The Sims 4's monetization system has faced an uphill battle throughout the course of the game's history, and that's because fans were not happy with the multiple DLC packs released over some form of free updates. However, the free content bundles that the game has recently rolled out may be a good indication of how The Sims 5 could handle microtransactions when it releases.
EA released The Sims 4's Daring Lifestyle Bundle for free last month on the Epic Games Store. The bundle gave The Sims 4 players access to three different DLC items in the form of two game packs and one kit. While players didn't get any of the full-blown expansion packs for free, they still were given some new items and locations to spice up their games. The Sims 5 can and should learn from this, though.
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The Sims is known for its abundant amounts of DLC available to add a variety of fun, wild, and cool new items, clothing, locations, and ideas into its games in order to make gameplay more interesting. The Sims 4 DLC ranges from expansion packs, game packs, stuff packs, and kits. While there is so much additional content to bring into the game, a lot of it is pricey. Expansion packs, the biggest form of DLC that adds in the most new content, are $40 each. After that, game packs are $20, stuff packs are $10, and kits are $5. With there being sixty-six total DLC available to download, including thirteen expansion packs, twelve game packs, eighteen stuff packs, and twenty-three kits, players have to pay over $1000 to take advantage of everything the game has to offer.
The Sims 4 has been out since 2014, and The Daring Lifestyle Bundle gave players who don't want to spend so much money on adding a few new things to their game the chance to do that for free for the first time ever. If EA plans on making The Sims 5 last as long as The Sims 4, the publisher could periodically release free bundles for the game to keep the large number of players that remain completely free-to-play to stay interested and keep having fun with the game. It's very easy to get bored with the same clothes, furniture, and things to do in The Sims, and consistently putting out new things for all players to enjoy could be beneficial for keeping the player base happy and having fun with the game.
The bundles don't have to include all forms of DLC. EA could very well only include game packs, stuff packs, or kits into the free bundles and keep the bigger expansion packs locked behind a paywall. This would give The Sims players a wider variety of accessories while still giving them a reason to pay more money for extra content. In general, more content to be consumed within the game will allow for more replayability and more interest in the game for the majority of its player base.
As it stands, a majority of The Sims community is unhappy with the prices of The Sims 4's DLC. If The Sims 5 occasionally gives out free DLC bundles, it could be just what EA needs to earn the much-needed respect and trust from the community. Additionally, it could breathe new life into the community. Players having a reason to keep playing and talking about the game online keeps The Sims 5 in the conversation and in the front of gamers' minds.
Releasing regular free DLC bundles could also bring more attention to the Origin launcher as well. Currently, the only place where any bundles for The Sims 4 were given for free was on the Epic Games Store, but if these bundles become a regular occurrence, maybe EA could just start releasing them through Origin, keeping players in their own ecosystem.
The Sims 5 is currently in development.
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