New Insider Info: Changes To Moola Structure As EA Reviews The Future Of The Sims Franchise

New Insider Info: Changes To Moola Structure As EA Reviews The Future Of The Sims Franchise

By Callum Bowyer 11 3 min read
Project X Speculation & Rumor The Sims 4 Marketplace
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The trusty insider, who has a proven track record of being correct, claims players in some regions will soon see fewer Moola bundles available, which ties into a wider discussion on how the Marketplace is performing after the buyout. At the same time, there’s been some low‑level talk inside EA about whether keeping Maxis and The Sims and Project X under their umbrella still makes financial sense, especially with recent content (*cough* Marketplace *cough*) not landing the way they hoped. Let's take a look at the latest insider leak!

The Sims 4 Marketplace

The Latest Insider Leak: In Full

Check out what the leaker had to say on Moola and the future of the franchise!

TALKING PATTERN

Just got word that in certain markets over the next few days, EA will be aggressively reducing the options of Moola that people can buy in order for them to purchase more than they need to buy most sets, due to increasing demand for profit post buyout as the Marketplace isn't making the money they'd hoped.

EA are now making less money through new content than when Maxis were in control, ironic.

There's whispers that if small bite size DLC can't even secure profit, whether the Sims franchise being under EA is financially sustainable or whether it's potentially more profitable to let it go. Nothing obviously more than whispers though. Makes projects like Rene or X more risky though I suppose.

However The Sims is larger than just The Sims 4, X and Rene. There's Freeplay and SimCity Build It to consider as well.

Changes In Moola Bundle Structures

Players in a few regions may soon notice that the usual selection of Moola bundles aren't there anymore. The change ties into internal pressure to pull more profit from the Marketplace after the buyout, since recent content hasn’t been performing the way they had hoped. The thinking seems to be that fewer bundle choices will push people toward buying more Moola than they strictly need for most sets.

The current price of Moola in GBP

There’s also a chance this change connects to how different countries regulate microtransactions. Some regions have rules around how virtual currency can be sold, especially when it comes to smaller bundles that are close to gambling‑style mechanics. The European Union's key principles on virtual currencies states:

Exploiting cognitive biases in a manner that causes consumers to either overspend (compared to what they
otherwise would have) or to be left with unneeded amounts of in-game virtual currency, is likely to unfairly
impact consumers’ transactional decisions.

EU - Consumer Protection Cooperation Network

EA, Maxis and the Future of The Sims

Alongside the Marketplace changes, there’s been some quiet talk inside EA about the long‑term future of Maxis and the Sims brand. Nothing formal has been announced, but there have been early conversations about whether keeping Maxis in‑house is still the most profitable route or whether the Sims brand could end up being reshaped, sold, or handled differently if performance doesn’t improve.

It also puts projects like Project X under a bit more pressure, because their success would play a big part in deciding how EA moves forward. A recent investigation led by Game Developer revealed that, due to the buyout, every game is under review for financial potential. At the same time, EA still has FreePlay and SimCity BuildIt under the Sims banner, which continue to bring in steady mobile revenue. Those titles matter when the company weighs up the overall value of the franchise.

It is worth noting that The Sims is one of EA's biggets moneymakers, and these are merely internal discussions. It is important to note that almost everything is under review since the buyout deal closed, as EA has debts to pay off.


What are your thoughts on the latest changes? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to Sims Community for all the latest Rumors & Speculation!


11 Comments

  1. nigel

    well, ngl, even when I found out a way to buy 2600 moola much cheaper (normal price: 109PLN and I bought it for 87PLN) most of the maker packs are crap or overpriced (or both) so what do they want me to do? I wont buy stuff that looks like it’s looks… like be for real

    1. Debs

      Reply to nigel

      How did you get such a discount?

  2. Sam

    You see, the fandom DOES have the power to change things. Keep on boycotting that marketplace!

    1. Adfdfddf

      Reply to Sam

      As much as I’d like to believe the boycott had a significant impact here, I just think the Marketplace is just genuinely unpopular. Other leaks said that kits without gameplay didn’t sell nearly as well as ones that did. Meanwhile, Royalty & Legacy sold really well even with the boycott in effect. The Marketplace is just Kits with less gameplay and less stuff, but often cost more money.

  3. Pep

    Stop buying SIMS content, never use the marketplace, stop using the mobile game, ffs people. Don’t throw money at greedy, despicable behavior from a company owned by some of the most monstrous people on the planet because they will just find more and worse ways to abuse and rob you. Have they not proven this already? You give a mouse a cookie… I have played the Sims since Sims 1, it’s what made me go into architecture and design, I love these games but you have to have some principles and some level of self respect and no game is worth supporting this EA.

    1. anthropologist

      Reply to Pep

      telling other people what they can or cannot do with their own money is very postcolonial… like, seriously, why are you so bothered what people are doing with their own life?

      1. PantsMD

        Reply to anthropologist

        Do you really feel like you have to listen to everything that’s said on the internet? Like, would you start taking ED pills if you read an ad or someone shared a positive experience? You can do whatever you want with your own money — now and forever, but instead of just [incorrectly] calling something “postcolonial [sic],” and then unironically asking why someone is bothered by by what “people are doing with their own life [sic],” you could likely offer the reasons why the viewpoint is incorrect. You need to do that without hyperbole and you have to stay within the realm of reality, but give it a shot; fewer people might find you less of a git.

  4. Sarah

    “People aren’t buying Moola because they can see the predatory scam for what it is… So let’s make it even MORE predatory! That’ll definitely fix things!” ‍♀️

    No, guys. Get rid of Moola and list the real prices again. That’s the first step towards fixing it.

  5. Debs

    What I’m doing is very simple: I keep a wishlist spreadsheet with the few maker packs I would like and note down the selling point (bed with throw blanket, for example). Sometimes I also remove a pack of I realize I wouldn’t use it) I will buy them only if I ever reach 5500 moola, which has the lowest price per 100 moola (because I refuse to pay more than needed) so nothing would change for me

    1. Seriously

      Reply to Debs

      So you’re just fully prepared to support an authoritarian regime that violates human rights as long as you get your money’s worth? Any money you give to EA strengthens Saudia Arabia’s Public Investment Fund which is controlled by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

      Amnesty International said this about him: Since the Crown Prince came to power, the human rights situation has deteriorated drastically. People in Saudi Arabia are facing an unprecedented crackdown on freedom of expression, including heavy prison sentences for critical commentary on social media. Executions for a wide range of crimes are reaching record levels.

      Salma al-Shehab, a PhD student and mother of two arrested during a visit to Saudi Arabia from the UK, is serving a 27-year sentence just for tweeting in support of women’s rights.

      Mohammad al-Ghamdi was sentenced to death in July of 2023 for criticising authorities on Twitter to a follower count of 10.

      Source: https://www.amnesty.org/en/projects/saudi-arabia-kingdom-of-repression/

      Oh, but those maker packs sure are worth supporting human rights abuses! /s

  6. Miata

    Waiting for the ball to drop.

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