Latest / The Plumbob Report / Patch Hype, Marketplace Drama, and Life Sims Going Wild

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Patch Hype, Marketplace Drama, and Life Sims Going Wild · The Plumbob Report

• 0:00
  [Becca Hartwell] Tchau.
• 0:12
  [Danny Reyes] Okay, welcome back to the Plumbob Report.
• 0:14
  [Danny Reyes] I'm here with Danny Reyes,
• 0:16
  [Danny Reyes] and honestly,
• 0:17
  [Danny Reyes] this week went off.
• 0:18
  [Speaker 3] It really did.
• 0:19
  [Speaker 3] Like,
• 0:20
  [Speaker 3] where do we even start?
• 0:22
  [Danny Reyes] So first up,
• 0:23
  [Danny Reyes] Sims Community reported there's an April 28th hotfix, and on top of that,
• 0:27
  [Speaker 3] Wow.
• 0:28
  [Danny Reyes] GameRant says a major May update is coming,
• 0:31
  [Danny Reyes] and the patch notes are apparently too long to even post in one place.
• 0:35
  [Speaker 3] Wait,
• 0:36
  [Speaker 3] too long to post?
• 0:37
  [Speaker 3] That's wild,
• 0:38
  [Speaker 3] right?
• 0:38
  [Danny Reyes] Right? Like,
• 0:39
  [Danny Reyes] is that a flex or a cry for help?
• 0:42
  [Danny Reyes] We're going to dig into it.
• 0:44
  [Speaker 3] Both, probably.
• 0:45
  [Speaker 3] And speaking of EA doing things that raise eyebrows,
• 0:49
  [Speaker 3] we've got insider tea that EA isn't exactly thrilled with how the Marketplace is performing.
• 0:55
  [Danny Reyes] Plus new Maker Packs just dropped and EA sent out a motivation survey asking how we play the game,
• 1:01
  [Danny Reyes] which, I mean...
• 1:02
  [Speaker 3] Oh,
• 1:03
  [Speaker 3] I have feelings about that survey.
• 1:06
  [Danny Reyes] You and me both,
• 1:07
  [Danny Reyes] Danny Reyes. We'll get into it.
• 1:09
  [Speaker 4] And then we're celebrating the community side of things.
• 1:12
  [Speaker 4] PC Gamer dropped a full Businesses and Hobbies cheat sheet,
• 1:16
  [Speaker 4] SimMattically built a Challenge Tracker mod that lives right inside your game,
• 1:21
  [Speaker 4] and there's a PlantSim playthrough that honestly convinced me to touch grass.
• 1:26
  [Danny Reyes] Digitally, at least.
• 1:28
  [Speaker 4] Digitally, yes.
• 1:29
  [Speaker 4] And then we close out looking beyond The Sims 4.
• 1:32
  [Speaker 4] For Paralives' Early Access hits May 25th and InZOI is moving fast and Ubisoft quietly canceled an unannounced life sim called Alterra after three years.
• 1:45
  [Danny Reyes] Three years gone.
• 1:47
  [Speaker 4] Yep,
• 1:48
  [Speaker 4] we have thoughts.
• 1:49
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 1:50
  [Danny Reyes] let's get into the updates first.
• 1:57
  [Danny Reyes] We want to hear from you.
• 1:59
  [Danny Reyes] Submit questions via the web form in the description or give us a call at 747-677-1037 and leave your question.
• 2:08
  [Danny Reyes] Don't be shy.
• 2:09
  [Danny Reyes] Our AI Assistant makes it super easy.
• 2:17
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 2:18
  [Danny Reyes] so,
• 2:18
  [Danny Reyes] real talk.
• 2:20
  [Danny Reyes] The teasers are out, the hot fix dropped,
• 2:22
  [Danny Reyes] and my timeline is absolutely losing its mind right now.
• 2:26
  [Speaker 4] I saw your meme account getting tagged like 40 times this morning. What happened?
• 2:31
  [Danny Reyes] 40 times is lowballing it, Danny Reyes.
• 2:34
  [Danny Reyes] My notifications are a disaster zone.
• 2:37
  [Speaker 4] Welcome to Sims Update Week.
• 2:40
  [Speaker 4] So let's actually break this down because there's a lot happening at once.
• 2:43
  [Speaker 4] at once.
• 2:44
  [Danny Reyes] Right, right.
• 2:44
  [Danny Reyes] So, first,
• 2:46
  [Danny Reyes] the hot fix.
• 2:47
  [Danny Reyes] Sims Community reported that April 28th patch dropped for both desktop and console platforms,
• 2:52
  [Danny Reyes] and the console update is apparently the bigger one.
• 2:55
  [Speaker 3] Right. According to MP1st,
• 2:58
  [Speaker 3] this is update 2.32, and it's specifically addressing community feedback,
• 3:03
  [Speaker 3] like gallery filtering was broken,
• 3:05
  [Speaker 3] showing players incorrect results,
• 3:07
  [Speaker 3] that got fixed.
• 3:08
  [Danny Reyes] Gallery filtering.
• 3:09
  [Danny Reyes] That one had people genuinely upset.
• 3:11
  [Danny Reyes] Set.
• 3:12
  [Speaker 4] It's one of those things where it sounds small,
• 3:14
  [Speaker 4] but if you use the gallery constantly,
• 3:16
  [Speaker 4] it's kind of infuriating.
• 3:18
  [Danny Reyes] Totally.
• 3:19
  [Danny Reyes] And the console side had extra issues after the Marketplace launched on consoles earlier this month, so there was more to patch there.
• 3:25
  [Speaker 4] Right, so that's the hotfix.
• 3:27
  [Speaker 4] Quick turnaround,
• 3:28
  [Speaker 4] which is actually good.
• 3:29
  [Danny Reyes] Okay, but here's where it gets interesting,
• 3:31
  [Danny Reyes] because while that hotfix was dropping,
• 3:33
  [Danny Reyes] the dev team was also teasing something much bigger for May.
• 3:37
  [Speaker 4] And the teaser language is wild.
• 3:39
  [Speaker 4] GameRant.
• 3:40
  [Speaker 4] Brandt covered this today,
• 3:41
  [Speaker 4] and according to Ashley Claudinos piece,
• 3:43
  [Speaker 4] the upcoming base game update covers so many issues that the patch notes literally don't fit in a single laundry list post.
• 3:52
  [Danny Reyes] Wait,
• 3:52
  [Danny Reyes] really?
• 3:53
  [Danny Reyes] They can't fit it in one post?
• 3:55
  [Speaker 4] That's what they're saying.
• 3:56
  [Danny Reyes] I mean,
• 3:57
  [Danny Reyes] that's either a great sign or a terrifying sign,
• 4:00
  [Danny Reyes] depending on how you look at it.
• 4:02
  [Danny Reyes] Both,
• 4:03
  [Danny Reyes] maybe.
• 4:04
  [Danny Reyes] Like, on one hand, a massive update is exactly what people have been asking for.
• 4:08
  [Danny Reyes] asking for.
• 4:09
  [Danny Reyes] On the other hand, how many things were broken that there's too many fixes to list?
• 4:14
  [Speaker 4] Right,
• 4:14
  [Speaker 4] right.
• 4:15
  [Speaker 4] That's the energy I'm picking up from the community,
• 4:17
  [Speaker 4] too.
• 4:17
  [Speaker 4] Everyone's excited and also a little bit like,
• 4:20
  [Speaker 4] how did we get here?
• 4:21
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 4:22
  [Danny Reyes] so here's the thing, though.
• 4:23
  [Danny Reyes] Earlier this week, Sims Community reported that EA Community Manager Cade confirmed the May update isn't just bug fixes.
• 4:31
  [Danny Reyes] He literally said,
• 4:33
  [Danny Reyes] it's an update alright.
• 4:34
  [Danny Reyes] Right.
• 4:35
  [Speaker 3] It's an update all right.
• 4:38
  [Speaker 3] Incredible communication.
• 4:40
  [Danny Reyes] I know, I know,
• 4:41
  [Danny Reyes] but there's more.
• 4:42
  [Danny Reyes] He also confirmed the focus is on Infants, Toddlers, and general improvements for the first half of May.
• 4:49
  [Speaker 3] Infant and Toddlers getting some love?
• 4:51
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah.
• 4:51
  [Speaker 3] That's actually a big deal.
• 4:52
  [Speaker 3] Those life stages have had issues for a while.
• 4:55
  [Danny Reyes] Huge deal.
• 4:56
  [Danny Reyes] And look, I've been in rooms with devs who genuinely care about this stuff.
• 5:00
  [Danny Reyes] stuff.
• 5:01
  [Danny Reyes] I met some of the team at EA Play a few years back,
• 5:04
  [Danny Reyes] and they know where the pain points are.
• 5:06
  [Danny Reyes] So when I see Infants and Toddlers called out specifically,
• 5:10
  [Danny Reyes] that tells me someone was listening.
• 5:12
  [Speaker 4] See,
• 5:13
  [Speaker 4] that's the Cautiously Optimism talking.
• 5:15
  [Danny Reyes] Guilty!
• 5:17
  [Speaker 4] Hmm,
• 5:18
  [Speaker 4] I want to believe it, I do.
• 5:20
  [Speaker 4] But we've had Big Update Energy before,
• 5:22
  [Speaker 4] and then the patch drops and it's like,
• 5:24
  [Speaker 4] okay,
• 5:25
  [Speaker 4] three things got fixed and two new bugs appeared.
• 5:28
  [Danny Reyes] No, you're not wrong.
• 5:30
  [Danny Reyes] The track record makes people skeptical,
• 5:32
  [Danny Reyes] that's fair.
• 5:33
  [Speaker 3] My Sims are still mopping floors during fires,
• 5:37
  [Speaker 3] Becca Hartwell.
• 5:38
  [Speaker 3] Autonomy is still a crisis.
• 5:41
  [Danny Reyes] We will get to autonomy one of these days, I promise.
• 5:45
  [Speaker 3] One day.
• 5:46
  [Speaker 3] But okay,
• 5:47
  [Speaker 3] real question.
• 5:48
  [Speaker 3] If the May update is as big as their teasing and community feedback actually shaped what went into 2.32...
• 5:55
  [Speaker 3] Does that mean the Reddit posts finally hit critical mass?
• 5:59
  [Danny Reyes] Honestly, probably a mix of both data plus noise.
• 6:03
  [Danny Reyes] They're running surveys,
• 6:05
  [Danny Reyes] they're watching forums,
• 6:06
  [Danny Reyes] it adds up eventually.
• 6:08
  [Speaker 3] Speaking of EA watching what the community does and making choices based on what they see,
• 6:14
  [Danny Reyes] Oh,
• 6:14
  [Danny Reyes] we're going there.
• 6:16
  [Speaker 3] we are absolutely going there because some of those choices,
• 6:20
  [Speaker 3] people have opinions.
• 6:22
  [Speaker 3] strong ones.
• 6:29
  [Speaker 4] So speaking of EA's choices,
• 6:32
  [Speaker 4] Becca Hartwell,
• 6:32
  [Speaker 4] I have to talk about this marketplace situation because my timeline has been unhinged.
• 6:39
  [Danny Reyes] Oh, I saw it coming.
• 6:41
  [Danny Reyes] What happened?
• 6:42
  [Speaker 4] Okay,
• 6:43
  [Speaker 4] so Sims Community reported that EA is allegedly not happy with how the marketplace content is performing,
• 6:50
  [Speaker 4] and I just...
• 6:51
  [Speaker 3] I mean, come on. EA built this thing.
• 6:54
  [Danny Reyes] They made the bed.
• 6:56
  [Speaker 3] They made the bed,
• 6:57
  [Speaker 3] and now they're mad the sheets aren't silky enough.
• 7:00
  [Becca Hartwell] The irony is so loud.
• 7:02
  [Danny Reyes] So here's what the insider actually said, right?
• 7:05
  [Danny Reyes] The same person who predicted the Marketplace a full month before it was announced.
• 7:10
  [Danny Reyes] They're saying EA isn't happy with the content being sold and that Moola sales are underperforming expectations,
• 7:17
  [Danny Reyes] which
• 7:17
  [Becca Hartwell] And the quote that's going around,
• 7:19
  [Becca Hartwell] if the Maker Packs were more interesting,
• 7:21
  [Becca Hartwell] they'd be selling better.
• 7:23
  [Danny Reyes] is a very EA thing to think.
• 7:26
  [Becca Hartwell] Right?
• 7:27
  [Becca Hartwell] Like figure out who's making these decisions and then be mad at the results of those decisions.
• 7:33
  [Danny Reyes] To be fair, though,
• 7:34
  [Danny Reyes] there's a more charitable read here.
• 7:37
  [Danny Reyes] If EA is unhappy with content quality,
• 7:39
  [Danny Reyes] that could actually push them towards raising the bar for what gets approved on the Marketplace.
• 7:44
  [Becca Hartwell] Hmm.
• 7:45
  [Becca Hartwell] Okay,
• 7:45
  [Becca Hartwell] I'll allow it.
• 7:47
  [Danny Reyes] Or it's just finger pointing with no follow through.
• 7:49
  [Danny Reyes] Both are possible.
• 7:51
  [Becca Hartwell] Two things can be true.
• 7:53
  [Becca Hartwell] And speaking of Maker Packs.
• 7:54
  [Becca Hartwell] Two new ones just dropped.
• 7:56
  [Becca Hartwell] Sims Community covered it.
• 7:58
  [Becca Hartwell] PieriSim has a new set,
• 7:59
  [Becca Hartwell] the Krom and Dine Maker Pack.
• 8:01
  [Becca Hartwell] Eight items for 300 Moola.
• 8:04
  [Danny Reyes] Which is around $3 for context.
• 8:07
  [Becca Hartwell] And SixamCC is back with part two of their Light Switches series,
• 8:11
  [Becca Hartwell] a North American set.
• 8:13
  [Danny Reyes] I love that light switches are a thing people are making whole series about.
• 8:18
  [Becca Hartwell] Listen,
• 8:18
  [Becca Hartwell] builders are a different species,
• 8:20
  [Becca Hartwell] and I mean that with...
• 8:21
  [Becca Hartwell] With full respect.
• 8:22
  [Danny Reyes] No, genuinely,
• 8:24
  [Danny Reyes] the attention to detail in that community is wild.
• 8:27
  [Danny Reyes] And the reaction to these packs has been mixed, right?
• 8:31
  [Becca Hartwell] Mixed is generous.
• 8:32
  [Becca Hartwell] People like the creators,
• 8:34
  [Becca Hartwell] they're not thrilled about buying individual decorative items piecemeal through a currency system.
• 8:40
  [Danny Reyes] Which kind of circles back to why EA might be disappointed in the numbers.
• 8:44
  [Danny Reyes] If the community's already skeptical of the model itself,
• 8:47
  [Danny Reyes] Even good content has a harder time converting.
• 8:50
  [Becca Hartwell] Exactly. The trust deficit is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
• 8:54
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 8:55
  [Danny Reyes] but let's pivot to something that I genuinely did not see coming this week.
• 8:59
  [Becca Hartwell] The survey.
• 9:00
  [Danny Reyes] The survey!
• 9:02
  [Danny Reyes] So EA quietly dropped an official Sims 4 survey through their playtest circles,
• 9:07
  [Danny Reyes] and Sims Community picked it up.
• 9:10
  [Danny Reyes] They want to know why people play the game, like motivations,
• 9:13
  [Danny Reyes] what keeps you coming back.
• 9:14
  [Danny Reyes] Back.
• 9:15
  [Becca Hartwell] And I have thoughts, many thoughts.
• 9:18
  [Becca Hartwell] My Sims are currently in a mansion doing nothing while I watch them stand near a fridge.
• 9:23
  [Danny Reyes] That tracks.
• 9:25
  [Becca Hartwell] But okay,
• 9:26
  [Becca Hartwell] why is EA asking this now? What's the read?
• 9:29
  [Danny Reyes] So there are two ways to look at it.
• 9:32
  [Danny Reyes] One,
• 9:32
  [Danny Reyes] they're doing genuine player research to shape the next big update or whatever comes after Sims 4.
• 9:38
  [Becca Hartwell] Or two,
• 9:39
  [Becca Hartwell] data collection to figure out how to sell us more sh-
• 9:42
  [Becca Hartwell] Stuff!
• 9:43
  [Danny Reyes] I mean it's probably both.
• 9:45
  [Danny Reyes] I've spent enough time watching how EA operates to know they don't send surveys without a reason.
• 9:51
  [Becca Hartwell] Right; there's always a reason.
• 9:53
  [Danny Reyes] But I'd rather they ask than assume.
• 9:56
  [Danny Reyes] Honestly,
• 9:57
  [Danny Reyes] if the answer to "Why do you play Sims 4"
• 9:59
  [Danny Reyes] shapes what the May update actually prioritizes, that's not nothing.
• 10:03
  [Becca Hartwell] Fair point; and if you're in the playtest circle,
• 10:06
  [Becca Hartwell] go fill it out.
• 10:07
  [Becca Hartwell] Make your autonomy opinions known.
• 10:10
  [Becca Hartwell] Tell them your Sims mop during house fires.
• 10:13
  [Danny Reyes] Personal experience.
• 10:15
  [Becca Hartwell] Every single time.
• 10:17
  [Danny Reyes] And honestly,
• 10:18
  [Danny Reyes] the fact that the community keeps showing up despite all of this is its own kind of answer to that survey.
• 10:24
  [Danny Reyes] And it kind of connects to what we're talking about,
• 10:26
  [Danny Reyes] because when the official game frustrates people,
• 10:29
  [Danny Reyes] they don't quit.
• 10:30
  [Danny Reyes] They build their own solutions.
• 10:32
  [Becca Hartwell] Mods, cheats, challenges,
• 10:34
  [Becca Hartwell] the whole thing.
• 10:36
  [Danny Reyes] The whole thing.
• 10:37
  [Danny Reyes] We've got some genuinely great stuff to get into.
• 10:47
  [Danny Reyes] OK,
• 10:47
  [Danny Reyes] flip side of all that EA drama,
• 10:49
  [Danny Reyes] though, because the community is out here doing the Lord's work.
• 10:53
  [Becca Hartwell] I mean, when is it not?
• 10:55
  [Danny Reyes] So PC Gamer just dropped a full business and hobbies cheat sheet.
• 10:59
  [Danny Reyes] And Becca,
• 11:00
  [Danny Reyes] I opened it and immediately felt like I'd been doing everything the hard way.
• 11:04
  [Becca Hartwell] Write the alignment cheat alone.
• 11:07
  [Becca Hartwell] You can flip your in-home hustle from lawful to shady without grinding through half the gameplay.
• 11:13
  [Becca Hartwell] That's the one.
• 11:14
  [Danny Reyes] Skills, perks,
• 11:15
  [Danny Reyes] reward traits,
• 11:16
  [Danny Reyes] it is genuinely a full reference.
• 11:19
  [Danny Reyes] Lauren Morton put it together and it's the kind of thing you bookmark and never close.
• 11:23
  [Becca Hartwell] Okay,
• 11:24
  [Becca Hartwell] but the thing I keep coming back to,
• 11:25
  [Becca Hartwell] Becca,
• 11:26
  [Becca Hartwell] is the Challenge Tracker mod by SimMattically.
• 11:29
  [Danny Reyes] Oh, yes.
• 11:30
  [Becca Hartwell] No more keeping a Google Doc open on the side. No more pausing every ten minutes to double check your legacy rules.
• 11:37
  [Becca Hartwell] It lives inside the game now.
• 11:39
  [Danny Reyes] This is the thing, right?
• 11:41
  [Danny Reyes] As a gallery creator,
• 11:42
  [Danny Reyes] I spend so much time managing external notes just to track what I'm even doing in a save.
• 11:48
  [Danny Reyes] The fact that a modder built this before EA did is completely
• 11:52
  [Becca Hartwell] Classic.
• 11:52
  [Danny Reyes] classic.
• 11:54
  [Danny Reyes] The modder community patches the gaps before EA has finished writing the patch notes.
• 11:59
  [Becca Hartwell] I've said it before and I'll keep saying it. Modders aren't waiting around.
• 12:03
  [Becca Hartwell] They see the problem,
• 12:04
  [Becca Hartwell] they fix the problem.
• 12:05
  [Becca Hartwell] And half the time the fix is better than whatever EA eventually ships.
• 12:09
  [Danny Reyes] Mm-hmm. And speaking of absolutely unhinged mod energy,
• 12:14
  [Danny Reyes] we
• 12:14
  [Becca Hartwell] Wait, are we talking PlantSims?
• 12:17
  [Danny Reyes] are talking PlantSims. The Expanded PlantSims Mod playthrough over on Sims Community is fully sending me.
• 12:24
  [Becca Hartwell] Okay,
• 12:24
  [Becca Hartwell] so for anyone who hasn't seen it, base game PlantSims are kind of fine,
• 12:29
  [Becca Hartwell] like they exist.
• 12:30
  [Danny Reyes] They exist.
• 12:32
  [Becca Hartwell] But this mod,
• 12:33
  [Becca Hartwell] full CAS options,
• 12:35
  [Becca Hartwell] a Friend of Nature aspiration,
• 12:37
  [Becca Hartwell] build buy objects,
• 12:38
  [Becca Hartwell] the whole thing.
• 12:39
  [Becca Hartwell] SpinningPlumbobs did the playthrough,
• 12:41
  [Becca Hartwell] and it's like watching someone discover a
• 12:43
  [Danny Reyes] Wow.
• 12:43
  [Becca Hartwell] completely different game,
• 12:44
  [Danny Reyes] The Earth Day timing was perfect,
• 12:47
  [Danny Reyes] too.
• 12:47
  [Danny Reyes] It's the kind of mod that makes you want to start a whole new save just to run a PlantSim family.
• 12:52
  [Becca Hartwell] which I may or may not have done.
• 12:55
  [Danny Reyes] Of course you did.
• 12:56
  [Becca Hartwell] No judgment zone here.
• 12:58
  [Danny Reyes] Zero judgment.
• 12:59
  [Danny Reyes] But okay,
• 13:00
  [Danny Reyes] here's the thing.
• 13:01
  [Danny Reyes] All of this,
• 13:02
  [Danny Reyes] the modders patching the gaps,
• 13:04
  [Danny Reyes] us running cheats just to skip the grind,
• 13:06
  [Danny Reyes] the community building tools EA didn't ship.
• 13:09
  [Becca Hartwell] It does make you wonder what it would look like if a game just launched with this stuff already in it.
• 13:15
  [Danny Reyes] Right.
• 13:15
  [Danny Reyes] And that is a very convenient place to mention that the life sim world is a lot bigger than one franchise right now.
• 13:22
  [Becca Hartwell] Oh, we're going there?
• 13:23
  [Danny Reyes] We are absolutely going there because Paralives has an Early Access date,
• 13:28
  [Danny Reyes] InZOI just topped a whole update,
• 13:30
  [Danny Reyes] and there's a Cancelled Ubisoft life sim that nobody even knew existed.
• 13:34
  [Becca Hartwell] Wait,
• 13:35
  [Becca Hartwell] Cancelled before it was announced?
• 13:37
  [Danny Reyes] Cancelled before anyone knew.
• 13:40
  [Becca Hartwell] We have so much to get into.
• 13:48
  [Danny Reyes] Okay, competitors time and Paralives? I'm finally a believer.
• 13:52
  [Becca Hartwell] Right? Like Sims Community posted a full feature recap and the May 25th Early Access date is actually...
• 14:00
  [Becca Hartwell] Really real,
• 14:00
  [Becca Hartwell] PC and Mac.
• 14:02
  [Danny Reyes] Open world,
• 14:03
  [Danny Reyes] color wheel.
• 14:04
  [Danny Reyes] I mean, those two things alone have Sims players ready to pack their bags.
• 14:08
  [Becca Hartwell] Genuinely,
• 14:09
  [Becca Hartwell] like would your Sim move to Paralives?
• 14:12
  [Danny Reyes] Oh, mine absolutely would.
• 14:13
  [Danny Reyes] She's tired.
• 14:14
  [Danny Reyes] She needs a fresh start in an open world where she won't autonomously eat spoiled food.
• 14:20
  [Becca Hartwell] Valid. The Early Access framing is smart though. They're not pretending it's a finished game.
• 14:25
  [Danny Reyes] Which, honestly,
• 14:26
  [Danny Reyes] respect.
• 14:27
  [Danny Reyes] Set expectations.
• 14:28
  [Danny Reyes] Then deliver.
• 14:30
  [Danny Reyes] Novel concept.
• 14:31
  [Becca Hartwell] Okay,
• 14:31
  [Becca Hartwell] and InZOI,
• 14:32
  [Becca Hartwell] the April 29th update dropped new jobs and new interactions,
• 14:36
  [Becca Hartwell] and the boss is already talking May plans.
• 14:39
  [Danny Reyes] Already?
• 14:40
  [Becca Hartwell] Yeah,
• 14:41
  [Becca Hartwell] Sims Community covered it. The momentum there is real.
• 14:44
  [Becca Hartwell] They're shipping fast and actually responding to feedback surveys.
• 14:48
  [Danny Reyes] Which is a thing, a whole thing, when developers talk back to their community and then actually do something about it.
• 14:55
  [Becca Hartwell] Right.
• 14:56
  [Becca Hartwell] InZOI's not just promising,
• 14:57
  [Becca Hartwell] they're moving.
• 14:58
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 14:59
  [Danny Reyes] so now the dark comedy beat of the week.
• 15:02
  [Becca Hartwell] Oh no,
• 15:02
  [Becca Hartwell] what happened?
• 15:03
  [Danny Reyes] So TheGamer reported that Ubisoft had a life sim in development at Ubisoft Montreal,
• 15:10
  [Danny Reyes] Animal Crossing-ish, called Alterra.
• 15:12
  [Danny Reyes] Three years of work.
• 15:14
  [Becca Hartwell] Okay.
• 15:15
  [Danny Reyes] Three years.
• 15:17
  [Danny Reyes] Gone.
• 15:17
  [Danny Reyes] No announcement,
• 15:19
  [Danny Reyes] no trailer,
• 15:20
  [Danny Reyes] just poof.
• 15:21
  [Becca Hartwell] That's genuinely sad.
• 15:23
  [Becca Hartwell] Like a whole team worked on that.
• 15:25
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah,
• 15:26
  [Danny Reyes] the life sim space is getting competitive and not everyone survives the entry attempt,
• 15:31
  [Danny Reyes] apparently.
• 15:31
  [Becca Hartwell] Hmm.
• 15:32
  [Becca Hartwell] It does make you appreciate Paralives more.
• 15:34
  [Becca Hartwell] Like that team has been grinding for years and they actually made it to launch.
• 15:38
  [Danny Reyes] And Neverways still on track for October.
• 15:42
  [Danny Reyes] GameSpew called it creepy and compelling,
• 15:44
  [Danny Reyes] which, same,
• 15:45
  [Danny Reyes] honestly.
• 15:46
  [Becca Hartwell] Nightmare Farm Life?
• 15:48
  [Becca Hartwell] If I'm curious.
• 15:49
  [Danny Reyes] The life sim genre right now is genuinely wild.
• 15:52
  [Danny Reyes] You've got cozy,
• 15:54
  [Danny Reyes] you've got horror,
• 15:55
  [Danny Reyes] you've got early access underdogs.
• 15:57
  [Becca Hartwell] And Tomodachi Living Dream just launched on Switch.
• 16:01
  [Becca Hartwell] Daily Titan reviewed it and called it a big step for inclusivity,
• 16:05
  [Danny Reyes] It really is a different flavor.
• 16:07
  [Danny Reyes] Something for everyone in this space right now.
• 16:09
  [Becca Hartwell] which honestly,
• 16:11
  [Becca Hartwell] not bad for a genre people used to think was just one game.
• 16:14
  [Becca Hartwell] game
• 16:14
  [Danny Reyes] One very chaotic,
• 16:16
  [Danny Reyes] very beloved game.
• 16:23
  [Danny Reyes] Okay, that's a wrap on a packed one between the April hot fix dropping,
• 16:27
  [Danny Reyes] the May update tease that's apparently too big for a single post,
• 16:31
  [Danny Reyes] and the whole marketplace drama?
• 16:33
  [Danny Reyes] A lot happened.
• 16:34
  [Becca Hartwell] Right?
• 16:35
  [Becca Hartwell] And Danny Reyes'
• 16:36
  [Becca Hartwell] autonomy crisis is still very much ongoing.
• 16:39
  [Becca Hartwell] My sims are still mopping during fires.
• 16:42
  [Becca Hartwell] No notes.
• 16:44
  [Danny Reyes] No notes.
• 16:45
  [Danny Reyes] Here's the thing, though. If EA's frustration with the marketplace
• 16:49
  [Danny Reyes] lace actually pushes content quality up?
• 16:51
  [Danny Reyes] That's the win we've been waiting for.
• 16:53
  [Danny Reyes] Maybe.
• 16:54
  [Becca Hartwell] Maybe.
• 16:55
  [Becca Hartwell] We're cautiously optimistic over here.
• 16:58
  [Danny Reyes] Cautiously.
• 16:58
  [Danny Reyes] So if you enjoyed the episode,
• 17:01
  [Danny Reyes] subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and drop us a review.
• 17:04
  [Danny Reyes] It seriously helps other simmers find us.
• 17:07
  [Becca Hartwell] And come hang with us on social at Plumbob Report.
• 17:10
  [Becca Hartwell] Share your wildest Sims moments.
• 17:12
  [Becca Hartwell] Bonus points if autonomy was involved.
• 17:15
  [Danny Reyes] So-so simmers, thanks for listening.
• 17:17
  [Becca Hartwell] We'll see you next time.