A motherlode of new announcements were handed out byThe Simsteam on February 6. With the official declaration of the new Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack, important dates for the upcoming Expansion, and the announcement of three new Kits, Simmers have plenty to look forward to during the first half of 2025. But one of the aforementioned three new Kits might have other DLC forThe Sims 4to compete with.
There is a significant difference between thecontent found in Kits and Stuff Packs. While the amount and types of content have changed for both types of DLC asThe Sims 4has progressed, differences between the two still exist. However, it should be noted that both kinds of DLC have grown substantially. While the growth of Stuff Packs is easier to trace due to how long they’ve been a part ofThe Sims 4, one can see the growth of Kits as recently as two of the game’s most recent additions. This is integral context that both players andThe Simsteam must keep in mind as they prepare for one of three new Kits.
The Sims 25th Anniversary Has Launched a Motherlode of DLC
The Simsteam has been teasing and announcing new content for titles acrossThe Simsfranchise as part of its twenty-fifth anniversary. The first batch of announcements to prepare for the twenty-fifth anniversary ofThe Simsfranchise began at the Behind the Sims 25th Birthday Special stream in mid-January. Like other announcements for the series, a roadmap was released with dates spanning from January 16 to February 26. One event on the roadmap was dubbed “Motherlode Season,” with the corresponding date being February 6. A teaser for Motherlode Season was released on February 4, which announcedThe Sims 4’s plans through May.
Three new Kits wereannounced in the Motherlode Roadmap. The Restoration Workshop, Golden Years, and Kitchen Clutter Kit have been given a release date of May 1. Keen-eyed readers will be quick to notice the names of these Kits to discern whether they will be more Create-A-Sim (CAS) or Build Mode-centric. But with Kits essentially taking the place of Stuff Packs inThe Sims 4since their introduction, the name of one Kit may have some Simmers a bit concerned.
Kitchen Clutter Must Stand Out from Home Chef Hustle and Cool Kitchen Stuff
The Kitchen Clutter Kit has to distinguish itself from two previous culinary themed Stuff Packs - the Cool Kitchenand Home Chef Hustle Stuff Packs. As far as Stuff Pack releases go, Home Chef Hustle was relatively recent, debuting in late September 2023. Cool Kitchen has been a staple stuff pack since the early days ofThe Sims 4.
Both of these Stuff Packs notably added not only new kitchen build items like counters and ovens, but new gameplay. Theice cream machine was Cool Kitchen’s biggest selling point, whereas Home Chef Hustle added a stand mixer, a waffle maker, and a pizza oven. The difference in content between these two Stuff Packs already shows how muchThe Sims 4has grown since its early days, but also how Stuff Packs are no longer limited.
Kit Limitations May Save Kitchen Clutter
Unlike Packs, Kits tend to focus on one form of new content, either new CAS, Build and Buy items, or gameplay. Thenew Casanova Cave and Secret Sanctuary Kitscombined both CAS and Build and Buy items into a Kit, but maintained the standard number of Kit items in total. This should give players reassurance that The Sims team will maintain the limited scope of Kits, including for Kitchen Clutter.
The word “Clutter” is also an important signifier. Clutter refers to items in Build and Buy that typically don’t feature any gameplay. This means that Kitchen Clutter will not only be a Build and Buy heavy Kit, but that this new DLC will differentiate itself from its Stuff Pack predecessors by not adding any new gameplay. Perhaps Kitchen Clutter will besimilar to the Everyday Clutter Kit. As long as EA and Maxis stick to keeping Kitchen Clutter to its Kit size, players won’t have to worry about Kits taking overThe Sims 4just yet.
