The Sims 4 unveiled a business and hobbies expansion, but players think it’s all too familiar

On the heels of a successful 25th anniversary for The Sims franchise, the developers behind The Sims 4 have just shared a trailer for the new Businesses and Hobbies expansion, but gamers think these ideas are more than a little redundant.

The pack, which features the addition of two new hobbies and multipurpose business and residential lots, is already encroaching on territory the franchise has covered before. Almost every game in the series gets some form of DLC focused on running a business, including the first expansion pack released for The Sims 4, Get to Work.

This original expansion, which was released almost 10 years ago, allowed players to build and run their own retail stores and control sims at work. It looks like the developers are dipping back into these ideas, as the entire focus on the newest Businesses and Hobbies expansion is also about building and running a retail store, with the bonus of officially living on the lot as well.

The trailer for the expansion pack was shown on the official X account for The Sims, and is filled with a litany of different responses towards the pack’s theming. “An EP that recycles the already existing retail system? With things we can already do with doors?” One user questioned after viewing the trailer.

While Get to Work allowed players to build stores, there was no way to make multi-purpose lots that contained both storefronts and residential areas. However, this didn’t stop keen simmers from building residential areas in their retail stores, and then just locking the doors so customers wouldn’t enter their unofficial home. This means that the core gameplay feature of this pack, having a combined residential and commercial lot, is something players have unofficially been doing for 10 years.

Even though the business side of this pack certainly feels redundant, there are also new hobbies that players can sink their teeth into. Pottery finally makes a return and sims can become tattoo artists and wreak havoc across the town. There is even a new tattoo customization feature, which allows players to freehand their creations and share them with other players.

These hobbies are certainly fantastic additions to the game, but players are still nostalgic over previous expansions. “It’s kind of underwhelming that we’re only getting three new things to do,” one player commented after watching the reveal trailer. The lack of content is even more noticeable when compared to the rerelease of The Sims 2, which included an expansion that added more than 10 hobbies.

To make matters worse, most of the functionality of the pack is locked behind further paywalls. In a blog post shared by the developers, they explained how players with other packs can create and run businesses. For example, if players have spent $10 on the Laundry Day stuff pack, they can live in and run a laundromat. In response to this news, one simmer commented, “I’m not a fan of this… If you buy a $40 pack, you need to buy so many other packs just to unlock the full potential of the $40 pack.”

Compounding all this, the developers behind TS4 have released a pack refresh in the past. The refresh, which was centered around Spa Day, gave out fresh content completely for free to all players who already owned the old pack. While this is the only refresh the developers have ever released, we can’t help but notice that an expansion centered around businesses would have been the perfect opportunity to announce a remake of the preexisting business systems within the game.

While not everything is showcased in the reveal trailer, it looks like most of the pack has been showcased. Are you happy with the content of the Businesses and Hobbies expansion pack?