It’s been a while since The Sims 4 community got a brand-new game pack. The last pack EA released was Werewolves back in 2022.
When the Horse Ranch expansion pack was released in 2023, many players said it felt more like a game pack in terms of content size and gameplay. In other words, this was a smaller pack being marketed as a bigger one.
And so, 2023 became the first year in Sims 4 history where EA didn’t release a game pack at all.
Game packs are often seen as the best value in Sims 4 content. There’s plenty of content for a mid-range price.
For $19.99, you get new gameplay, new activities, and new gameplay mechanics. Some packs even include a whole new world to explore.
But now, with over three years passing without a new game pack, the silence has been hard to ignore. It seems that EA is focusing more on expansions packs, updates to existing content, and smaller kits.
Strategic Decisions Based on Cost, Time, and Revenue
Kits are cheaper, around $4.99, and quicker to make, so EA can release several of them in a short period. Because of the low price, many players buy them without hesitation.
Expansion packs, on the other hand, are much larger and more complex. They take more time and resources to develop, and they cost about $39.99, so each sale brings in a lot of revenue. They’re very popular which makes them very profitable for EA.
Game packs sit somewhere in the middle, they’re bigger than kits but smaller than expansions.
The idea is that EA crunched the numbers and saw they make more money by focusing on kits and expansions than by putting resources into game packs.
So, from a business perspective, it makes sense to prioritize what’s more lucrative and efficient.
In short: kits are cheap and fast, expansions are expensive and profitable, and game packs are the “middle child” that might not make EA as much money relative to the effort required.
EA’s Profit-First Strategy
Game packs are popular with many players, but they don’t sell as well as expansion packs. Expansions may cost more to make, but their $39.99 price tag means each sale brings in significantly more revenue.
Expansions consistently outsell game packs, so the financial math becomes simple: EA makes more money focusing on expansions.
That helps explain why Sims 4 game packs have disappeared.
While fans see them as the best bang for their buck, EA likely sees them as a “middle product” that doesn’t generate enough profit.
The Whale Model
The “whale model” is a business strategy where most revenue comes from a small group of big spenders, called “whales.”
For The Sims 4, the whale model fits perfectly. The base game is free, which lowers the entry barrier.
Once players are hooked, EA offers dozens of add-ons. While casual players might buy one or two packs, the “whales” are the ones who buy nearly everything.
This model explains EA’s strategy: they don’t need every player to buy every pack.
They just need their most dedicated fans, the whales, to keep spending. That could explain why the focus in on rolling out expansion packs now.
That’s why Growing Together and Parenthood are two different packs.
That’s why Adventure Awaits packs too many elements that should have been included in Businesses and Hobbies.
The theory says that it’s the whales, buying them all without hesitation, who generate the bulk of EA’s revenue.
When a Game Pack Becomes an Expansion [Fairies]
Occults used to fit perfectly into a $19.99 game pack: complete with a new world and a themed gameplay system. Now, though, they’re being sold as $39.99 expansions.
Fairies are the clearest example. By tradition, they should’ve been a game pack, just like Vampires or Werewolves. Instead, they are the headline feature of a full-priced expansion pack, just like mermaids are for Island Living.
Fairies would’ve been perfect for Lovestruck. Little cupids starting romances, stirring up mischief, and causing drama.
From a business perspective, it makes sense. Occults are some of the most popular and most-requested features in the Sims franchise. EA knows players will buy them, no matter the price.
By moving them into Expansions, EA can charge double without necessarily delivering double the content.
World size is another sign that expansions are basically game packs now. Older EPs had big worlds, full of lots to explore and build on.
Conclusion
Over the years, Sims 4’s mid-tier packs have been increasingly sidelined.
EA’s strategy is clear: kits are cheap and quick to produce, the big releases are expensive and highly profitable, and the middle-tier content takes too much effort for too little return.
From a business standpoint, this decision makes sense. From a fan standpoint, this is very frustrating.
If you’re feeling the same way, hit the comments below.