The Sims 4’s next expansion is called Snowy Escape, and it adds a new Japanese-inspired winter neighborhood called Mt. Komorebi, publisher Electronic Arts announced Tuesday. Snowy Escape will be available on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Mac via Origin and Steam, and Xbox One on Nov. 13. The Snowy Escape expansion pack will cost $39.99.
Players will be able to engage in new activities with their Sims — particularly, winter sports. Skiing, snowboarding, sledding, and rock-climbing are all part of the Mt. Komorebi experience. But less extreme options, like hiking, eating hot pot, and bathing in Japanese hot springs, are also available.
Image: Maxis/Electronic Arts
This means new items and clothing will be added, too. “The expansion pack offers traditional and modern furniture options for players to design their sanctuary, with unique architectural styles and pieces including shoji doors, windows and screens, tatami mats and paper lanterns,” Electronic Arts said in a news release. “Players can also add extra touches to create their very own oasis, like koi for decorative fountains and a rock garden under the shade of Japanese maple trees.” As for clothes, expect tons of cozy, warm winter gear as well as “modern everyday and traditional Japanese-inspired fashion.”
As far as more general gameplay options go, EA described two new features: Lifestyles and Sentiments, which are expected to add “more depth to Sims’ personalities and relationships.”
Image: Maxis/Electronic Arts
Lifestyles are designed to “manifest in response to a Sim’s actions and habits,” which means behavior will change via a Sim’s “lived experience,” EA said. Sentiments is a feature that represents “how two Sims can feel differently about the outcome of a shared experience.” Apparently these will have a major, lasting impact on relationships and social interactions.
The game’s last expansion pack, Eco Living, was released in 2019. Since then, The Sims 4 has gotten smaller, more incremental updates called Game and Stuff Packs. In July, the Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack added a knitting animation and lots of cozy clothes to The Sims 4 — fitting ahead of upcoming Snow Escape. More recently, in September, the company debuted a Star Wars-themed Game Pack, called Star Wars: Journey to Batuu, which hardcore The Sims 4 players had mixed enthusiasm for.
The Sims team tempered fan expectation for Snowy Escape earlier this month, noting that a few eagerly-anticipated requests would not be included in the expansion. That means no bunk beds (something The Sims 4 fans are desperate for), babies, or drivable cars. These features, however, aren’t a total no — they just aren’t coming as part of Snowy Escape.
