Star Wars Sweeps into The Sims: News from August 20th-August 27th

8/27/2020

Something Simlish this Way Comes

The Sims community at large is a strange, voracious beast. When news from the Gurus is sparse, Simmers sniff at the air, electric with speculation, to decipher the cryptic clues and leaks from various crannies of the internet. This was certainly the case this week concerning both the Sims 4 community and the Sims Mobile community. While Sims Freeplay largely plugs along with the latest school-themed Sim Chase, the Sims 4 and Sims Mobile teams dropped news on their awaiting fans after weeks of gut-wrenching silence.

The Sims FreePlay

Quickly, Sims Freeplay continues with a school-based theme as they run SimChase season 18: Sports Day Stoush. Players grind through a gamut of pre-selected events in order to earn school-themed prizes: chain link fences, basketball hoops, bleachers, and more. Stay tuned next week for the return of the Inner Child's Play Quest, which rewards successful players with an adorable treehouse.

The Sims Mobile

Sims Mobile had its own fair share of leaks this week. August 21st, players discovered that someone had leaked news of the next Sweet Treat event. Scratching their collective heads, Mobile simmers peered at blurry pictures of various kitchen items and the assertion that the next event would be "Cultured Kitchen." This remained unconfirmed until August 25th, when Game Changers unveiled the collection of screenshots and colorful graphics that outlined Sweet Treats: Cultured Kitchens. Once again, players will bake, mix, and sprinkle in order to earn tokens. Those tokens purchase prize boxes, and once all 78 prize boxes are open, the player earns the grand prize.

The common prizes, also known as the "Sweet Treat Box" prizes will include:

Glass crockery cabinet
Deal with it Trash Can
Basico Chair
Tied and True Capris
Patented and Patterned sweater
Loafing about Cutting Board
Suspended pots and pans
Repurposed Bottle Vases
Hyper Hot Sauce

The rare prizes, also known as the "Royal Treat Box" prizes will include:

Ponu Island Counter
Ponu Island Kitchen Counter
Beautiful Button-up Dress
Store-it-All Kitchen Shelf

If players successfully unlock all items and their swatches, they will receive the grand prize: a countertop pizza oven, a Seriously Smart Fridge, and a Cutely Curled Side hair style for women.

Mobile Simmers were quick to note that this STS does not offer male-specific assets. There has long been a gender imbalance in mobile CAS assets, and recently more players have begun advocating for unisex options. Naturally, in a game which boasts its ability to represent any and all Simmers, the lack of gender-neutral clothing options is a startling omission. It remains to be seen if the Sims mobile team will address such concerns in future updates.

Additionally, the Sims Mobile team revealed a new bargain pack, which it almost immediately offered to its players. This pack, for just $2.99 USD, rewards the player with 250 SimCash, 3,000 simoleons, and 5 cupcakes.

The community continues to speculate, however, about a possibly larger update for September. Will Sims Mobile developers roll out pools? Schools? Basements? Pets? Only time will tell.

The Sims 4

Naturally, the biggest news of the week charged in from the Sims 4 developers. For weeks, Gurus have hinted at the contents of a new game pack: George tweeted a kitchen statuette of a pig, a set of scrolls in a bell jar, and then suddenly whispered the word "Wednesday" into the Twitter-verse. Using the leaked game pack images and scouring the internet for possible matches, Simmers quickly discovered that the strange blue game pack icon looked awfully like Batuu, a Star Wars planet. Sims and Star Wars have a bit of a storied history. Because Electronic Arts does own the Star Wars game license, Simmers have enjoyed Star Wars costumes and prop nods in the form of Baby Yoda. SimGuruNinja himself is notoriously a rabid Star Wars fan, and so a collaboration didn't seem too far-fetched.

The immediate reaction to the speculation was mixed, and this initial reaction swelled into a Twitter-breaking frenzy when Gamescom finally aired the newest Sims 4 trailer.

Sims 4 players waited in the Gamescom livestream chat with bated breath as the familiar rolling green hills of Willow Creek transformed into the sandy dunes, rock-choked cliff sides, and tangled green canopy that comprises the Star Wars planet Batuu. Suddenly milling alongside average Sims were Storm Troopers, plucky droids, infamous NPCs like Kylo Ren and Rey Skywalker, and a myriad of singing, dancing, and plotting aliens. The trailer followed Sims lightsaber battling, impressively rendered tie-fighters and x-wing star fighters soaring, and, of course, the Millennium Falcon cutting a fine form across viewer screens.

This phenomenal, firmly non-traditional Sims pack bursts onto the Sims 4 scene September 8, 2020. While Simmers have yet to witness real time game play, the Sims 4 blog delineated several key features that Sims 4 players can expect for the pack. In addition to rubbing elbows with Jedi masters, Simmers will be able to choose between the light and the dark sides of the Force, quest for and craft their own unique lightsaber with unearthed kyber crystals and hilts, earn "reputation points" through mission completion, purchase a helpful beeping buddy at the Droid Depot, and complete challenges that unlock "starfighter access, new outfits, and critical Batuu missions." A player's Sim will make choices during game play, choices to support either the Resistance or the First Order. These choices will actively "tip the balance of power" and determine who will control Batuu.

Following the announcement, Simmers both lauded and decried the decision. Proponents welcomed the fresh addition, a well-executed homage to a beloved, worldwide phenomenon. Others cited the need for improved babies, cars, and corrected skin tones before the addition of such non-traditional packs.

What do you think of the newest Sims 4 game pack?