Players have been shocked over the past month as EA and Maxis have announced plenty of fun content in titles across The Sims franchise in honor of its twenty-fifth anniversary. As currently the most popular game in the franchise, The Sims 4 has received the lion’s share of new content, with an additional Expansion Pack and three new Kits announced on February 4. The Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack certainly has Simmers abuzz, but a handful of players find the title slightly misleading.
As mentioned, players were teased about Businesses & Hobbies when the Motherlode Season roadmap was released on February 4. From there, a release trailer for the upcoming Expansion Pack dropped on February 6. A gameplay trailer for Businesses & Hobbies is still on the horizon, but this reveal trailer seems to focus more on the pack’s business gameplay.
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What’s Included in the Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack
Although the title and some features of The Sims 4‘s Businesses & Hobbies were leaked in January, the pack’s initial trailer still thrilled Simmers. Like all other Expansion Packs, Businesses & Hobbies comes with new gameplay, Create-a-Sim (CAS), Build and Buy items, and an entirely new world. Nordhaven seems inspired by Sweden and Scandinavia and has approximately twelve lots, six per neighborhood. Businesses & Hobbies will launch on March 6 at the typical Expansion Pack cost of $40.
Perhaps the most exciting aspects of Businesses & Hobbies revolve around a highly requested game feature. Players can now set lots to multipurpose functions with rooms available to the public, employees, or only residents. In simple terms, players can now build businesses with their own residential section – for example, a café on the bottom floor with a residential space on the top floor. Simmers have wanted multipurpose lots for years, but The Sims team took things a step further by making the feature so customizable.
Businesses will be further expanded in the pack as practically every skill can now be monetized. From teaching classes to charging entry fees, even the most obscure skills can make your Sims motherlodes of money. However, the second half of the Businesses & Hobbies title feels overlooked. While this Expansion Pack certainly distinguishes itself from The Sims 4’s previous business-focused pack Get to Work, the pack’s promised hobbies are underwhelming.
Businesses & Hobbies is Ignoring the Second Half of its Title
Businesses & Hobbies introduces two new major hobbies to The Sims 4: the tattoo skill and the pottery skill. Both new skills feature some radical gameplay and entirely new items for the game. Pottery feels more standard as it joins art-based skill additions, with pottery wheels and kilns now entering the game. Players can even use the Japanese art of kintsugi to mend their pottery.
In comparison, the tattoo skill features new items necessary for its gameplay and further expands The Sims 4’s CAS. While new tattoo designs like the ones that have always been available in CAS are being added in the Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack, players can now draw tattoos similarly to the paint tool for animals in the Horse Ranch and Cats and Dogs Expansion Packs.
These two hobbies clearly involve a ton of new gameplay, but Businesses & Hobbies seemingly features only two new skills. While candy making is shown in the trailer, EA and Maxis did not discuss this ability in the blog post announcing Businesses & Hobbies. Additionally, most of the pack seems dedicated to creating new businesses, with EA and Maxis even announcing Businesses & Hobbies cross-pack compatibility to boost business experiences for older DLC. Because The Sims team seems dedicated to the first half of the new pack’s title, some players understandably feel that hobbies have been left to the wayside. Others argue that quality matters more than quantity. The pottery and tattoo skills feature intricate gameplay and expand one of The Sims 4’s core features, proving that these hobbies are worthwhile even if they seem underutilized.
The Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack debuts on March 6. Perhaps players will feel less misled by the pack’s title when they try out these new hobbies in The Sims 4.
- Released
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September 2, 2014
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Publisher(s)
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Electronic Arts