Summary
Stuff packs have been inThe Simsfranchise for a long while now. However, many think they shouldn’t have ever been introduced to the franchise. WhileThe Simsfans can enjoy the content and usually do, it doesn’t come cheap. Even though each stuff pack only costs $10, when players buy more and more, it begins to add up. With 19 stuff packs presently out, that’s a total of around $200 spent on DLC.
For Maxis' new project,Project Rene/The Sims 5, many think it should completely scrap stuff packs. If it were toadd stuff packs to theSims 5, it should not be something players pay to get. The game will already make plenty of money for EA since it’s an addition to the extremely popularSimsgame line. Expansion packs are a great example of something players could still spend money on, as they add enough to justify the cost, but stuff packs do not meet that criteria and usually only hit niche wants.
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Why The Sims 5 Should Skip Stuff Packs
The Sims 5’s developer has already discussed wanting to be careful about how it adds packs to its new game since it will be a co-op experience. After all, if it’s reckless with the additions, Maxis may limit what friends could do together when playing the game. The addition of multiplayer toThe Sims 5does worry some players abouthow different theSimsfranchise will look, and stuff packs should not add to that fear. Change may scare old fans, but a rushed or bad game, or even just bad additions, could scare away all potential players.
The Sims 5should approach stuff packs in a new light, which is to say they should not be included at all. Stuff packs are notoriously niche and only hit a very limited market. Players who buy everythingThe Simshas to offer will buy without question, but not everyone is investing $200+ into DLC. Luckily,The Sims 5has declared itself free-to-playoverall. But making the base game free is not the last step in making the game more accessible. Removing stuff packs entirely may be the last step.
Removing stuff packs does not mean never getting small batches of new content though. The game could instead include in-game currencies that players spend to buy new furniture and appliances instead of microtransactions. Manygames similar toThe Sims 4do this, and if the franchise is going to take the latest addition in a new direction, they should take a few notes. Adding new areas, stalls in parks, malls, or anything along those lines would be refreshing for the series.
The idea of having players explore multiple shops and plazas like they could in real life would be exciting. Instead of being a typicalThe Simsgame, it would take it in a brand-new direction.The Simsneeds a new look, anda fresh start forThe Simsin the form of this new game is perfect. By no means should players feel pressured to buy any expansion packs that this new game dishes out.
Players have many hopes and wishes for the new game, and should keep a close eye onthe development ofProject Rene/The Sims 5. As more progress happens on Maxis and EA’s end and more details are revealed, the game’s release will inevitably draw nearer, and fans may get a clearer picture of where stuff packs fit into it, if they’re part of it at all.
