Sul Sul!

My name is Janae and I am a simmer at heart. I love The Sims but my love for this franchise started young. When I was little, I found myself watching Sims stories on YouTube about runaway teens and drama-filled storylines. I have always enjoyed creating characters and following them through their stories. Almost every simmer (including myself) plays with mods. I add mods to my game because I like my game to be very aesthetically pleasing and semi-realistic. For example, I don’t like a completely cartoon-like sim, nor do I like a realistic (“alpha” CC) sim. I like a good mix of both. I prefer shopping for Custom Content (CC) on CurseForge, Patreon, and sometimes the CC lists I find online.

Some recent news within the simmer community shook everyone’s plumbob. On March 17, 2026, Electronic Arts (EA) released a new update. Even people who had their game set to not automatically update were affected by EA releasing the Marketplace, the official in-game storefront, as a way for simmers to buy CC directly from EA. The Marketplace’s release had a split reaction on platforms such as TikTok. Some simmers deemed this a good idea for console players who are unable to download CC on PC. Others (including myself) found the Marketplace to be a cash-grab for EA.

As of Sep. 2025, EA is set to be acquired by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. This concerned players because The Sims has a female-dominated player base with women representing 60-64% of players. The Sims also has many openly LGBTQ+ features in game and support from within the fandom. Many simmers are concerned that with this sale, LGBTQ+ features will be stripped away.  

Diving back into the game and the Marketplace update controversy: upon opening up my game after the March update, I found that my mods were disabled. This usually happens after an update. The real issue appeared when I re-enabled my mods and launched my game again. My custom loading screen override was gone, my sims were bald and naked, and the furniture was invisible. Upon seeing this I decided to delete all of my mods from fear of them being corrupted. I turned my entire mod folder over and tried to launch my game again. After a lot of trial and error (and the help of one remaining mod) I was able to recover my game and luckily my save file was unharmed. I would have been extremely disappointed if my legacy family (that being the Goths) were lost to the update. 

In all the drama that has been circling the game recently, many simmers have made it a point to protest EA by not buying anymore expansion packs or CC. If you were wondering which creators sold out to EA are now on the Marketplace, here is a brief list: 

• Pierisim: Released the Soft Linens Living pack. (They joined primarily to provide content to console players who previously lacked CC access.) 

• SixamCC: Contributed multiple sets, including the Japandi Home Bedroom and the European Home Power Set. 

• Syboulette: Launched the Snazzy Living Room set. 

• Peacemaker: Released the Spindi Dining Room pack. 

• MADLEN: Known for CAS items, they released the Modern Duchess Set and Shoe Essentials. 

• BrazenLotus: Contributed the Spring Cottage Plants & Decor pack. 

• Littlbowbub: Released the Grandma’s Kitchen Heirlooms build/buy pack. 

• ValiaSims: Published the Reader’s Nook set. 

• Serenity: Released the Elevated Essentials CAS pack. 

• KKB (KKBsMM): Released the Rustic Nest set. 

• Mechtasims: Contributed the Nona Set. 

• TudTuds (Tuds): Released Tuds’ Space Dining. 

• CrypticSim: Contributed The Sunburst Collection makeup pack. 

• HYDRA: Released the Home Sweet Home set. 

• Caio: Contributed the Cozy Fitness CAS pack. 

• TwistedCat: Released the Lip Couture makeup pack.

Some of these names hurt me not only because I love their CC but also because the creators are only making about 30% of the profit from sales while EA is getting 70%. Which is tragic. Here are some creators who declined the offer to put their CC on the Marketplace: 

• Simandy: Publicly “dumped” the Marketplace on principle. 

• Pralinesims: Spoke out against the program’s structure. 

• Joliebean: Declined participation based on moral concerns. 

• Myshunosun: Not participating and expressed opposition. 

Don’t get me wrong: The Sims 4 is a broken game, but it is playable. Others online have voiced that it seemed as if EA does not test their packs before pushing them out. While some simmers (including myself) believe that the game is broken, keeping mods updated is also a factor. After my save file scare, I took the time to organize all my CC into categories and uploaded them to a mod manager which helps me keep my mods organized and updated. 

My final thoughts are simple. If you play The Sims 4, get a mod manager application (like CurseForge or The Sims 4 Mod Manager from GameTimeDev). Make sure to sort and categorize your mods and look at the mod’s upload history putting it into your mod folders. Don’t pay for creators you could find online without the paywall … or do it. That’s your life. Use the marketplace if that matches your freak. Lastly, have fun.

Dag Dag,

Janae