Foreign Investment in Entertainment and Gaming is Under Scrutiny as Probe Into Jared Kushner’s Saudi ties Unfolds, Setting the Wider Context for the Ongoing EA Buyout.
The United States House Judiciary Committee, a group of lawmakers who review legal and oversight issues, has opened an investigation into Jared Kushner’s financial links to Saudi Arabia. The news has piqued attention across entertainment and games, as Saudi funding has become a familiar part of the industry in recent years, notably the EA buyout. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) now holds sizable stakes in several major publishers, and its role in the sector is under examination. The EA buyout sits in the middle of this, with players and analysts worried about the potential impact if a group of investment firms ends up owning some of the biggest names in gaming, including EA and, in turn, Maxis.
Martin Falbisoner
Table of Contents
Concerns Raised in the Latest Letter
Representative Jamie Raskin has also written to the US House Judiciary Committee to outline why he believes Jared Kushner’s financial ties to Saudi Arabia need closer review. His letter sets out the concerns behind the new inquiry and explains why the committee should look at how these investments were made. It gives a clearer picture of what lawmakers want to understand as the investigation moves ahead.
Mr. Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, has amassed approximately $6.16 billion in assets under management—including $1.2 billion in the past year alone—with an extraordinary 99 percent of its funding derived from foreign nationals. These include sovereign wealth funds operated by the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. At the same time, Mr. Kushner has assumed a central role in sensitive geopolitical negotiations across the Middle East and beyond.
Despite explicit public assurances that he would avoid both government service and fundraising during President Trump’s second term, Mr. Kushner has done precisely the opposite. He has inserted himself into the world’s most volatile global conflicts as one of the United States’ chief negotiators all while deepening his financial reliance on, and entanglement with, foreign governments.
Jared Kushner’s Business Interests
Jared Kushner, husband of President Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, founded his investment firm, Affinity Partners, after working as a senior advisor during the first Trump term. One of the firm’s largest investors is the Saudi Arabian PIF, a sovereign fund led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Other Gulf nations, such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, have also invested.
Gage Skidmore
In recent months, Jared Kushner has taken on the role of peace envoy, looking to settle conflicts between Israel and Hamas forces, Russia and Ukraine, and the United States and Iran. Both Israel and Gulf nations (involved in the ongoing illegal war) have sizable investments in Affinity Partners, with analysts arguing that all negotiations are for business rather than peace.
How This Fits Into the EA Buyout
The EA Buyout is unfolding at the same time that questions about outside investment in gaming get louder. Several firms are now looking to take control of EA, and the outcome could affect how studios, such as Maxis, operate in the coming years post-buyout. Earlier this week, creators Lilsimsie and Zefrine hosted a livestream with US Representative Maxwell Frost to raise awareness of the issues studios could face due to the EA buyout and to bring attention to the Players Alliance petition. You can find out more about the petition below.
The game’s exit strategy out of the Early Access phase also includes the PS5 version release.
For those who have been wondering what’s been going on with InZOI PS5 versions we’ve got some new details in an interview with GamesRadar from Kjun – the boss and lead game director of InZOI. First of all – it’s in main priority right now…along with the 1.0 launch of InZOI.
The 1.0 launch means that InZOI is officially planning to exit its Early Access phase, which started last year with the first Early Access launch on March 28th, 2025. “Kim says there are no plans for more expansions right now, with the focus being solely on the 1.0 launch and PS5 version of the game.”
InZOI had 2 years to develop an “exit” strategy and think of its final features before planning a final release now slated for early 2027.
We’re speculating on this one, but it could be possible that InZOI will launch on Playstation 5 after the game exits its Early Access phase and launches as version 1.0. From the sounds of it there’s still a lot of work to be done before the game is ready for Playstation, but testing InZOI on Playstation as part of its Early Access launch phase could be a possibility to keep in mind too.
Find out more in this exclusive interview with GamesRadar:
Looking ahead to InZoi’s second year, which is meant to culminate in its official 1.0 release, there’s still a lot of work to be done. “This year, the goal is to complete careers and school so that one person’s life can be enjoyed in full inside the game,” Kim says, affirming that the InZoi team is still committed to building out the foundations of basic gameplay.
Other additions, including prisons, vehicles, and a karma system, are on InZoi’s release schedule too. The team plans to ramp up its user-generated content (UGC) features to help make a dent in a list of roughly 200,000 player requests, which Kim admits he wouldn’t be able to work through even if he spent the rest of his life working on InZoi.
The main addition for this UGC push is Canvastown, an expansion to the existing social media-like Canvas system that allows players to upload custom save files or craft specific experiences using a vibe-coding generative AI system for other players to try. Overall, Canvastown has been designed to help players get to the fun faster, a goal which Kim says was inspired by surfing YouTube and being repeatedly told by his nephew that becoming a criminal in InZoi by stealing things was taking too long.
Canvastown will also be joined by enhanced support for mods and even optional multiplayer, though this will be tested in phases. Altogether, Kim says that he’s “a bit intimidated” and “afraid of how players will receive [Canvastown]”. But he ultimately believes that building a robust modding system is important for the health of InZoi too.
Speaking of InZoi’s long-term health, I wondered whether Kim saw his life-sim ever getting the same absurdly large and pricey backlog of DLCs as The Sims 4, which currently has around $1,300 dollars’ worth of add-ons on the Steam store. Aside from the resort-focused Island Getaway DLC, Kim says there are no plans for more expansions right now, with the focus being solely on the 1.0 launch and PS5 version of the game.
He doesn’t rule out a change of direction from those above at Krafton, but Kim does jokingly wonder why InZoi Studio should have to pump out premium expansions. “InZoi is making a lot of money already, PUBG is making a lot of money,” he says. “So, I always think ‘why do I have to contribute to it?'”
With InZoi feeling more like a sandbox with each update, baking all these UGC features into the game this early feels like a good way to set it apart in the life-sim bubble before the 1.0 launch. Offloading development to fans in early access seems cheeky but given how ambitious InZoi is and how challenging it is to develop, I can hardly blame the team.
InZOI is currently planning its next big update release, focusing around the School experience – among many other features and improvements that get added with each game update.
What are your thoughts on InZOI getting a full release early next year? Will the team succeed in delivering the first Life Sim competitor?
More than a month for you to claim The Sims 4 Country Kitchen Kit for Free!
Two unanswered questions have been clarified today regarding The Sims 4 Marketplace and its promotional offer with the free Sims 4 Kit.
The Sims Team confirmed all suspicions by confirming that The Sims 4 Marketplace will have a new release on a weekly basis, plus you’ll have until May 29th, 2026 to claim your free copy of The Sims 4 Country Kitchen Kit. PC, Mac, Xbox and Playstation included!
The Sims 4 Country Kitchen Kit Free Promotion
In case you’ve missed the news, The Sims 4 Country Kitchen Kit is available to claim free of charge in The Marketplace. This 5USD Kit is available to claim exclusively through The Marketplace interface, meaning you have to open The Sims 4, go to The Marketplace Menu and Claim the Kit for free from there.
Offer ends on May 29th, 2026 at 10AM PT.
The Sims 4 Marketplace is a Weekly Thing
The suspicion about The Sims 4 Marketplace having new releases on a weekly basis has been further confirmed after this week’s in-game survey. “With Marketplace now available on consoles, even more players around the world can experience and enjoy their creations, with new Maker Packs dropping every week. “
Read the full message from EA about The Sims Marketplace arriving to consoles:
More Creativity, Powered by the Community
At the heart of Marketplace are the Makers, talented specialists from The Sims community who bring new ideas, styles and stories into the game. When you buy a Maker Pack, you are supporting the Maker whose creativity helps shape how we all play The Sims.
With Marketplace now available on consoles, even more players around the world can experience and enjoy their creations, with new Maker Packs dropping every week. This is just the beginning, with more content and updates to come over time.
To celebrate, players across all platforms can download The Sims 4 Country Kitchen Kit for free through the in-game Marketplace until May 29, 2026.
We know choice matters, and the Marketplace gives you even more ways to play while keeping everything you already love.
Our focus is simple: make it easier for players to discover, create, and play. We’ll continue to evolve and improve the Marketplace over time, guided by your feedback and what we learn along the way.
Have you claimed your copy of The Sims 4 Country Kitchen Kit? Do you look forward to checking out The Marketplace for new releases every week? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned to Sims Community for latest game info!
New positions now open for Tomodachi Life and The Sims player coverage!
Sims Community is celebrating its 13th year next month and we can’t wait to start the celebrations with special announcements. Until then, we have some new positions open for the Author Team of Sims Community! Including coverage of The Sims player stories and Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream guide and community content.
Important Note
We lost approximately 6 hours of submissions since the article was posted due to a faulty setting that’s now been corrected. It is strongly encouraged that you resend your application again (if you haven’t already). Our apologies for the inconvenience.
For more information on how to join and what the benefits and responsibilities are, refer to our official introduction and open roles listed below:
Table of Contents
Join The Team Introduction
This is a freelance paid opportunity on a monthly basis to create original content and reports about The Sims and Life Simulation games. We’ve opened up several new freelance positions for the Sims Community website and LifeSim Games category. Down below you’ll find several freelance writing roles with descriptions, features and requirements. You can use the application right below the open roles to send in your team submission.
All applicants must be over 18 years old for online payment reasons.
The Sims Player Stories Reporter
As a Sims Player Stories reporter your responsibility is to put all the drama and scandals that players have reported happening in their Sims game. You’re highlighting all the highs and the lows of everyday situations in The Sims games and know how to find hidden story and playthrough situation gems.
Your reponsibilities as a Sims Player Stories reporter include staying up to date on trending social community boards for all the gameplay stories and situations. Writing short and long content depending on the length of situation, you know how to put a spotlight and properly retell and credit the player’s story.
Roles and Responsibilities:
Write original Sims Player Stories ranging from main game entries (The Sims 4, The Sims 3 etc.) to Sims game spin-offs.
The author has to have a bookmark of all the trending sources of Sims player stories. We can provide with some navigational tips in the second rounds!
Whether it’s a random game scenario, glitch or new feature spotted, the author has to have the game and ability to recreate the scenario with a screenshot for purposes of occasional spotlight on our Social Media feeds.
We Expect From You:
Knowledge in writing English game content for online platforms.
Skills in capturing quality in-game screenshots and footage.
What’s In It For You?
Monthly freelance fee based on the number and length of articles you’ve written (Will be discussed in the second round of applications)
A set of tools, documentation, and assistance to create your next Sims article masterpiece.
LifeSim Games: Tomodachi Life Reporter
Own a Nintendo Switch and the latest Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream release? We need your help to cover all the game features and community creations!
We’re looking for a LifeSim Games reporter interested in doing coverage on guides for the newly released Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream for Nintendo Switch. Including coverage of player creations and stories posted publicly!
Your responsibilities as a Tomodachi Life Reporter include staying up-to-date on all the official game updates and announcements, reporting on them and creating original guide content.
Roles and Responsibilities:
Write original gameplay guide and community content for Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream
Interest in doing retroactive coverage about the first series entry in the Tomodachi Life franchise
We Expect From You:
Knowledge in writing English game content for online platforms.
Skills in capturing quality in-game screenshots and footage.
Ownership of Nintendo Switch / Switch 2 and Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream game.
What’s In It For You?
Monthly freelance fee based on the number and length of articles you’ve written (Will be discussed in the second round of applications)
A set of tools, documentation, and assistance to create your next article masterpiece.
LifeSim Games: General Life Simulation Games Reporter
As a General Life Simulation Games Reporter you’ll be working on both spotlighting new indie and publisher game releases that revolve around life and city simulation. You’re also a player reporter on all the engaging content and adventures from Sims creators who have departed covering The Sims and are covering other game franchises. Putting a spotlight on positive life simulation creator stories and endeavours!
Roles and Responsibilities:
Cover regular news and updates on interesting Life Sim and City Sim games from different game publishers and indie studios.
Do player reports about ex-Sims creators who are trying different simulation games and engage a healthy discussion in your article reports.
Spotlight new creators and custom creations in the Life Simulation Games genre; whether it’s from InZOI, Paralives, UGC content for Tomodachi Life / Animal Crossing and others.
We Expect From You:
Knowledge in writing English game content for online platforms.
Skills in capturing quality in-game screenshots and footage.
A thorough understanding of multiple Life Simulation game series.
Ability to run InZOI on at least Medium Graphics, Paralives and optionally have the consoles required for Nintendo Life Sims.
What’s In It For You?
Monthly freelance fee based on the number and length of articles you’ve written (Will be discussed in the second round of applications)
A set of tools, documentation, and assistance to create your next Life Sim article masterpiece.
Suggest your role!
Whether it’s Sims influencer news or original let’s play articles, we’d love to hear if you’d have a role perfect for the Sims Community team! Our 4th position is open to anything that you could think of related to writing about The Sims, InZOI and Paralives at the moment.
How To Apply
Down below is the Sims Community Freelance Team Application form. Where you can input your name, email and preferred team role that we suggested above. You’ll need to provide an article example of the content you want to create for Sims Community. Here are our tips to get you started:
Choose a Team Role: Select one of the four Sims Community team roles listed above.
Write an Article: Craft a 300 to 600-word article on your chosen team role topic. Ensure it captures the essence of your writing style.
Include Screenshots: Enrich your article with in-game screenshots that complement your content. Screenshots provide a visual context, making your article more engaging and relatable.
Upload the Article Sample as a document file to Google Docs / Microsoft Word online / Dropbox / Weshare / other document sharing solutions. Include the link of your uploaded file in the submission form below!
Write a short introduction message about yourself.
Sims Community Freelance Team Application Form
[contact-form-7 id=”d327f14″ title=”Join The Team 4″]
The deadline for sending in your Sims Community team application is on April 30th, 2026 at 10AM Pacific Time. Which is when we’ll be removing the Team Application Form above. If the application form doesn’t work for you, you can send your application directly to our contact@simscommunity.info email with all the required details.
We’ll make sure to inform all applicants who’ve applied properly using the form above about their status in the week after through our e-mail response.
If you’re into The Sims 4 and love messing around with custom content, then you’ve probably already fallen down the rabbit hole of Sims 4 Alpha CC hair. Alpha hair is all about that super-detailed, realistic look that makes your Sims feel way more lifelike than base-game styles. Your Sims deserve better hair – this list is it! Discover the best Sims 4 Alpha CC Hair, with gorgeous CC and custom content that brings serious glam. Whether you’re updating your Sim’s whole vibe or adding a few new pieces to your custom content folder, these CC pieces can completely change how your game looks and feels!
Riley Hairstyle by Anto is a longer female Sim’s hairstyle with volume and curled ends in 50 different swatches, ranging from neutrals to bright, bold colors!
Minako Hairstyle by LeahLillith gives off serious Y2K vibes with multi-colored strands, stars, and ribbons! There are 3 different ways to wear this hair, with optional recolors as well as optional hair accessories.
A long, tight, elegant ponytail that cascades into wonderful curls with an optional ribbon accessory! Dove Hairstyle by LeahLillith is just as versatile as it is beautiful!
It’s always tea time with Miyuki Hairstyle by LeahLillith! A crown of braids tops the head with face-framing curls, and short bangs with an optional ribbon accessory.
Give your Sims a fresh look with this Alpha hairstyle CC by JINO! This versatile long hairstyle features bangs, a cute side ponytail, and a subtle braid, offering 40 swatches, hat compatibility, and HQ compatibility – ensuring your Sims always look their best!
An elegant, high ponytail, with 2 face-framing strands, available in 24 swatches, your Sim will look stunning hanging in the library or attending a wedding!
Adorable and edgy, Double Ponytails Hairstyle by S-Club features 2 high ponytails that are shaped into buns, with cascading long hair available in 24 swatches, and is hat compatible.
Give your Sims a retro vibe with this Alpha hair CC by S-Club, featuring bangs and a high, messy ponytail – available in 30 swatches and can even be worn with a hat!
This Alpha hair CC by Aurum is a definite fashion statement with its short bangs and raccoon stripes! Available in 63 swatches and all feminine frame Sims aged teen through elder can rock this awesome cut!
This Alpha hair CC by Aurum is a definite fashion statement with its short bangs and raccoon stripes! Available in 63 swatches and all feminine frame Sims aged teen through elder can rock this awesome cut!
Wanting a fresh look for the new season ahead? Check out this short, flowing hairstyle by MIIOE that features a bang bump and messy strands. Available in 40 amazing colors and is hat-compatible.
Short and sassy, this versatile hairdo by DOUX can be worn straight and elegant, or tucked behind the ear for a more cozy, laid-back vibe, a must-have download for your Alpha Hair CC folder!
Baby Monster Hairstyle by DOUX is edgy and stylish – this hairstyle features 2 face-framing bangs, with 2 long pigtails. With a total of 4 different ways to wear this hairstyle, your Sim will look stunning, no matter the occasion!
Bring back the 80s with Wheeler Adult Hairstyle by LEXEL, featuring a loose ponytail and side-swept bangs – available in 30 swatches, and all feminine-frame Sims aged teen through elder can try this wonderful hairdo!
The perfect beach hair! This Alpha hair CC by Nightcrawler Sims is a shoulder-length hairstyle with lovely waves, available in 42 swatches, and is hat compatible.
Luna Hair by RAMA is a long, layered hairdo that can be worn on each shoulder or behind one – available in 40 colors and is hat-compatible. This edgy, modern hairdo will have any Sim being the spotlight of the room!
Janessa Hair by SIMPLICIATY features long curls that flow behind the back with a bandana worn at the top – available in 54 swatches and 70 bandana swatches.
Looking for a versatile and cute look for your Sims? Nayla – Style 1 by Ade_Darma is a long, wavy hairstyle tucked behind each ear for a cozy vibe. Available in 80 swatches and is hat-compatible!
Alien Hairstyle by Ursidxe is certainly out of this world! Featuring 2 high, tight buns, with face-framing curls, with or without bangs. With 60 swatches and hat compatibility, this Alpha hairstyle CC will have your Sim looking stylish and eye-catching on any occasion!
Tight double braids, with a sleek look and face-framing bangs, make up this amazing hairstyle by kyrzwrld! Available with or without a ribbon in 4 different hair colors – versatile and gorgeous!
Nina & Lucy by SILKGLOBAL is a double Alpha Hair CC pack that contains 2 amazing hairdos for feminine frame Sims in over 10 swatches each. Nina is a tight, side-worn hairstyle with clipped bangs and a tied bun in the back. While, Lucy is a long, straight hairstyle with twisted braids at the top.
When you absolutely fall in love with an Alpha hairstyle in The Sims 4, sometimes it would be nice to keep the same look all the way from childhood to adulthood. These next 2 packs by SonyaSims give you this opportunity with a hairstyle for both kids and teen-elder. The Fight Hair pack contains an Alpha Hair CC that features 2 high, loose pigtails, with face-framing bangs. Available in multiple swatches, and is Hat/HQ compatible!
Just like the Alpha Hair CC above, this pack contains the same hair for all ages. Situation Hair features long hair worn off the shoulder, with a half-ponytail updo. Cute, versatile, and available in many swatches.
Countless Hair by SonyaSims is a long elegant hairstyle, with cascading waves, and a loose braid tied at the back, with an optional bang – this amazing collection is for ages child-elder as well and is available in a multitude of swatches while still being hat compatible.
This short, shaggy, hairstyle by wingssims, gives off a cozy, everyday vibe with its side part and messy bangs – available in 30 swatches and is hat compatible.
Give your Sims a fresh twist with this hair pack by SILKGLOBAL featuring 2 different braided hairstyles for your masculine frame Sims in 11 different swatches.
This short hairstyle by S-Club is tucked behind the ears with a volumous top, its versatility is perfect for an elegant occasion or an every day vibe in 24 different swatches.
Male Hair With Bun by S-Club is a long hairstyle for your masculine frame Sims but is pulled into a loose ponytail for a more sophisticated look, in 24 swatches and is hat compatible.
Curls for days! Short Curly Hairstyle by AurumMusik is a very detailed, short, Alpha hairstyle full of round curls. Available in 30 swatches, and perfect for any occasion.
Omnipresence Hair by SonyaSims features a side part with flowing, side-swept hair with face-framing hair strands, available in many different colors, is hat compatible, and all masculine frame Sims aged teen through elder can try out this amazing Alpha hairstyle CC!
OBSIDIAN SIMS has gifted us with 3 free, unisex, Alpha hairstyles ranging from medium to long length that give off a “soft”, everyday feeling. They are all hat compatible, and come in various swatches.
4 Free Alpha hairstyles and 1 premium hair is included in this stunning collection by Ginko Sims. Featuring a shaggy, medium length hairdo for Sims of all ages, and a loose side ponytail for feminine frame Sims.
Omnipresense Hair For Women & Little Ones by SonyaSims
This hairstyle set by SonyaSims features a short, side-parted, flowing, Alpha hairstyle for your adult femine Sims, kids, and toddlers. Sassy, handsome, or adorable, this set checks all the boxes!
With this Alpha hairstyle CC by Shimydim your Sim will have the best of both worlds! A lovely hairdo inspired by Hannah Montana’s blong wig, available in 91 colors-including some unnaturals!
Denise Hairstyle by ShimyDim is a cute, loose, pigtail, Alpha hairstyle for your girl Sims that gives off a cozy and sweet vibe. Available in 86 colors and includes a hair accessory (rubber bands) created by Dissia.
This short, Alpha hairstyle by Casual Sims features a medium length, with falling curls, and face-framing bangs. Available in 37 colors, is HQ compatible, and features 2 different versions.
Sandra Child Hairstyle by LEXEL features a tight bun, with loose curly bangs. This extremely adorable and versatile, Alpha hairstyle comes in 35 swatches, and is both HQ/Hat compatible.
A loose bun with braids and sharp bangs by Daisy-Sims gives off a cozy, retro vibe, available in 21 base colors as well as 9 ombre colors. Perfect for playtime or dinner time, this versatile Alpha hairdo will look perfect!
A very serious, very retro, very short bowl cut by LEXEL_s features shaved sides, and back with a serious round bowlcut. Available in 30 swatches and is HQ compatible – this Alpha Hairstyle will give your game a bit of a retro twist!
Soda Hair by magpiesan is an adorable, medium length Alpha hairdo for your child – boy Sims. The hair tucked behind the ears gives off an every day vibe and the soft bang makes it even cuter! The hairchops are also included, as well as the 50 swatches and is HQ compatible.
A school dance or perhaps just some fun time on your bike? This handsome, Alpha hairstyle CC is a shorter hairstyle with falling hairs at the front and a middle part. Available in 50 swatches, is HQ compatible, and comes with the matching hair chops!
Playful and youthful – Right Hairstyle Children by SonyaSims is a short shaggy, hairstyle for your children – boy Sims. With the falling bangs, this Alpha hairstyle CC gives off an every day, laid-back vibe!
Whether you love sleek styles or full glam waves, this Sims 4 Alpha Hair CC and custom content you need to upgrade your game! If you had a great time checking out this list, be sure to check out some of our other amazing Alpha CC finds!
It seems that The Sims 4 Kits are returning to official Steam and EA App storefronts, per the latest leaked message.
EA Community Managers were caught once again with a private note to Sims Creators, this time instructing them about the availability of The Sims 4 Marketplace coming to Consoles today. As well as release notes about Kits leaving Xbox and Playstation stores – but rejoining EA App and Steam once again.
This means that The Sims 4 Kits releases will be available for purchase on EA App and Steam without the “Moola-only” exclusivity. Which is now imposed exclusively for Playstation and Xbox players.
I’ve just now checked my EA App and it seems all The Sims 4 Kits are now appearing in the launcher. As noted in the private letter to Sims Creators, this is done immediately for EA App users and is expected to arrive for Steam players on April 20th.
There’s no information as of now if this will carry over to consoles again. We know how often and often the development trajectory of this game changes so nothing’s out of the question!
Read the full letter below:
New Private Update to Sims Creators
Hi Creators,
We’re pleased to share that starting today, the in-game Marketplace will become available on PlayStation and Xbox, giving console players access to Maker content for the very first time!
Alongside this update, we have also made the decision to return Kits to EA App and Steam for PC and Mac players.
Here’s everything you need to know about this update:
Marketplace will launch for Playstation and Xbox from today. All Kits on console will be purchasable using VC only.
Kits will no longer be available on the PlayStation or Microsoft Stores, but console users will still be able to purchase Expansion Packs, Game Packs, and Stuff Packs. Moving Kits into the Marketplace ensures that we can continue releasing new content without hitting technical or storage limitations.
Kits will also be returning to EA App from today, and to Steam on April 20.
Purchases on Kits using your creator codes will become available again; there are no changes to your 5% commission and 5% player discount, except durine special promotions where noted.
ARTICLE UPDATE: There’s also a public version of The Sims 4 Kits message on the public official Sims Discord.
What are your thoughts about The Sims 4 Kits returning to EA App and Steam? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for latest breaking news and information on Sims Community!
The Jasmine Collection and Tuds’ Chrome Living hit The Sims 4 Marketplace.
The Sims 4 Marketplace has just been introduced to console players with the latest Sims 4 Update, out now on all platforms. With this latest update is also what appears to be a “weekly” regular thing now – which is the drop of two new Sims 4 Maker Packs.
Both set releases cost 300 Moola each. Or around 3 to 4 USD, depending on your local currency conversions with Moola. TudTuds’ Living Room set comes with 8 items, while CRYPTICSIM’s Makeup set comes with 6 CAS items.
Screenshot
Sometimes personal commentary isn’t necessary. You can just review the new Sims 4 Maker Pack details yourselves below and judge it however you want.
New The Sims 4 Maker Packs – April 16th, 2026
The Sims 4 Tuds’ Chrome Living Maker Pack by TudTuds
Features
The Chrome Living collection is composed of eight pieces that capture how the Mid-Century design is still very contemporary. The set is defined by elegant lines and chrome work. It is ideal for the urbanite who values order and design. Use the 4 storage and display solutions, which combine in style, for organizing and exhibiting your items. Afterward, use the complete set of sleek, modern seating to host guests in an environment that radiates effortless elegance, ensuring your home is a refuge of timeless style and comfort.
MID-CENTURY DESIGN SET
8-piece Mid-Century set. Includes 4 coordinating storage units for organization, plus sleek seating with high feet for a timeless living space.
Items Preview
Price: 300 Moola
The Sims 4 The Jasmine Collection Maker Pack by CRYPTICSIM
Features
The Jasmine collection includes two eyeshadows, a matte lipstick, a glossy lipstick, a lip gloss, and beauty marks. This collection offers a unique color palette, with shades spanning from light to medium pinks, greens, browns, and blues.
The Jasmine Collection
Bold, sleek makeup.
Items Preview
Price: 300 Moola
What are your thoughts on the two new Sims 4 Maker Packs available on The Marketplace? Let us know what you think in the comments below and stay tuned to Sims Community for the latest game updates on your favorite Life Sims!
The Sims website now also confirms that The Sims 4 Marketplace has arrived on Console.
The latest Sims 4 Update is available for PC, Mac, Xbox and Playstation supported platforms. Find out what’s new in the official Patch Notes and Release Notes listed below:
The Marketplace Arrival Part 2 Update
Table of Contents
Installing the Latest Sims 4 Update
You can get the latest The Sims 4 Update on the following official launchers and platforms:
You can download the latest Sims 4 Update by checking for a Patch through the EA App, Steam or Epic Games launcher for Desktop. If you have Automatic Updates enabled the update will automatically download through your client program. In case your EA App is not working properly ensure you’ve cleared your app cache!
If you play The Sims 4 on Xbox Series X / S and Playstation 4 and 5 you can request a new update by checking for updates under The Sims 4 game in the Main Menu. If you’ve enabled automatic updates the Patch should download right away.
There’s also a handy official guide to Mods and CC maintenance, as well as backing up your Saves! Click here to learn all about healthy upkeep of your The Sims 4 files.
Official Sims 4 Patch Notes
Update: 4/16/2026
PC: 1.123.66.1030 / Mac: 1.123.66.1230
Console: 2.31
Sul Sul Simmers!
This update delivers The Sims 4Marketplace to PlayStation and Xbox, bringing Simmers access to Maker Packs and more.
On console versions of The Sims 4, we include Kits as part of the game files, so unlike PC/Mac, all the storage you can use will be for Maker Packs.
Storage on both PlayStation and Xbox is shared space for all Simmer accounts on the console.
On PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Simmers will have access to 16GB of storage.
On Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Cloud, Simmers will have access to up to 50GB of storage. This storage increases as you use it, up to the maximum size.
When playing with Xbox Cloud Gaming, you may need to re-download your owned Maker Pack content at the start of a new session. This can be done through the Marketplace Download Manager before loading your Saves. Your Kits, Expansion Packs, Game Packs, and Stuff Packs will not need to be re-downloaded each session and can still be enabled or disabled within the Pack Select feature.
As well as bringing Marketplace to more platforms, we have addressed a number of issues reported on PC and Mac to improve the experience and stability which are available to all platforms which you can check out below.
Happy Simming!
–The Sims 4 Team
What’s New?
Base Game Update
[EA Forums] Pack content will no longer show as being deactivated after installing and will be enabled by default.
You can customize your Gallery experience even further by including or excluding Maker Packs with the new filter.
“Uses Items from These Packs” and “Show used items” sections in the Gallery now reflect what Maker Pack was used in a creation.
Create a Sim and Build Mode will now show the Golden Star icon for newly installed content from the Marketplace making your new purchases easier to find.
Deactivated packs will display their correct status in Load Game rather than showing as Not Owned.
Resolved an issue where the Moola Wallet wouldn’t update after a purchase.
Resolved an issue causing pack download status to display as “Failed” despite the download being successful.
“Connection Required” error should no longer appear after making multiple purchases in a row.
Maker names should now appear correctly for all Maker Packs.
Fixed an issue preventing the Browse page filters from being reset when the Marketplace was accessed from the Gallery.
Marketplace images should load correctly when Marketplace is accessed from the Gallery.
Resolved an issue where owned packs would show as “Not Owned” in the Load Save screen if the pack was deactivated.
Various UI scaling improvements for the Main Menu and Marketplace.
Console Updates
PlayStation and Xbox Simmers also get recent updates that PC and Mac Simmers have previously received.
This patch also marks the arrival of updates to Gallery discovery with improved filters for easier Gallery navigation!
Bug Fixes
Top 5 Most Voted Fixes:
[EA Forums][EA Forums] Extensive updates to ensure that Sims’ eye blinking will now show fully closed eyes for most interactions, see the blog post for more information on these changes.
[EA Forums] Prom will once again appear on Calendars, and Sims will be able to attend. This fix will ensure it is working for both new and old saves. Alongside this fix, we fixed another issue where Prom goals weren’t able to be completed. (High School Years)
[EA Forums] We fixed an issue where Pet and Horse data was being lost in Premade Households. This issue will no longer occur in new saves. Existing saves where the issue already occurred will not be retroactively corrected. (Cats & Dogs, Horse Ranch)
[EA Forums] We’ve implemented a notable change to how Sims determine who they speak with on a lot. Now, Sims will generally prefer speaking with familiar Sims they already have a good rapport with, and Sims are less likely to engage with strangers spontaneously.
[EA Forums] Animals can be assigned to an Animal Shed after moving the Household to a new lot. They no longer become stuck in Household or Sim Inventory. This is also fixed for saves where the animals were already stuck. (Cottage Living)
Sims Autonomy Improvements
“Sim autonomy” is one of our Quality of Life Team’s key focus areas based on community feedback, and this update delivers on 3 of our top autonomy issues: Sims socializing with strangers, excessive flirting, and Sims using certain objects obsessively. We’ll continue to watch player feedback surrounding Autonomy for future updates.
Base Game
[EA Forums] We’ve addressed the issue where Sims were excessively flirting with each other.
[EA Forums] We’ve heard your feedback and wanted to address Sims using Computers and Phones too often. We’ve added a few new preferences to the Base Game including: Likes Phones, Likes Computers, Dislikes Phones, and Dislikes Computers. If you don’t want your Sims to autonomously use these objects, please give them the “Dislikes Phones” or “Dislikes Computers” Preferences. If you’d like them to use these objects more often, select the appropriate “Likes” Preference.
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously uses the Phone, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for six Sim hours. This cooldown does not exist for non-active Household Sims, Teen Sims, or Sims who Like Phones. Sims who Dislike Phones (a new Preference we added) will never use them autonomously anymore.
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously uses the Computer, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for half of a Sim day. This cooldown does not exist for non-active Household Sims, Sims who are Geeks, Sims who Like Computers, or when it is a preferred interaction for Getaways, Clubs, Small Businesses, or Dynasties. Sims who Dislike Computers (a new Preference we added) will never use them autonomously anymore.
[EA Forums] The “Troll teh Forums” Computer Interaction has been added to the same cooldown that is used for other Computer interactions. Sims will also now need Mischief Skill Level 6 or higher to consider this action autonomously unless they have the following Traits: Evil, Childish, Geek, Hot-Headed, Erratic, or Mean (who always have it available). (Base Game)
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously destroys a Doll House, it will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for some time. We also made a change so that only Sims with certain Traits (Evil, Hates Children, Mean, Hot-Headed) will ever autonomously decide to destroy a Doll House while Angry. Before this update, this autonomous behavior could occur for any Sim who was feeling Angry or Dazed.
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously mixes a drink, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a Sim day for non-NPCs. Previously this would occur frequently for Sims who were Inspired, or Sims with the Bro or Foodie Trait.
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously Swims, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for some time. This cooldown does not exist for non-active Household Sims, on Pool Venues, during Pool Party, or Birthday Party events, when Swimming is a preferred interaction for Getaways, Clubs, or Small Businesses, or if the Sim is a Merfolk or PlantSim.
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously plays the Violin, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a Sim day. This cooldown does not exist for non-active Household Sims, for Sims who are Music Lovers, Sims who Like Violins, or when it is a preferred interaction for Getaways, Clubs, Small Businesses, or Dynasties.
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously plays the Guitar, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a Sim day. This cooldown does not exist for non-active Household Sims, for Sims who are Music Lovers, Sims who Like Guitars, or when it is a preferred interaction for Getaways, Clubs, Small Businesses, or Dynasties.
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously plays Chess, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a Sim day. This is for non-NPCs only, and not applicable during Clubs or Getaways involving Chess.
[EA Forums] We’ve added a cooldown for Sims dancing while on a lot that the Sim owns. Sims who Like Dancing, Dance Machine Trait Sims, and certain situations will not receive this cooldown. This cooldown is not for non-active Household Sims. This cooldown will disappear when Sims move lots in case they are going to a lot where they want to dance.
[EA Forums] We’re reducing how often a Sim considers turning on the Radio. Sims with the Music Lover trait will consider listening to music more often than other Sims.
[EA Forums] Though practically a staple of Sim culture (I’m being cheeky), we’ve added a cooldown for autonomous Push-Ups, Sit-Ups, and Stretches. Now, only Sims who are Energized at the Gym Venue or Sims with the Active trait will consider doing this autonomously.
[EA Forums] We’ve added a cooldown for Foodie Sims watching Culinary Training Videos on the Television where they won’t do this autonomously for two days after doing it.
[EA Forums] If a Child Sim autonomously uses the Space Ship Jungle Gym, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a Sim day. This cooldown does not exist for non-active Household Sims or when it is a preferred interaction for Getaways, Clubs, or Small Businesses. Leaving the current lot also removes the cooldown.
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously plays with the Lump of Clay, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a while. This cooldown does not occur for Creative Sims or Sims who Like Pottery.
Discover University
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously plays with the Soccer Ball they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a while. This cooldown does not occur for Sims who Like Fitness or non-Household Sims.
Cottage Living
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously does Cross-Stitch, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for some time. This cooldown does not exist for Sims who Like Cross-Stitching or when it is a preferred interaction for a Club.
Lovestruck
[EA Forums] Sims will no longer consider playing Who’s Up Party Games while in the middle of writing a Book on the Computer.
Adventure Awaits
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously plays with the Paper Airplane, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a while. This cooldown does not occur for Sims who Like Papercrafting.
Spa Day
[EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously uses the Yoga Mat, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again right away. This cooldown does not exist for High Maintenance Sims or Sims who Like Wellness. (Sims must be Wellness Skill Level 2 to Autonomously use a Yoga Mat – previously and still.) The cooldown is removed when leaving the lot, and when it’s the preferred interaction for Getaways, Clubs or Small Businesses.
Movie Hangout
[EA Forums] A cooldown has been added to the Popcorn Popper so that after it has been used by a Sim that Sim will not want to immediately use it again for some time.
Pet & Animal Fixes
With two of our Top Community Issues being around animals and pets, we fixed a few other bugs also in this category to provide a better overall experience with these systems.
[EA Forums] Animals in the Animal Shed, Chicken Coop, Mini Goats, and Sheep will no longer be multiplied. This was happening when these animals were placed into a Sim inventory, then back in the world, and after that the Sims moved their Household. (Cottage Living, Horse Ranch)
General Bug Fixes
We addressed a handful of other important issues that were quickly rising with player reports, particularly problematic in gameplay, or easy to fix.
Base Game
Sims with the Unflirty Trait will no longer get the ick when hugged.
Placing a painting on the wall and then returning it to the Sim’s Inventory will no longer result in a Simulation error.
Resolved an issue that caused a main menu message to appear more frequently than intended.
Seasons
[EA Forums] Flowers will no longer get stuck midair while crafting a Flower Arrangement.
For Rent
[EA Forums] The “Do Inspection and Maintenance” interaction is now available on applicable working and broken objects in a Tenant Household for Landlord Sims. This should function both during Maintenance events and outside of them for Landlord Sims.
Life & Death
We’ve adjusted design elements on some of our swatches for the Ornate Mystery Rug which were ** concerning to some players.
Royalty & Legacy
[EA Forums] There was an issue where the updated Family Tree could cause wrong connections and overlapping which has now been fixed.
[EA Forums] We fixed a crash that could occur when resuming the game after deleting the Capp Household in Ondarion.
[EA Forums] Ondarion’s Verdemar lot is no longer reversed.
Parenthood
Child and Teen Sims who grew up in the same Household but weren’t related could get the Super Sibling relationship, despite not being related and then could later romance each other. Because we didn’t want to prevent stories where children could have possibly been in the same Household at one point while not related and end up in a relationship, we decided to fix this by renaming the relationships to Childhood Besties and Childhood Frenemy.
StrangerVille
There should no longer be a Script Call Fail error when the Plant Containment Cell is on the lot and the player tries to place other objects.
CAS & Build Mode Tagging Updates
We had the opportunity to address a large swath of simpler tagging bugs, making CAS and Build Mode sorting more accurate overall. Here are related issues we fixed:
Base Game
All Makeup that was in the Everyday category has been added to both Hot and Cold Weather Outfit category as a sorting option.
We’ve sorted 43 existing items under the Kids’ Decorations category.
Various lights (that were previously considered wall lights) have been sorted into the Lighting > Outdoor Lights in Build Mode category.
“Cute Critter Basket” is now sorted under Objects by Function > Kids > Kids’ Decorations.
Updated the swatch color for (yfMakeupLipstick_EF28GlossyLips_RedRuby) to appear more accurate.
(yfBottom_SDX040CCHSkirtPleated) will no longer appear for masculine frame Sims.
The Pencil Holder object has been additionally sorted into the Clutter category in Build Mode.
The “Wicker-Work Diaper Storage” object is now sorted under Objects by Function > Kids > Kids’ Furniture.
The “Bow, Bow, Bow!” object is now sorted under Objects by Function > Activities and Skills > Life Event Activities.
The “Martian Soil” wall pattern is now categorized under the Misc category rather than the Paneling in Build Mode category.
The “Sweetpea” and “Firehouse Brick” wall patterns are now sorted into Masonry and Siding.
Sycee of the Prosperous Moon, Right Side Up Gnome, and Bob the Butler Fancy Sculpture have been removed from their previous category and are now sorted under Decorations > Sculptures.
Multipack
We updated a large amount of love seats and benches to properly be identified as “Benches” for lot requirements when placed.
Lovestruck
We’ve adjusted the Lovestruck Beard swatches to display in the correct order.
(ymBottom_EP16Jeans) will now appear as a Masculine Fashion Choice in CAS filters.
Life & Death
“Perilous Paneling” and “Patterned & Perilous Paneling” now sort into the Paneling category, and “Lunar Reverie” sorts into the Wallpaper category.
Enchanted by Nature
“Wild Uncanny Cane” plant is now sorted in both Roof Sculptures and Outdoor Plants.
Backyard
(yfTop_SP08TeeBoatNeck_GradientPink) no longer sorts as Yellow in CAS filters.
Moschino
The “Libearian” bookshelf and the “I’m So Shiny!” surface have been removed from the Sculptures category.
Holiday Celebration
The “Kinara” and “Menorah” light objects are now sorted under Lighting > Table Lamps.
“Holiday Snowman” and “Pre-strung Tree of Lights” are now sorting under Lighting > Outdoor Lights.
Kitchen Clutter
All clutter items from the Kitchen Clutter pack are now visible when sorting by the pack filter and looking under the Misc Decorations category in Build Mode’s room view.
The Forever Friends Event
(ymTop_EV0641TankTwistBack_SolidBlackCyan) will no longer appear for masculine frame Sims.
The Nature’s Calling Event
Cove Stone – Round, Cove Stone – Flat, and Cove Stone Cluster objects are now sorted in the Outdoor Plants > Rocks category in Build Mode.
The update is 856MB on Mac.
What is your experience with downloading the latest Sims 4 Update? Let us know in the comments down below and stay tuned on Sims Community for the latest!
Start Living The Dream with these useful Website Tools made by Tomodachi Life players!
Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream has hit the physical and digital video game stores worldwide! The game is a perfect sandbox life simulator with many character creation possibilities for your Miis. To keep the game rating 3+ the developers had to lock in some important features – including the removed ability of sharing screenshots from Nintendo Switch and no features for online exchange of Miis.
The Tomodachi Life community has been very creative with not only in-game creations, but also with very useful tool solutions for its community. So far there are two new feature-rich website from Tomodachi Life players that help you track down your progress and get inspired from other creations and creators online. Let’s see what TomodachiShare and Tomo Board are all about:
Table of Contents
TomodachiShare – Post your Miis on the go!
One of the first (and realest) websites for TomodachiLife is TomodachiShare, an excellent and quick solution to save captures of your Miis to an online library. It reminds me of The Gallery from The Sims 4, except this one quickly loads up your search results!
The reason this screenshot is cropped more than it should be is also the direct explanation why there isn’t an official social share feature for this game. The second row of TomodachiShare featured some eerie and spooky faces! Who knows what else could go wrong with so many features to let you create (and paint) whatever…
This website is already one step ahead though, with a “Filter” tab that lets you search through creations on different Nintendo Switch consoles, Genders, different Mii Tags and Face Paint details. You can also tune out the creepy Miis using the “Show Controversial Miis” toggle.
You’ll notice that every second slide of the Miis showcase features a screenshot of Parts used for the Mii created. This will help you recreate the Mii of your desire very quick!
It doesn’t matter if your photos are created by copying the screenshots to your PC or if you’ve took them on your phone. As long as you can recognize key feature details you’re good to go!
TomodachiShare is active right now with current performance and bug issue upgrades in development. You can check it out by clicking the button below!
Tomo Board – Track Your Miis and Their Relationships
An amazing new website popped out of the woodworks just several hours ago titled Tomo Board. This website takes pride in 4 main features, including the ability to log your Miis, track Mii relationships in “social map”, add personalities and keep track of your Island Miis.
Unlike the TomodachiShare website which encourages Mii sharing online with the world, Tomo Board website functions more as an offline website tool. This website stores all the data and changes you make on Tomo Board website on your own browser’s cache. If you delete the cookies for this website domain on your browser all your island track record and relationship details will be lost!
To make sure you can always go back to your Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream setup the creator has included features that let you Export and Import Data from the website.
It’s a very ambitious project with new updates and fixes already being announced in the Changelogs tab menu. Definitely useful if you plan to keep track of all the drama for your own archive!
What are your thoughts on two new website tools dedicated to Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below and stay tuned for the latest Tomodachi Life updates!
PandaSama, well known for her realistic childbirth mod, has brought us a brand-new mod that promises rich gameplay and real consequences that extend beyond your household.
The Sims 4 Abandoned Baby Mod storyline adds deeply emotional, choice-driven scenarios with multiple possible endings.
In this guide, we will break down this brand-new mod for you.
Abandoned Baby Mod Breakdown
A Simple Premise With Big Impacts
During gameplay, your Sim may find an abandoned baby with no note or explanation. From there, your Sim has to act quickly and decide what to do.
(If you want to play with the mod and don’t want to leave it to chance, you can right-click on your Sim and select Trigger Abandoned Baby Event. This will then spawn a baby on your lot for you to start the story.)
There is also a range of ways that your Sim can react to the abandoned baby.
Once you investigate the abandoned baby, you’ll be prompted with the next steps.
The mod gives you several choices, like calling the police, contacting CPS, or taking the baby in yourself. Each option leads to a different story.
The Police Route
For this storyline to be playable, you will need to own Get To Work, as it involves the Detective career lot.If you don’t have Get To Work and choose to give the baby to the police, it will just disappearfrom the lot.
If you choose to involve the police, the mod offers a surprisingly detailed process.
After you arrive at the police station, you will need to report the abandoned baby to a police officer. Once you report this, you’ll then hand over the baby.
Once you hand the baby over to the police, you will need to give a statement. This will involve your Sim being taken to an interrogation room at the back of the station for an interview.
It’s up to you which order you answer the questions, but the interview won’t be complete until you answer them all.
You can also offer to foster the child once you have given the police all the details they need.
After that, there’s a waiting period of a couple of days before you get an update on the case. You will find out that the parents have been found or that the baby is now in care, so you get to have closure on the story without having a new Sim to care for long-term.
CPS And Fostering The Abandoned Baby
If you choose to involve CPS, a caseworker will visit your home, and your Sim can ask questions about what will happen to the baby as well as explain what has happened.
From there, you have the option to sign up as a foster household. If you do, the baby may eventually return to your home temporarily while authorities search for relatives or determine a permanent placement.
If you choose to go through with fostering, your Sim will go through a rabbit hole and come back having their foster placement confirmed!
The baby will stay in your Sim’s care for a few days, before eventually, you will receive a notice from CPS confirming an adoptive placement, and they will arrive soon to take them to their new home.
Once the CPS worker arrives, you will be able to ask them about their new home and learn about where they’re going to be placed, before you say your final goodbyes.
Adoption & Long-Term Gameplay
If you find that your household wants to make the baby a permanent member, the mod lets you adopt the baby and have them grow up with you.
Talking to toddlers, they won’t really understand the weight of the conversation, so it will always go down well.
Children might struggle with feelings of abandonment or uncertainty about their identity, and your Sims can help them work through these feelings through special interactions.
Each interaction will give a unique response.
Searching for the Truth
Another standout feature is that adopted Sims can later look for their birth parents.
Children can check for updates on their post as time passes, and their adoptive parents can phone up asking to meet.
If the birth parents come over, children and teens can hug their biological parents and have special interactions with them. It leads to some really heartwarming moments.
Final Thoughts
PandaSama has made something really special with this mod.
Every choice leads to something meaningful, and no two outcomes are the same. The abandoned baby mod does more than add drama; it gives you new ways to tell deeper, more emotional stories in The Sims 4.
This cosier take on the Pokémon franchise not only took everyone by surprise when it was first revealed back in September but also has proved to be a hit worldwide. Pokémon Pokopia is everywhere right now, and the demand for the game and Nintendo Switch 2 consoles is something that we’ve not really seen since Animal Crossing New Horizons was released.
However, this new Pokémon spin-off game, featuring hundreds of familiar Pokémon characters, cosy world building, and a variety of different locations to explore alongside the game’s story mode, has so many of us excited for this new era of Pokémon.
Pokémon Pokopia is the first joint venture game from Game Freak and Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force and is inspired by franchises such as Dragon Quest Builders, Minecraft and Animal Crossing, to name a few. It’s also important to note that Omega Force are the studio behind the popular Dragon Quest Builders 2 game, too!
Now, as it reaches one month since Pokémon Pokopia’s release, we wanted to share some of the reasons why we love the game, but first, take a look at the launch trailer for the game below!
Table of Contents
Pokémon from a New Perspective
While we’ve seen spin-offs in the Pokémon franchise before, this is something quite different. Pokémon Pokopia takes us on a much more relaxed and cosy journey than the traditional Pokémon experience. From crafting various habitats and homes, make friends and find out exactly what happened to the now barren but once thriving world.
In a way, you could look at Pokémon Pokopia as a life simulation experience. Living amongst the various Pokémon and taking on everyday tasks in this new world.
Adorable Characters with Personality
One thing that stands out in Pokémon Pokopia is that each and every Pokémon has its own unique personality that makes them shine. You’ll see this shown through their voice lines, interactions with others and even their interactions with your Ditto trainer.
Progress at your own Pace
While the main focus in Pokémon Pokopia is making your way through the storyline, there is absolutely no pressure to rush through the story. While you’ll encounter significant requests like rebuilding the Pokémon Center, you can simply follow your feelings.
Do you want to just build habitats and bring life back into the area you’re in? Go for it! Want to work on the story? Just do it! Do you want to take a break and explore for a while? Let’s get started! There’s no right or wrong way to play Pokémon Pokopia. It’s simply down to you what you do.
A Builder’s Dream
If you love building homes and various building styles, you’ll enjoy building in Pokémon Pokopia. While you can select from pre-made buildings which your Pokémon help build, you also have complete freedom to build to your heart’s content with custom buildings that you as the player craft.
So think outside the box and let your imagination run wild with ideas! Don’t forget that you can also landscape and create so many different types of outdoor spaces, such as fountains, parks, picnic spaces, and hot springs, to name a few.
It’s also important to note that players have access to a complete blank canvas with Palette Town, where you can fully customise the space to your liking while still adding more Pokémon to your Pokédex.
Pokémon Pokopia Community Builds
If you’ve been following the progress of Pokémon Pokopia in any way on social media since launch, you will have seen a whole host of different community builds, and there have been some absolutely stunning ones!
We’ve seen houses, shops, cafes, notable brands recreated, subways, farms, crafting stations and so much more shared online!
One example that we stumbled across recently was this lovely cute flower shop from Fleurs Builds over on YouTube!
There’s no denying that Pokémon Pokopia has been a welcomed addition to many people’s gaming collections lately. A game that takes the traditional and well known Pokémon games and characters and showcases them in a new, unique way. Utilising and learning Pokemon moves to help you on your journey to finding out what happened in the game’s story.
With hidden surprises and Easter eggs, cute and adorable gameplay, and a game that is perfect to sit down and unwind with time after time. Play with familiar faces, complete your Pokédex, rebuild communities, play and build with friends and embark on a truly unique Pokémon experience.
At Sims Community, the team has loved playing Pokémon Pokopia and would love to know what you think about the game in the comments down below!
EA Community Managers tell their Creators within Creator Network to “Take Space if Things Feel Overwhelming” – among other things.
Might I suggest that you take space if things feel overwhelming? At least that’s EA’s suggestion in response to the latest EA Buyout livestream hosted by lilsimsie – who left their Creator Network in October and is now doing a livestream informing people about the buyout deal.
In a leaked message posted by @lunar_briney on X, we have a new message from Electronic Arts Community Managers sent internally to Sims members of the EA Creator Network.
The message acknowledges the current planned livestream happening today: “Moments like this can bring attention and opinions across social channels, and we want to make sure you feel supported.” The message gives creators internally the right to express honest opinions, but also “step back from the conversation entirely”.
They also hinted and stated that “as we continue building the future of The Sims” so that’s something for folks who are possibly looking forward to The Sims Project X. Our words though, not theirs!
Read the full private message down below:
Leaked Statement from EA Community Managers to Sims Creators
We’re aware of a planned livestream today discussing EA’s agreement to be acquired. Moments like this can bring attention and opinions across social channels, and we want to make sure you feel supported.
As we continue building the future of The Sims, our team’s creative control guided by our values of inclusivity, choice, creativity, community, and play remain unchanged. The Sims will always be a space where you can express your authentic self.
There’s no expectation for you to engage with or respond to this conversation. You will always be free to express your honest opinions if you choose to, but it’s also completely okay if you’d prefer to step back from the conversation entirely.
If you do get questions from your community, you can always:
Let people know you don’t have additional information to share
Direct them to official Sims channels for updates such as our Discord and/or Newsroom
Take space if things feel overwhelming
You can also refer back to your creator toolkit for additional guidance.
Above all, our goal is to make sure you’re not put in a position where you feel responsible for explaining.
If you do get questions from your community, you can always:
Let people know you don’t have additional information to share
Direct them to official Sims channels for updates such as our Discord and/or Newsroom
Take space if things feel overwhelming
You can also refer back to your creator toolkit for additional guidance.
Above all, our goal is to make sure you’re not put in a position where you feel responsible for explaining or defending anything related to this moment.
If you experience any issues or need support, please don’t hesitate to reach out directly – we’re here.
We’ll continue to keep you updated as needed, and we appreciate you as always.
The Sims Team
This is probably the first time that EA and The Sims division have more directly acknowledged claims and thoughts about players on the EA buyout.
What do you think about this leaked message sent to Sims EA Creator Network members? Let us know in the comments below and bookmark Sims Community for all the latest up-to-date news!
Some new replies and theories from the current main Sims insider source have hit the internet.
We have another round of new theories and thread replies from one of the most current Sims insiders on ATRL that we’ve been reporting on for quite a few months now.
Some additional replies, theories and personal speculation have surfaced from this Sims insider. It’s very important to know that “Nothing is set in stone” – but still very interesting to read about some of the new theories.
For example, we could be getting the Residental Rental system in the base game (as a game theory) to maximize the Sim count and make the neighborhoods more dynamic.
There’s also a theory by the same Sims insider that the reason The Sims Team isn’t making any announcement that Royalty & Legacy is the last pack“because they don’t want people thinking in a Sims 5 ballpark [direction]”.
Read the latest roundup of The Sims Project X insider updates down below:
Project X Purpose, Feature Theories and More
Question: Tell your buddy insider friend to add apartments in Project X base game world just like with Eco Lifestyle and Royalty & Legacy where we got apartment units!
Sims Insider: I think there may be some kind of Apartment system available with X. I could be wrong but I believe the Residential Rental system may be base game in the new game to maximise lot count. Nothing is set in stone though. I believe the team are looking at Sims 4’s history and picking things that make realistic sense to be base game to maximise the game.
I feel like we will need to get news soon, it’s very unlike EA to allow the Sims to not have some kind of buzz for too long.
It seems they’re deliberately not addressing that Royalty & Legacy is the final Expansion, because they don’t want expectations to go sky high for “what’s next” because they don’t want people thinking in a Sims 5 ballpark. But too much of no noise will definitely start arousing suspicion amongst the casual playerbase.
I’m curious to know what’s happening in casual circles and whether they even think Sims 4 has sunsetted.
Sims Insider: I think there will be an element of being able to bring Sims and Builds over using a tool of some sort in some capacity, potentially Sim data as well. So they may be able to rule out starting over officially.
From what I’ve seen of the project, there’s no way they’re going to be able to frame this as anything other than a Sims 4 related product. They may try, but it would be like trying to say The Sims Mobile wasn’t a spin off of The Sims 4. The DNA of it is definitely there.
That’s also on purpose, they want people to feel right at home on this new platform and to not go back to The Sims 4. If they change too much, they’ll have an audience who likes Sims 4 too much refuse to come over. But if it’s similar enough to Sims 4, and improves on aspects, they’re hoping people will leave their previous game.
They also know they will be competing with a huge and deep modding scene soon when Sims 4 officially retires, and EA are hoping the shiny new stuff will be enough and that players won’t be smart enough to realise they’re being shortchanged by leaving their paid content behind for a new base that is largely a big standalone update on their existing game, rather than a new game entirely. They’ll want anyone who goes back to 4 to be reminded of X enough that they can’t help but play X.
It will be interesting to see if players do abandon Sims 4 or if EA underestimates the intelligence of their audience. The Sims 4 has insane modding potential once the code stays still. Time will tell.
The Marketplace and Reception on The Sims 3 Sales Info
Statement: Basically Marketplace exceeded expectations by having people download that useless free kitchen turd, but no one bothered to pay real money to purchase Moola and bunch of face stickers and lighting buttons
Sims Insider: Not the craziest theory, I won’t lie. The marketplace may have exceeded expectations based on interaction, but not in actual spending.
EA keep their cards very close to their chest. They’re probably telling developers it’s exceeding expectations, while also pulling people into a room saying “not enough people are buying moola” and the success is a completely different metric.
I can’t really speak on it, but we ran into very similar statements with The Sims Mobile. Apparently it was super successful, meanwhile our job was to increase engagement and push purchases within the game because both were low. So is it successful because people download it? They had weird metrics for things I suppose.
Sims Insider: I’m not saying anything that isn’t public knowledge, EA struggled financially from around 2008 – 2014. It’s well documented EA kept promising The Sims 3 would be the game to turn things around, it just didn’t. I’m a Sims 3 fan too, but I probably have more patience than the average person to deal with all the issues the game has.
The Sims 4 was a turning point for EA to become successful again, but also became the backbone of having to be the financial support of other franchises. EA started turning profit again because of The Sims 4.
I’m always bewildered the Sims has such competitive fan bases within its own franchise. People really stan individual games but they don’t really stan the franchise. I don’t really know of any other franchise where that happens so strongly
Sims Insider: Just saw the tweet that the Marketplace is coming to console, seems the greenlighting problems were resolved with Sony.
It will be curious to know if any improvements are on the table, but it’s smart of them to withhold fixes by delaying the marketplace. Makes it hard for Sony to be disagreeable.
What do you think about all the new speculation and theories on The Sims Project X? According to the insider, “I feel like we will need to get news soon, it’s very unlike EA to allow the Sims to not have some kind of buzz for too long.” We hope all that upcoming buzz from EA isn’t just The Sims 4 Kits and Maker Pack releases.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below and stay tuned to Sims Community for the latest on Life Simulation Games and The Sims!
One of the challenges of making an open-world game is making sure that the world doesn’t feel too mechanical or empty. In the latest public update, the Paralives team has just shared 11 new animations (13 if you count the three variations separately for the yoga class!) to showcase some of the interactions that the Paras will perform around town to make it feel more alive and interesting for players. Let’s have a look at them!
Paralives: New Animations Around Town
Knock on Door
Animation used when Townies pay you a visit. It was not explained if the Para was invited or if they just showed up randomly.
Throw Coin in Well
Animation for when a Para makes a wish when interacting with the well. It was hinted in the description that it may bring some luck for the Parafolk!
Animation for when the Para is digging at dirty spots. Similar to the treasure chest, his might also be a way of finding collectibles!
Contemplate Art
The first variation for when the Para is contemplating a piece of art in the museum. It will probably also be used for contemplating art in other places.
Contemplate Art Variation
The second variation for when the Para is contemplating a piece of art. This time the Para looks less focused and more relaxed.
Get Newspaper From Dispenser
Animation used when the Para is getting a newspaper from a dispenser in town.
Read Newspaper
Animation used when the Para is reading a newspaper. It was shown in the past that this will be a way for you to learn about events around town. You can read more about it in our article A First Look At Paralives Town Events!
Get Snack From Vending Machine
Used when the Para is getting a snack from the vending machine. Since Paralives will not have any paid DLC, the vending machine is coming in Early Access and in the base game!
NPCs Leisure Walk
The leisure walk will be used as a variation of the walking style for the NPCs so the game doesn’t feel too mechanical, as stated in this Patreon post. The walk styles will be influenced by the Parafolk personality, their current emotional state and their life stage.
Yoga Pose (Variation 1)
The first variation of the animations that can occur during a yoga session. It was shown in the past that there will be an event in town with free yoga classes on some days of the week.
Yoga Pose (Variation 2)
A second variation for the yoga session.
Yoga Pose (Variation 3)
Another variation for the yoga session.
It was also hinted in the Patreon post that there would be new animations, like searching through the town’s trash bins, but the animation wasn’t shown this time. Aside from that, all the animations displayed are available on the Paralives YouTube channel.
Paralives is set to release on PC and MAC on Steam on May 25, 2026.
What do you think about these new animations revealed to the public, and what other animations are you expecting to see in-game? Let us know in the comments!
Where, How, and When to Watch Lilsimsie’s Livestream with US Representative Maxwell Frost Against the EA Buyout!
ARTICLE UPDATE: The livestream has ended. We’ve updated the article with the official Livestream replay!
It was announced last week that Lilsimsie would be hosting a livestream with US Representative Maxwell Frost, in an effort to raise awareness around the potentially harmful effects of the controversial EA buyout and what the community can do about it. The pair will be playing Stardew Valley on Twitch while discussing the matter. But when can we expect the livestream, and what can we do to stop the EA buyout? We have you covered!
Table of Contents
When and Where to Watch the Livestream
The livestream will be hosted by Lilsimsie (Kayla) on her Twitch channel, and is hosted on behalf of the Players Alliance, an organisation that stands up to corporate greed and puts passion before profits. The livestream will begin at 10 AM ET/7 AM PT over on Lilsimsie’s Twitch channel. You can check out our countdown and direct link to the livestream below!
Watch The Livestream Replay
Begins exactly at the 8 minute mark
How Else Can We Support?
Players Alliance are also running a petition aimed at the US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, in hopes of communinacting public dissaproval to those who may be able to block the deal from going through. Over 47,000 signatures have been submitted at the time of writing, just a couple thousand short of their goal of 50,000 total. The petition letter to Scott Bessent:
To: Scott Bessent, United States Secretary of the Treasury From: [Your Name]
Electronic Arts (EA) is set to be taken private in a $55 billion leveraged buyout backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake. If approved, it would be the largest buyout of a publicly traded company in US history. This deal would hand over unprecedented influence in one of the fastest growing industries to Saudi investors and, due to the $20 billion in debt financing, further accelerate harmful anti-consumer practices that EA is already pushing.
Blocking the EA buyout is about protecting consumers and ensuring that the video game industry remains fair, competitive, and sustainable.
You can sign the petition linked below, and add your name to the growing number of signatories. The petition will require your name, email, and zip/post code. All information will be be collected, but will not be sold or shared to third parties.
