Soon, fans of “The Sims 4” are about to be treated to the very first content package for the game, titled “Outdoor Retreat”. The release was initially teased in an announcement in the game’s main menu, in which the developers revealed that the pack will go on sale in one week. It seems that this will be quite the extensive add-on for the game, and while its contents will not be on the same level as a full-blown expansion pack, according to previews, it’s still going to be a substantial addition to the gameplay experience.
The pack will add a variety of new items, including cosmetic and gameplay additions, and of course plenty of objects for players’ Sims to have fun with. The pack seems to be taking the game in a slightly sillier direction than before too, as a preview screenshot showed a fun new addition to the wardrobe of every Sim: a bear suit!
Sims can now work towards a new aspiration as well, called The Outdoor Enthusiast, which will provide bonuses to fishing, insects, and herbalism, which will be another new addition to the game. Players who’re looking to grow their Sims in an outdoorsy fashion will now have the full arsenal of gameplay elements and tools to complete the job.
Meanwhile, development of the Mac version of the game is still underway, though it’s not clear when the port will be finished. However, there have been some recent good news about the Mac port of the latest “Sims” – according to reports, the game’s purchase will be cross-platform, meaning that those who already own the game on Origin for Windows will be able to play it on Mac as soon as it’s released on the platform, they won’t have to repurchase the Mac version.
This sounds similar to Valve’s SteamPlay feature, and it’s great to see other publishers adopting the same approach. It’s not yet known if EA plan to extend the cross-platform functionality to their subsequent releases, or if it will be limited to “The Sims 4” for now, although it’s certainly a step in the right direction with the franchise.
There haven’t been any news about what players can expect to see in the content packages that will come afterwards, although there have certainly been plenty of rumors. EA seem to be trying to explore new directions for the franchise, so it seems unlikely that they’ll try to replicate any of the previous games’ content packages, although there have certainly been some very popular additions to the franchise among them, and it might not be out of the ordinary for EA to release a “tribute” content package at some point.