Though The Sims franchise has prided itself on being able to play with life, it wasn’t until December 2020 that many players were actually able to depict themselves accurately in-game. The skin tone update that changed The Sims 4 came in two waves—one in October, and the bigger, more expansive update in December. Over 100 different skin tones were added to the game for both PC and console players, allowing a lot more customization options for Sim skin tones.
This update was for both PC and console players, but it seems PC players have gotten to enjoy the full extent of the update more than The Sims 4 console players. While there have been minimal errors on PC, console players have repetitively seen the glitches, blotches, and pixels that were supposed to be removed from the game. The developer promised players transparency about The Sims 4 going forward, but have been noticeably silent on this issue so far.
PC players have been enjoying the skin tone update with little to no issues. CAS (Create-a-Sim) works well and allows players to create custom skin tones based on over 100 different hues, which can then be customized further with color sliders. What players see in CAS is what they get in-game, so their Sims have no issue making the jump from CAS to Live Mode (recently revealed to be pronounced “live” as in “give” by SimGuru Ninja on Twitter.)
Console players, on the other hand, have not been as lucky with the skin tone update. While CAS mode creations look like they should, actual Live Mode gameplay is a different story. The textures of Sims’ skin become pixelated and blotchy, not to mention that the skin tone in CAS doesn’t match how it renders in-game.
The skin tone update was supposed to affect both PC and console players equally, but that’s not been shown to be true. Game updates, especially one as big as the skin tone update, aren’t expected to have no flaws at launch, but when issues arise and are brought to attention, it’s not unusual that players expect them to be addressed. It’s not fair for console players to not have the same access and customization opportunities for skin tones.
On Twitter, there’s recently been an outcry from players, and even some major Game Changers like Plumbella, to patch and fix the skin tones for console players. Even if a fix isn’t imminent, players would appreciate some clarity and transparency on the situation. It’s not realistic to expect an issue to be solved as soon as it arises, unless it’s something very simple, but otherwise it takes time to craft a patch to fix an issue.
Unfortunately, the skin tone update has been out for over a month now and console players have gotten no updates or word on when they can expect their skin tones to be fixed. The developer promised The Sims 4 players transparency moving forward, but little about this situation has been very transparent. Issuing a statement now may not heal all the discontent from console players, but it would be a good start to let them know that the issue is being addressed.
It’s common for developers to have multiple teams working on different aspects of the game, but it seems a little disjointed that The Sims 4 Paranormal stuff pack will release next week while console players still have unacknowledged console skin tone issues. Going forward, transparency from the developer addressing the issues that players have been vocal about will go a long way for both the player base and development team.
The Sims 4 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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