one thing that is frustrating players is the omnipotent ads.
Per a Reddit post by Rainbow-Elephant3445, The Sims 4 has quietly added a pop-up ad that appears before the Main Menu screen, forcing players to click away before progressing to the actual game.
Rainbow-Elephant3445 correctly points out that there's already a space on the Main Menu that provides information on DLC, so the pop-up ad feels intrusive in how it's selling future packs. Stegosagus also noted that the ad is especially annoying since it "keeps popping up" whenever the game is started, meaning fans can't escape the promotional image.
The Sims 4 Already Has Ads
This Feels Like A Bridge Too Far
This isn't the first time The Sims 4 community has pushed back against Maxis' implementation of in-game ads. In early 2024, the game was updated to include a new UI feature on the Main Menu that constantly notifies players of new content drops and DLCs, acting as a less intrusive ment for future products. While it's still present in the game, s were so frustrated that mods were created to turn off the button and create a more streamlined home page.
The implementation of a forced pop-up ad that can't be disabled is clearly an extension of that strategy. EA has previously stated that it wants to further explore in-game ments and players quickly speculated that The Sims 4 was the most likely starting point for the experiment. Whether this latest ad is part of the publisher's marketing push is unknown, but it does seem like a probable next step in a larger plan.
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Do We Really Need Ads In Games?
We're Already Drowning In Ads
The idea of adverts being pushed upon players within a paid product does not sit right with me but it is worth noting that The Sims 4 is a free-to-play game. As a developer, Maxis needs to generate revenue so the use of in-game ads makes sense from a marketing perspective, but I can't help but believe that this is too far. From my perspective, the game already has a dedicated tab to highlight and recommend content packs, so forcing interaction with a pop-up ad crosses the line into intrusive.
Source: Rainbow-Elephant3445/Reddit, Stegosagus/Reddit
The Sims 4
- Released
- September 2, 2014
