‘The Sims 4’: EA Continues To Court Players As Big Release Dates Near

If even the smallest doubt existed that Maxis and EA Games have declared February the official month of The Sims 4, those doubts are fading fast.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Maxis and EA Games released a trial of The Sims 4 via the Origin Game Time service. While the trials were met with the same mixed reviews The Sims 4 has earned since its release in September 2014, Maxis continued its push to bring new and reluctant players into the fold by offering a 33 percent discount on The Sims 4 as the 48-hour trial period came to a close.

It seems that not enough trial players purchased the game, because until February 16, players who sampled The Sims 4 on Game Time can acquire the game at a whopping 50 percent discount. It’s worth noting that EA frequently discounts games via their Origin download service. Dragon Age: Inquisition was met with critical acclaim, and is almost universally considered the best game of 2014. Dragon Age: Inquisition is currently on sale via Origin for 33 percent off of the $59.99 MSRP. The 1997 hospital simulation game Theme Hospital has been listed for free on Origin for several weeks. So a discount, even one as deep as 50 percent, doesn’t necessarily signal that a game is a failure.

Maxis certainly isn’t abandoning The Sims 4. After a remark during the EA Games earnings report in February caused concern, Maxis calmed fans with the announcement that the first expansion pack, The Sims 4: Get to Work, would launch in April 2015.

The latest moves by Maxis and EA Games have some fans concluding that The Sims 4 has failed, but figuring out if or by how much The Sims 4 has failed is difficult to determine. Unlike it’s predecessor, The Sims 4 was available via download at launch. Also, unlike it’s predecessor, The Sims 4 was not available for Mac users at launch. In fact, the much anticipated Mac versions of The Sims 4 and it’s gameplay pack, The Sims 4: Outdoor Retreat, will not be available until February 17.

Some longtime fans of The Sims franchise remain unconvinced. Sometimes Maxis seems to have more of a PR problem with The Sims 4 than anything else.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Maxis developers challenged players to rack four million woohoos during Valentines Day weekend. If players meet the challenge, Maxis will release a new gnome in the March content patch update. If players beat the challenge, Maxis will also release a new hairstyle in the March content patch.

There’s been no word so far on how The Sims 4 players have met the challenge, but at least one fan is skeptical of the motives behind the woo hoo challenge.

“You heard about the woohoo challenge? You guys are supposed to let your Sims woohoo the whole weekend and IF the goal is reached you get an ugly gnome and a hairdo for your Sims. Am I the only one who finds this utterly ridiculous? BTW the data is evaluated by activating ‘share user data’ in the game options. Does that ring a bell?”