Sims 4 Gets Big New Update on Consoles

The Sims 4 players on PlayStaion and Xbox are catching up to their PC counterparts through a new update that brings the game’s controversial Marketplace to consoles. Not everyone on PC has warmed to the presence of The Marketplace in The Sims 4, which offers a wide variety of for-pay custom creations, but console players may take a different view.

The Marketplace was first announced in early March, as part of The Sims 4‘s Maker Program, and it was incorporated into the game’s launch hub on March 17. Providing a special in-game shop that lets players pick up selected pieces of custom content for real-world cash, it’s also a way for creators to make a profit on their custom content creations.

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The Sims 4’s Controversial Marketplace Has Come to Consoles

Now Maker Packs and Maker Kits filled with such custom content are available on new platforms, as The Marketplace has expanded to both the PlayStation and Xbox versions of the game. Players on these consoles are now able to look through The Marketplace’s selections, make purchases, and incorporate their chosen custom content into The Sims 4 without restarting the game. Before they can actually pick up any content on offer through the Maker Program, players should be aware that they’re required to convert their real-world money into a special currency called Moola via The Marketplace, which can then be used to make purchases in the special shop.

The introduction of The Marketplace has not gone over well at all with The Sims 4 players on PC. Backlash has arisen from a large portion of the game’s community over a number of different factors, including The Marketplace’s breaking of long-established mods, a perceived stifling of Maker Program members’ artistic freedoms, and further monetization of The Sims 4 despite the free-to-play model it adopted years ago. The negative reactions have grown so strong that some players have started using a mod that removes The Marketplace from The Sims 4, eliminating the Moola Wallet and access to the special shop completely.

Still, players on consoles may have a softer reaction to The Marketplace. Typically, console players wanting to broaden their gameplay experience have to do so through buying official expansions, kits, and so forth, as there has never been a reliable way to access fan-made mods or custom content outside the PC version of the game. While console players will still have to pay to add any content from The Marketplace to their games, there is no requirement that they use it, and it offers an additional path for adding more clothing and furniture options to players’ repertoires. Additionally, expanded content is added to The Marketplace every week, giving players additional options on a regular basis.

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The addition of The Marketplace to console versions of The Sims 4 also provides a little bit of a shake-up to how players can make purchases. Maker Kits had previously been made available to console players through The PlayStation Store and The Microsoft Store, and they are being removed from those online outlets due to console players’ new ability to access The Marketplace directly. Players can still use those online shops to purchase official expansions and packs for The Sims 4, but all Creator Program content will now be handled in-game directly through The Marketplace.