The Sims 4 is introducing its next expansion pack, Snowy Escape, with a trailer set to premiere tomorrow. The simulation title, first released in 2014, is known for its extensive amount of post-launch content, including expansion packs like Snowy Escape, “game packs,” like the recent Star Wars crossover Journey to Batuu, and “stuff packs.” These various additions are infamously inconsistent in terms of what they bring to the table, but they do generally succeed in keeping the already robust simulation game fresh even six years after its release.
These extensive additions make sense for a game whose sole focus is letting players live out the life of their dreams. Unfortunately, the low quality afflicting many of these downloadable packs is far from the only thing preventing The Sims 4 from being the inclusive, complete simulation it’s meant to be. The game has been criticized recently for underrepresenting people of color. To developer Maxis’ credit, the team did respond well to these criticisms, and released an update to expand hair and skin colors and options. While it’s a step in the right direction, it’s also indicative of how far Maxis still has to go with The Sims 4.
The new Snowy Escape expansion pack will hopefully give players good reason to come back to the game. The pack was revealed on The Sims‘ Twitter page, and while the post didn’t go into much detail about what the expansion pack would bring, the name and photos provided largely speak for themselves. Sledding, snowboarding, and rock climbing are all featured in the Tweet. There’s also a photo of two Sims posing in front of what looks like a Japanese pagoda. This hints that the new expansion pack will improve Asian representation in the game, something that’s been sorely missing. A trailer for the new expansion pack is set to premiere tomorrow, which will hopefully give fans a more concrete idea of what to expect from the final product.
Snowy Escape is a very timely addition for The Sims 4. Winter is on its way, making it a seasonally appropriate choice, but with COVID-19 closing down a lot of real-life winter retreats, this new DLC could provide fans with a good way to get their fun in the snow without going indoors. The very name of the new expansion pack indicates that Maxis fully understands the situation; with COVID-19 keeping people locked in their homes, everyone could use an escape, snowy or otherwise.
The Sims 4 has been batting more misses than hits recently. In addition to the underwhelming Journey to Batuu, the most recent “stuff pack,” Nifty Knitting, was found wanting, with a disappointingly small amount of new content on offer. The game’s popularity endures, though, and winter sports are a pretty universally appealing pastime. Maxis has a good chance to turn things around with Snowy Escape. Hopefully The Sims 4 will prosper from it.
