Free The Sims 4 is Storming Steam; Long-time Players Demand Refunds [UPDATE]

Update

Ultimately, The Sims 4 finished the weekend on Steam with a record-breaking result of 96,328 concurrent players. Of course, this is not the complete picture of the game's popularity, as it is also available on PC via the EA app, as well as on Sony and Microsoft consoles.

Original message (October 20, 2022)

Two days ago The Sims 4 became free. The developers are trying to attract new players to get acquainted with this eight-year-old title before the already announced continuation sees the light of day. Their plan undoubtedly worked, but old fans felt disregarded.

The Sims 4 gains popularity again

According to SteamDB in the last 24 hours in The Sims 4 was played by a maximum of nearly 79,000 people simultaneously on Steam. As a result, the title currently ranks 13th on the list of the most popular games on the platform.

Source: SteamDB

However, it is worth remembering that the now free The Sims 4 can also be played using the EA app and on consoles PlayStation and Xbox. This means that the impressive popularity results on Valve's platform are only part of the full picture of the game's growing popularity.

Old fans want refunds

Sudden decision by Maxis to switch The Sims 4 to F2P proved controversial to some people. Some Internet users who paid to play the 2014 Sims game are now demanding their money back.

The title may be eight years old, but it is not worth forgetting that on the day of its release, the price of the basic version of The Sims 4 was about $30.

Fans of the game voiced their annoyance by posting unflattering reviews of the game. In their view, they were punished for faithfully supporting the title since its inception.

Source: EA

The developers did not leave old fans completely with nothing. People who owned the basic game before The Sims 4 switched to F2P, had the opportunity to pick up the Decoration Oasis Kit for free.

Kits, however, are the smallest and cheapest type of DLC for The Sims 4. Currently, you can purchase them at full price for around $5. Veterans of the series are aware of this and treated the offer as an insult. Some of them were not even able to take advantage of it.

Despite the dissatisfaction of some fans, Maxis attracted new players, which can be called a kind of success. The developers no longer hide that the main source of their earnings is not the basic version, but DLCs, the purchase of which is associated with significant expenses for the average player.

Do you think old players should be refunded and rightly felt disrespected?

• The Sims 4 on Steam
• Maxis - official website
• The Sims 4 for free - details