The Sims 4 is a constant onslaught of new content in the form of major and minor expansions, and The community is tired of Maxis and EA advertising in the game itself. at this point, Sims Players have assumed that the fourth entry is here to stay as the developer has confirmed that it is not focusing its efforts on The Sims 5Meaning much more DLC is on the way. Whether or not The Sims 4 Can sustain these additional features remains to be seen, but one thing that is frustrating players is the omnipotent ads.
Via a Reddit post by user Rainbow-Elephant3445, The Sims 4 has quietly added a pop-up ad that appears before the main menu screenForcing players to click away before progressing to the actual game.
Rainbow-Elephant3445 correctly points out that there is already a site on the main menu that provides information about upcoming DLC, so the pop-up ad feels intrusive in how it’s selling future packs. User Stegosagus Also notice that This ad is especially annoying since it “Keeps popping up“When the game startedMeaning fans can’t escape the promotional image.
The Sims 4 already has ads
This feels like a bridge too far
This is not the first time The Sims 4 Community has pushed back against Maxis’ implementation of in-game ads. In early 2024, The game has been updated to include a new UI feature in the main menu that constantly notifies players of new content drops and DLCsActing as a less intrusive ad for future products. While it is still present in the game, users are so frustrated that mods have been created to turn off the button and create a more streamlined home page.
The implementation of a forced pop-up ad that cannot be disabled is clearly an extension of this strategy. EA has previously stated that it wants to investigate in-game advertisements And players quickly speculated that The Sims 4 was the most likely starting point for the experiment. Whether the latest ad is part of the publisher’s marketing push is unknown, but it seems like a probable next step in a larger plan.
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Do we really need ads in games?
We are already drowning in ads
The idea of ​​advertisers pushing players into a paid product doesn’t sit right with me, but it’s worth noting that The Sims 4 is a free-to-play game. As a developer, Maxis needs to generate revenue, so using in-game ads makes sense from a marketing perspective, but I can’t believe it’s going too far. from my opinion, The game already has a dedicated tab to highlight and recommend content packs, so forcing interaction with a pop-up ad crosses the line into intrusive.