Okay… what’s with the bear?
After yet another long news drought, we finally have a new roadmap for The Sims 4! As usual, it was full of vague hints and silly puns, leaving Simmers to guess what on earth is in store for them. The fandom can come up with some pretty crazy theories sometimes but hey, sometimes those theories actually turn out to be correct! We just never know what The Sims Team has in store for us!
Sims Community has been staring at this roadmap all day, trying to piece together the puzzle for you. We want to make it clear that this post is pure speculation. Nothing suggested in this article has been confirmed by any official sources. We’re just having fun joining in on the speculation with the rest of the Simming community, so let’s start speculating!
The Sims 4 Roadmap Speculation
The Sims 4 roadmap comes in the form of a short video posted to The Sims social media channels. It depicts a child Sim sitting under a drawn tree that has framed portraits on it. Inside the portraits is a visual hint about upcoming updates and packs for The Sims 4.
The overall theme of a family tree and family-related content is obvious to us but let’s unpack the details a little further, shall we?
One Big Update
This one has actually been confirmed already. We’ve known since last year that a new life stage called infants will be coming to The Sims 4 in early 2023. It is now early 2023 so this update is nearly due (pun intended). The diaper shown alongside this just confirms that we’re getting infants very soon. Hooray!
Two Unique Kits
Kits should be no surprise to anyone anymore. Kits are routinely pushed out at a much more frequent pace than game packs and expansions. For better or worse, kits have essentially killed stuff packs. An image of some underwear and a tube of toothpaste is seen in The Sims 4 roadmap. We’re willing to bet that we’re getting a CAS kit for sleepwear and a Build/Buy kit for bathrooms.
One Expansion Pack
Okay. You got us. We have NO idea what this one means. We know we’re getting a new expansion pack but we don’t have a clue what it’s going to be about. The staff here have been brainstorming hard for this one. Lots of things have been suggested, including a royalty pack, an elder pack, something related to dental hygiene, and even the tooth fairy but if we’re being honest, they’re all kind of a reach. What does the bear wearing a crown mean? Your guess is as good as ours.
Community Stream Jan. 31st!
No cryptic clues here in the Sims 4 roadmap! There will be a community stream on January 31st so make sure you tune in to The Sims’ YouTube and/or Twitch channels on that date. No details yet on what time the stream is taking place or what it’s going to be about but as always, we’ll keep you updated on all of that information as it’s made available.
The Michaelson Family Reunion
This obviously has something to do with generations and/or family in some capacity. Our best guess is that since family reunions are a gathering of extended relatives, The Sims 4 may be getting more support for extended family members. Currently, Sims do have aunts, uncles, and cousins, but it’s not specified in very many places in the game. Aunts, uncles, and step-relatives are not treated like family at all. 2nd and 3rd cousins are also not seen as family. This can lead to a lot of awkward situations in generational saves. Maybe The Sims Team is planning to clean this up. We could also be getting a family reunion social event, which would be very cool!
As for the name Michaelson, perhaps it’s the name of a premade family being added to the game? The little boy in the roadmap may be part of the Michaelson family and in case you didn’t spot this already, he is sporting a new hairstyle not yet in the game!
San Sequoia 2023
We see a bridge and a lighthouse in the Sims 4 roadmap along with a place called San Sequoia. We wouldn’t be surprised at all if San Sequoia was the name of a new world coming with the expansion pack. The bridge and lighthouse may be landmarks in the new world. This still doesn’t provide any insight into what the bear wearing a crown means, though.
It’s All Relative!
Every Sims 4 roadmap has its own slogan to tie together a common theme. This roadmap’s slogan is “It’s All Relative!” We can’t see how this isn’t a pun on family relatives so clearly, the overall theme is family. With comfy sleepwear and bathroom stuff as kits, and all the references to family trees and family reunions seen in the video, it’s obvious everything is going to tie into family home life in some way. So whatever this mysterious expansion pack is about, it’s a pretty safe bet that it’s going to fit into this theme.
Those are our best guesses as to what we might see in the near future! What do you think of our predictions? Have anything else to add? Discuss your thoughts with other Simmers in the comments, but remember to be respectful!
