Fans have asked, and EA has finally listened. The Sims 4 will be getting updated skin tones for the base game in a few major ways. The outcry for improved skin tones has been around in The Sims community for quite awhile now, but it seemed as though EA and Maxis had other priorities before shifting focus to fixing skin tones in-game.
Concerns about the appearance and texture of the skin tones in The Sims 4 were criticized since the launch of the game six years ago, but didn’t gain serious traction until August 2020. SimGuru Lyndsay posted a video acknowledging the barrage of tweets and comments the team had received, and assured players that skin tone fixes would be coming in the near future.
After over a month of no news about improved skin tones and the release of The Sims 4: Star Wars’ Journey to Batuu, players became antsy. They wanted to know when skin tones were coming and why it’s taken so long. September 23, 2020 brought the answers they were looking for, and it has exceeded many expectations with multiple updates coming in waves.
The First Sims 4 Skin Tone Update
The Sims dev previously discussed the release of a new expansion pack in the coming months, and typically other in-game fixes and updates occur right before release to make sure the new pack meshes into the game as well as possible. It’s speculated that the base game update set to improve skin tones will coincide with the patch update for the new expansion.
Either way, PC and console players will receive a base game update on October 6 and November 10, respectively. This update will fix the blotchy, ashy appearance of many darker skin tones and improve upon two base game hairstyles. It seems as though The Sims and EA are starting to grasp what representation really means to Simmers.
The Next Sims 4 Update
This update will be much bigger than the tiny patch players will receive in the Fall. Come December, the base game will be updated with over 100 different skin tones in a variety of shades. There will be warm, neutral, and cool tones accompanied by a slider for both new and existing skin tones so players can customize to the exact shade they desire. It's worth remembering that The Sims 4 has also been critiqued for the makeup included in Create-A-Sim mode. These critiques have ranged from the overall aesthetic and style of the makeup options to the way they appear on darker toned sims. Or, rather, their lack of appearance on dark skin.
With all this in mind, The Sims will be implementing sliders for makeup in December as well. These makeup sliders will ensure the opacity of the chosen makeup is just right and appears on all skin tones, not just light ones. If that wasn’t enough, the developer will also improve upon two other base game hairstyles, resulting in four updated base game hairstyles overall.
The Future of the Sims 4
In its announcement post, The Sims developer noted that it collaborated with external partners to ensure the updated skin tones and hair are done correctly. Some of these partners have, possibly, included well-known, diverse Simmers in the community, which is good for Custom Content creators who have already made more richly toned skins.
This skin tone and makeup update announcement is more than many Sims players were expecting. People had been rallying for color sliders for Sim customization for quite some time, and now fans will finally see that reality. It took a bit for EA to put these changes in motion, but the Sims has blown many player’s expectations out of the water. With this update catering to what many fans have asked for, it’s interesting to consider where the future of The Sims could end up. Will EA and Maxis be listening to fans in other regards as well?
It’s not entirely implausible. While the developer did confirm that the next expansion pack will not be something Simmers have asked for, tIt has made a different promise to players. The dev promised transparency in the future and have even been upfront to say that highly requested features will not be in the coming expansion.
While disappointing that the SimGurus have confirmed that things like improved babies, bunk beds, cars, and farming won’t be added into the game anytime soon, it’s not an entirely bad situation. Clearly, The Sims has listened to players requests for more inclusive, aesthetically pleasing skin tones. It’s possible the developer did this to placate its players, but The Sims has always been rooted in diversity and representation.
The developer obviously and genuinely wants Simmers to enjoy playing the game, and this means listening to criticism to improve the inclusive franchise that’s been around for over 20 years. While not every fan’s criticisms may be constructive, there’s a lot of love on both sides from players and the developers. It seems that, as of now, things may be taking a more collaborative approach between the two groups, which is a welcome change.
It’s a good thing The Sims dev made upgrading skin tones and makeup a priority before releasing any new material, because it shows that it values the ability for players to create a diverse array of sims. And, although slightly disheartening, its blog update demonstrates how the developer wants to keep players involved in the development process as much as possible.
So, although there are no bunk beds or cars or non-object babies yet, hope isn’t lost. After the release of the newest expansion pack, Simmers have valid reason to believe some of the most requested and sought after features could be included in future updates or packs. EA and Maxis have listened to improve skin tones and makeup--why wouldn’t they complete other fan favorite wishes?
Of course, the logistics of adding some of these items might not be possible given the current constraints of the game. Improved babies would require changes in coding the game itself, and the addition of cars would go against the format of in-game travel as it exists now. But more in-depth farming or bunk beds certainly aren’t out of the question. With any luck, improved skin tones and makeup are only the beginning of long-awaited fan requests.
The Sims 4 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.