A Death-Themed Sims DLC Appears To Be In Development

The Sims 4‘s new Lovestruck expansion brings some spice to Sims’ love lives, but those lives may soon be turned upside down with the release of a death-based DLC that’s currently rumored to be in the works.

It all started when popular Sims YouTuber Lilsimsie started a livestream showcasing the Lovestruck expansion, which includes a number of new furniture items. One of these new items is a poster featuring an elderly Sim taking a jog. “Why are you encouraging elder Sims to exercise? Shame!” she teased.

But SimsGuruNinja, an EA employee who works on the game, happened to be lurking in her chat, and his answer was as interesting as it was cryptic: “But don’t worry. Elders will die better soon.”

Predictably, the livestream’s chat exploded with excitement, with Lilsimsie demanding answers.

“What do you know?!” she asked.

SimsGuruNinja replied, “Meant elder [Sims] will LOVE better soon.”

Based on the smiley face emojis included at the end of his message, the interaction seemed to indicate that SimsGuruNinja was simply keeping his cards close to the chest for the time being, because his reply to Lilsimsie’s initial question about the exercise poster makes no sense in the context of love.

EA and Maxis have been known to hide Easter eggs with hints about future expansion packs within newly released DLCs. Even more damning is the fact that, throughout the Sims franchise, death-by-treadmill has been a relatively common demise for elderly Sims, who are at risk of dying of a heart attack if they do too much cardio with a low Fitness skill. They can even die from “WooHooing” too much. Including a poster of an elderly Sim doing cardio seems rather out-of-place in a DLC focused entirely on romance, which has led to speculation that the strange poster is a hint regarding the content of the game’s next expansion pack.

Sims content creators, leakers, and even developers working on the game have also hinted at the existence of a death-based expansion pack, with one content creator–who also accurately predicted Lovestruck’s existence–cryptically tweeting, “Honestly? I would DIE for another EP this year.” Meanwhile, another “Sims guru” shared a cryptic tweet indicating that she’s working on something big, and that it has nothing to do with the Lovestruck expansion pack, which releases July 25.

But there’s even more evidence supporting the idea that a deadly new DLC may be on the way, and it’s currently tucked away in the game’s files. Based on information found via datamining, Sims fans have uncovered a tentative schedule that seems to suggest that another new expansion pack is indeed on the way, and there appear to only be two other DLCs (likely game packs, stuff packs, or kits) scheduled to come out between Lovestruck and the next expansion pack. According to the game’s files, the order of release is as follows:

• Expansion Pack 16 (The Sims 4 Lovestruck expansion)
• The Sims 4 DLC 84
• The Sims 4 DLC 85
• Expansion Pack 17 (possible “Drop Dead” expansion)
• The Sims 4 DLC 86
• The Sims 4 DLC 87
• The Sims 4 DLC 88
• The Sims 4 DLC 89
• Expansion Pack 18 (unknown expansion)

Though EA has yet to confirm anything regarding the upcoming expansion–which players are currently calling “the Drop Dead expansion pack”–it would certainly make sense to release a death-themed DLC around Halloween. Additionally, given the amount of time EA and Maxis have recently spent revamping Sims’ love lives, it’s high time they give ghost-Sims some appreciation, too. Since players now can plan a Sim’s wedding right down to the attire of guests and the type of wedding cake topper, letting players plan detailed funerals–and experience fun new ways to kill off their least-favorite Sims–seems only fair.

Death has always been a major part of the franchise, with Sims capable of dying in a number of comical ways, from being squashed by a rogue Murphy bed (or meteor) to the classic death-by-drowning (in a pool that has had its ladders mysteriously removed by some unseen force). Sims who have obtained a special, very rare flower can plead for the life of a fallen fellow Sim, potentially causing the Grim Reaper to change his mind and let them live. On the other hand, they can always choose to simply let their simulated family member die, then start up a romance with the Grim Reaper instead.