'The Sims 4' Policy Update Is Devastating The Game's Community

For the most part, The Sims 4 has always been a game that’s championed inclusivity. In the past few weeks alone, the game introduced a number of new customisation options including the ability to choose your sims' pronouns and sexual orientation.

There was a slightly awkward incest debacle amidst all of the new changes, but players praised EA’s commitment to its playerbase … how quickly things can change. This week, The Sims 4 barred custom content creators from profiting from their creations which has unsurprisingly devastated The Sims’ community.

Take a look at this incredible underwater build in The Sims 4 for some serious house envy.

The change is certain to result in financial losses for many The Sims 4 creators. The revision of the modding policy was published on 21 July. EA noted that mods are an important part of the “game experience” and that they “have a long tradition of supporting creativity in our community.” They encourage mod creators to “continue to share their amazing content,” but there is one catch.

EA decreed that all mods “must be non-commercial and distributed free-of-charge. Mods cannot be sold, licensed, or rented for a fee, nor can mods contain features that would support monetary transactions of any type.” They went on to add, “Maxis recognises that creating mods takes time and resources. Accordingly, mod developers may recoup their development costs via passive advertisements and donations.”

As reported by Gamespot, Sims creators soon shared their upset online. Marlynsims tweeted, “Looks like perma paywalls really did ruin it for everyone.” Creator JellyPaws previously posted her mods on Patreon but now that that’s prohibited, she wrote, “Patreon has been helping me buy the smallest amount of groceries the past few months when my jobs kept falling through,” to outline the effect the change will have on creators. EA is yet to respond to fan’s dismay.