events and parties with other players
⟢ Limited-time events pushed players toward micro-purchases

At the time most of us just chalked it up to mobile game behavior. Mobile games do things differently, so it didn’t feel like it had much to do with the main Sims franchise.

But here’s where things start to feel… familiar.

Because when people talk about Project X — or what I call The Sims Next (even The Sims 4) — the rumors floating around the community start sounding a lot like this:

⟢ Lots could potentially be unlocked through paid systems
⟢ Cosmetic items like hair, clothing, and makeup may be sold individually
⟢ Players may be able to interact socially inside shared spaces
⟢ Live content and rotating purchases may encourage ongoing micro-transactions

And that’s where I paused for a second.

Because those systems don’t just kind of resemble each other.

They line up almost exactly.

Now to be fair — and I want to be fair here — game studios experiment with mechanics across different projects all the time. A feature appearing in two games doesn’t automatically mean it was planned that way. But when the same kinds of systems appear across multiple projects in the same franchise… it does raise a question.

Were those just mobile game mechanics? Or were they early experiments inside the Sims ecosystem? And that’s when the thought started forming for me. Not that Sims Mobile was just a spin-off that didn’t work.

But that it might have been something else entirely.

A place to try things first.
A place to gather data.
A place to see what players would actually engage with.

And once that idea crossed my mind… I thought.. maybe I’m reaching… but when the pieces line up like this, you can’t help but wonder:
was it all a test?

Enter the marketplace (…again) ¬_¬

Now with me noticing everything starting to feel a little repetitive, along comes what I can only describe as the Sims 3 Marketplace.

And if you’ve been around the Sims community long enough, that probably made your eyebrow go up just a little bit.

Because this isn’t actually a brand-new idea.

Back in The Sims 3 era, EA ran something called the Sims 3 Store — an online marketplace where players could buy individual items, worlds, and cosmetics using a special in-game currency. Hair, furniture sets, premium objects… sometimes even gameplay mechanics.

At the time, the reaction from the community was mixed at best.

Some players liked having extra content between expansions. But a lot of Simmers felt the same frustration: paying small amounts for individual items over and over again started to feel expensive fast.

And now, years later, EA is introducing something that looks… very familiar.

According to EA, The Sims 4 Marketplace will be an in-game destination where players can discover and purchase:

⟢ Official Expansion Packs, Game Packs, Stuff Packs, and Kits
⟢ Creator-made “Maker Packs”
⟢ Individual cosmetics and build items

All directly inside the game.

Now to be fair, there are a couple positives worth mentioning.

⟢ Console players may finally have access to custom-style content
⟢ Content discovery becomes easier for players who don’t follow CC sites
⟢ and..... that's about it

But once you look past the marketing language… that’s when the next conversation starts.

Because the Marketplace also introduces a revenue split for creators.

And that’s where the math starts getting interesting.

🗒 If there’s a kit you’ve been eyeing, grab it before the 17th — that Marketplace is coming.

The math Isn’t mathing

Now let’s talk about the part that made me sit up a little straighter: the 30% creator split.

According to EA’s announcement, creators in the Marketplace Maker Program will receive 30% of the revenue from their packs. Thirty percent.

Now before anyone starts acting like I’m anti-creator (I'm a creator, so that wouldn't make sense- even if it's aesthetic things)... let me say this clearly: I want creators to get paid. I support creators getting paid. That’s not the problem. The problem… is the math.

Creating CC isn’t just tossing something together in five minutes. Anybody who’s ever opened Blender or Sims Studio knows it takes real time and real effort.

⟢ Designing the item
⟢ Modeling it
⟢ Texturing it
⟢ Testing it in game
⟢ Fixing whatever inevitably breaks
⟢ Packaging it so it actually works for players

Sometimes that’s hours of work. Sometimes days.

And then the payout structure looks like this:

⟢ EA keeps 70%
 ✦ Platform infrastructure
 ✦ Payment processing
 ✦ Distribution inside the game
 ✦ EA’s profit margin

⟢ Creators receive 30% of the revenue from their packs
⟢ Creators still pay taxes on their earnings (I assume)

So when people hear “creators can finally make money,” what that really means is creators get a portion of the revenue their work generates.

ALSO to fair, the 70/30 split isn’t something EA invented. It’s actually the same model used across most digital platforms.

⟢ Apple App Store
⟢ Google Play Store
⟢ Steam
⟢ PlayStation and Xbox digital stores

In those ecosystems, the platform takes around 30% of the sale in exchange for hosting the marketplace, processing payments, and distributing the content to players.

But here’s where things start to feel a little different in the Sims space.

Soooo here’s where my side-eye kicks in a little.

A lot of these creators already make real income through Patreon.

⟢ Patreon platform fees are roughly 10%
 ✦ Apple’s App Store can take 30% for in-app purchases

Even with those cuts, creators are still typically keeping a much larger share of their work than what the Marketplace structure offers. So when you zoom out and look at the numbers, the question becomes pretty simple:

Why move into a system where the platform automatically takes 70% of the revenue?

Step back and look at the bigger picture, the Marketplace isn’t just about creators making money.

It’s about EA building a new revenue pipeline inside the game itself.

Follow the money

Okay, so this is the part where I had to stop for a second and start looking at the numbers. Because when big changes like a Marketplace show up in a game that’s been running for ten years, it’s usually not random.

Recently, there’s been reporting about Electronic Arts carrying around $20 billion in debt tied to financing and acquisitions. Now that doesn’t mean the company is about to disappear tomorrow. Big companies carry debt all the time.... But what it does mean is companies like EA are always looking for ways to keep revenue flowing consistently.

And that’s where The Sims becomes really interesting.

The Sims franchise has made over $5 billion dollars over its lifetime, and the main driver right now is The Sims 4. For the last decade, that money has mostly come from the same model we all know.

⟢ Expansion Packs
⟢ Game Packs
⟢ Stuff Packs
⟢ Kits (This game costs more than $1,500—basically the price of a small used car.)

Players buy a pack, EA gets a big revenue bump, and then things quiet down until the next one releases.

But if you’re a company trying to keep revenue steady year-round, that system has a limitation. It relies on big drops instead of constant activity.

And that’s where the Marketplace starts to make more sense from a financial angle.

Because instead of players only spending money when a new expansion comes out, a marketplace allows transactions to happen all the time.

⟢ Creator packs can appear regularly
⟢ Smaller purchases happen more often
⟢ The platform takes a percentage of each transaction

Now again, understanding why a company would do something like this doesn’t mean the community has to like it........

If creators are the ones producing the content, and players are the ones buying it, but the platform takes the majority of the cut…

who is this system really designed to benefit?

Real talk

I know this was a lot. But I wanted to cover as many bases as possible — from game repetition, to money, to creators. It’s a lot to unpack, and I wanted this to be detailed enough so you could understand my thought process and what everything is starting to look like.

I also tried my best to come off as neutral as possible while still understanding the dynamics of everything and advocating for my community’s comprehension of it all.

So if that felt like a lot, here’s the short version.

They see how we spend and they want to use that to their advantage. Some of the same tactics your favorite coffee shops use, your favorite brands use — those same strategies are showing up here too. The goal is simple: to get you to spend.

But there is still some hope. Not everyone inside EA wants all of this to be happening. There are people on those teams who genuinely care about the game and the community. It’s just unfortunate that their voices aren’t always the loudest in situations like this. And honestly… whose would be in this climate? ᵗʰᵉ ᵇʳᵃᵛᵉ

So here’s what I say to you: read the articles, educate yourself, check in with your spending, and think about how you’re supporting the things you love.

And also… back up your game before March 17th. Because you and I still want to play The Sims, even in this state.

Until next time-

Stay hydrated & informed

-ashley 𖹭