Over the last few days, the Sims 4 community has been divided over EA releasing a new statement regarding its mods and custom content policy. The announcement raised many questions regarding Early Access and if creators can still take advantage of this feature, and now they finally have answers.EA previously released a post addressing mods and game updates in The Sims 4. The post outlines that creators can no longer advertise their content using official logos, icons, or art. In addition, it expands on its policy that creators can not charge fees for custom content. EA has always taken the position that charging money for mods and custom content is not allowed. Still, it is hammering down on this position by including instructions for reporting creators who break this policy. After the article was released, many simmers and creators who use membership platforms like Patreon were unsure how this policy affects the use of Early Access.Some creators temporarily removed Early Access to be safe, while others have searched for loopholes in the rules while waiting for further clarification from EA and the Sims team. Thankfully, a spokesperson on Twitter expanded on the policy and has confirmed that while mods and other fan-made content in The Sims 4 must be free for all to use, Early Access is still allowed within a reasonable time.
The tweet also included a link to the original post about the policy, which was updated to have more information on Early Access. This is great news for creators, as many depend on Patreon's payment systems to be able to produce the amount and level of content they do.
Creators using PermaPayWalls to monetize their content will still be unhappy, considering EA is explicitly shutting them down, and a small few are deleting all their Sims content entirely to protest the policy. However, considering modding in other gaming communities is free and has always been viewed as a means to enhance beloved games, many simmers don't have sympathy for those who insist on doing it for profit. In fact, some players have made blocklists calling out these creators. Furthermore, those who want to continue supporting their favorite creators can do so by taking advantage of their early access periods or subscribing to their Patreons, and many creators will be able to carry on as they are.
Source: The Sims/Twitter