The Sims 4 Drop Family Tree

Although The Sims 4 is (reportedly) backing more features into the game than ever before, most of the focus as of late has been on the features that aren't making it into the game. For example, the announcement that toddlers and pools will not be in the final game has gained more traction than the fact The Sims 4 will focus on emotional interactions between characters.

It might seem insignificant, but dropping a feature that was in past games seems to have had a great impact on the Sims fan base, with many talking about skipping this sequel altogether. And unfortunately for those gamers we have more bad news: family trees will not be in The Sims 4.

Maxis broke the news on their official site earlier today in order to clarify any confusing headlines that might arise. Specifically they want players to know that Sims 4 will have generational relationships (i.e. brother, cousin, grandfather, etc.), it just won't have a Family Tree menu for checking those relationships.

In the grand scheme of things, dropping the Family Tree is unlikely to send fans into as much of a tizzy as losing toddlers, this decision could be part of a larger plan. If Maxis has already dropped toddlers — a part of the aging process for new Sims — and now they are nixing Family Trees, perhaps the generational relationships as a whole are getting pared down.

The Sims 3 Family Tree UI
The Family Tree UI from 'The Sims 3'

Of course, that's just speculation on our part, but it seems pretty clear that Maxis is getting out ahead of things and letting fans know what features aren't in the game. After all, they will likely be looking for these features when the game launches on September 2nd.

However, like with the toddlers and pools, Maxis is only saying that the Family Tree system will not be in the base game, meaning it could be added as part of a future expansion. Obviously, gamers might not take kindly to the idea of paying for features that were free with other games, but that's Maxis' call. That being said, if The Sims 4's expansions are as robust as they have been in past years, we doubt fans will mind.

How do you feel about Maxis nixing the Family Tree menu from The Sims 4? What features do you deem essential to The Sims experience?

The Sims 4 releases September 2, 2014 for PC.

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Source: Maxis

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