The Sims 4 Kits were just announced yesterday, but some members of the community have already taken a strong stance on the new feature, with many complaining that more paid DLC is not the answer to their concerns.
The Sims 4 Kits are newly released, bite-sized DLC packs that cost $4.99. EA released three yesterday: Bite the Dust, Country Kitchen, and Throwback Fit. One pack is focused solely on Create-a-Sim (or CAS) items, another is all about build items, and another is mainly about gameplay. Over on The Sims subreddit, however, many Simmers are unhappy that EA is adding a new tier of paid content - on top of Expansion Packs, Stuff Packs, and Game Packs - instead of simply adding to the base game.
Prominent Simmer and YouTuber lilsimsie posted a video about The Sims 4 Kits the day they launched, stating that "The Sims 4 is already ridiculously expensive" and that adding up all of the content would cost "$600-plus for all the Packs." I went ahead and did the math, and it's even more than that - for the base game and every Stuff Pack, Game Pack, and Expansion Pack you'll need to drop a cool $785. As lilsimsie point outs, "it will add up so fast and that makes me nervous...I'm so scared of this becoming like The Sims 3 store."
It's really getting old.. from r/thesims
The Sims 3 store had Game Packs, clothing collections, and other items that you could buy with SimPoints, which you had to use real money to purchase in bulk. For example, 75 SimPoints equals about 75 cents, which may not be a ton of money, but will only net you a single dress. A homecoming collection that includes 42 CAS items would cost you $19, which is pretty wild considering you're only getting some fancy cosmetics.
The ire from The Sims 4 community is certainly valid: when it costs close to $800 to get the complete game experience, there's a clear financial barrier set up for many members in that community. It's a form of financial gatekeeping that means that many Sims players simply can't get the complete game experience. Lilsimsie explains that before she was the famous YouTuber and EA Game Changer she is today, she was financially locked out of getting much of The Sims 3 content. "I used to be so sad and so jealous when LifeSimmer would use some cool Sims 3 store item that I couldn't have and couldn't afford and I feel like I'm gonna be that for you - I'm gonna be the one using this cool stuff that you can't have. It kind of already is that way, but now it's even worse."
Don't buy the kits from r/thesims
It seems that Simmers across the globe are hit even harder by the cost of these new Kits: UK players have to pay £4.99 for them, which ends up being more than $5 after the exchange rate. That, and the sheer amount of DLC you'd have to buy in order to get the complete Sims 4 experience, is why the subreddit is currently full of "do not buy the Kits" posts.
It is important to note, however, that EA did add a spate of free content recently, including a collection of items to celebrate the franchise's 21st birthday, and in-depth behavior changes that dropped for free with The Sims 4: Snowy Escape. However, for many in the community, it's not enough free content, and too much paid DLC.
You don't need to pay for The Sims 4 cheats.
