Maxis Made ‘Conscious Decision’ To Not Include Face Masks In The Sims 4

As much as The Sims 4 likes to simulate a lived experience, we won’t be getting face masks and PPE in the game anytime soon.

Sims 4 Snowy Escape
Credit: EA

In celebration of the beloved sim’s latest expansion, The Sims 4 Snowy Escape, GameByte spoke with the pack’s lead producer Graham Nardone (a.k.a SimGuruGraham), who revealed that there’s some elements of real life that we won’t see in the EA classic.

“We do talk about those sorts of things within the studio,” Nardone told us when speaking of the global pandemic. “I remember coming out of a recent Town Hall meeting for Maxis where one of the questions came up: are we going to add something like masks into The Sims 4? And it’s a conscious decision to move away from some of those more troubling aspects of the real world.

Sims 4 Snowy Escape
Credit: EA

“We enjoy bringing things like pop culture into The Sims, and relevant and current events, but at the same time The Sims is always going to be an optimistic look at life. It’s a pleasant place to be in many ways, so we’re not looking to recreate life one-to-one, but simulate it in a way that’s an enjoyable escape.”

For players who’ve been directly impacted by the global pandemic and COVID-19, it’s definitely a wise move to keep that barrier between fantasy and reality.

Sims 4 Snowy Escape
Credit: EA

The Sims 4 Snowy Escape is the latest addition to The Sims 4 line of expansions and it’s already wowed players the world over. The add-on invites both Sims and Simmers to relax, unwind and enjoy a snow-filled vacation in the new world of Mt. Komorebi.

A pack which blends Japanese culture with the action-adventure of winter sports, this is quite possibly a must-have addition to The Sims 4. Check out our full interview with SimGuruGraham, or have a look at our preview of The Sims 4 Snowy Retreat here!

Sims 4 Snowy Escape
Credit: EA

The Sims 4 Snowy Escape is out now on PC/Mac, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Find out more about Snowy Escape right here! 

Are you glad we won’t get face masks in The Sims 4? Let us know with our Emoji reacts below!

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Featured Image Credit: EA