Last month, players were offered a Summer roadmap of Maxis Studios' plans regarding The Sims 4, confirming that the game would be getting several smaller DLCs as well as a major expansion that focused on "bond[ing] with nature." After a lot of fan speculation about the add-on, the team has confirmed what this upcoming pack will be, announcing the Cottage Living expansion and revealing it's slated to launch on July 22.
The DLC will bring a host of new features and items to The Sims 4, the biggest of which is an entirely new location, with sims able to explore the small countryside town of Henford-on-Bagley. The area comes loaded with rural activities to take part in and unique lots to visit, including a local pub and a marketplace filled with stalls selling groceries.
Players residing in the remote village will be able to focus on living off the land, with the expansion adding farming mechanics and cottage lots for players to inhabit. They'll be able to own new animals, including chickens, llamas, and cows, with their actions changing the resources their livestock produce, such as the flavor of their cow's milk or the color of their llamas' fur. Bunnies and foxes will show up as well, with Maxis claiming players will be able to interact with them.
Growing crops is another huge addition, with households able to plant watermelons, aubergines, pumpkins, lettuce, mushrooms, and more, with sims using their harvested supplies to make new meals. They'll even be able to enter them into contests, with the trailer showing a sim winning a vegetable competition with a giant pumpkin. Maxis teases that the expansion's Simple Living Lot Challenge will mean preparing meals is cheaper but recipes can only be cooked when certain ingredients are in a sim's inventory, tasking them with foraging for mushrooms or berries, keeping milk and eggs from their animals on hand, and ordering groceries to their doorstep.
The pack looks to be another huge addition to the world of The Sims 4, switching out the game's array of huge cities, quiet suburban neighborhoods, and tropical island retreats for a unique countryside setting. It'll be the last entry in The Sims 4's previously teased "Summer of Sims" lineup, which is still set to deliver two events and three base game updates. The first two entries in the Summer-themed DLC roadmap were detailed last month, with both the Courtyard Oasis Kit and the Dream Home Decorator packs now available to purchase. The Courtyard Oasis Kit added new, Moroccan-inspired exterior furniture items and the Dream Home Decorator pack implemented an interior decorating career path.
The Sims 4 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Maxis