"They Made Me Stop": Insider Leaks Final Sims 4 and Project X Secrets Before Going Silent
All good things must come to an end. For The Sims fans who have been reading weekly insider revelations about pack sales, EA's plans, and the franchise's future, the moment of farewell has arrived.
The source who accurately predicted the Marketplace launch and leaked shocking sales figures for Sims 3 and Sims 4 has announced they will stop sharing secrets. The reason — an "ex‑employer" (the insider's own quotes) asked them to stop because the leaked sales data "caused some controversies" inside EA circles. In their final message, they shared last‑minute secrets: why EA hides real DLC sales, how massive the console audience for Sims 4 really is (millions of players!), and how Project X development is actually progressing.
"I'll Be Quiet": Insider Receives a Warning
In their final post, the insider wrote:
"So I've been contacted by an 'ex‑employer' who has asked me to stop sharing certain information, as things like the sales figures have caused some controversies as they didn't want that information public. So to avoid any drama, I'll be quiet."
Source: simscommunity
They also added that there are "additional reasons" why EA didn't want players to know those numbers. Though unspoken, the implication is clear: real DLC sales figures directly influence Project X plans and which packs will be released in the future. "I don't want any drama," the source concluded, permanently retreating into the shadows.
Final Numbers: Why Sims 3 Lost Its Audience and How Consoles Are Boosting Sims 4
In his farewell message, the insider answered questions that have long troubled fans.
Why did Sims 3 expansion sales drop sharply after World Adventures (2.1 million copies)?
The insider explains that the decline wasn't only due to the open world's technical instability. Internal EA feedback suggested that many players and even developers felt the game focused too much on the world and not enough on the Sims themselves.
Moreover, the character models were widely disliked — "pudding faces" became a meme. The insider adds his own opinion: "In a life simulator where people can't make their Sims look the way they want, you lose a huge chunk of your audience before they even begin exploring the open world."
The hidden secret of Sims 4's success: the console audience
According to the source, between 7 and 12 million people play The Sims 4 on consoles (PlayStation and Xbox) every month. That's "insanely high for any game, especially one with a predominantly PC audience." This explains why EA is so aggressively pushing the Marketplace and Creator Kits under the slogan "giving console players access to CC." Sims 2 and Sims 3 never had such a massive console boost.
The Bridgerton Collaboration Was No Surprise to the Insider
The insider also confirmed that they knew about the upcoming event back in December‑January, long before the official announcement. "I knew an event was coming, had no idea it was Bridgerton themed," they wrote, confirming that even major collaborations are planned many months in advance.
Playing the Numbers Game: Why EA Hides Real DLC Sales
A user asked why a buggy pack like Dine Out sells better than many expansions, while occult packs have modest numbers. The answer was unexpected.
"The answer is Investors," the source explains.
EA doesn't want fluctuations in individual DLC sales to affect investor confidence. That's why the company stopped publishing actual DLC sales figures. Instead, they use a PR strategy:
When EA moved the game to free‑to‑play, many investors were against it. On the same day, EA announced that 50 million players were already playing The Sims 4, and later confirmed that Growing Together sold over 1 million copies in its first month. This was done solely to reassure shareholders, not to celebrate with players.
Now all DLC sales data is private. EA controls the narrative by reporting only overall quarterly revenue. "If a DLC flops, they'll never tell you. Instead, they'll just release more content the following year to make up the difference," the insider explains.
For example, only one expansion was released in 2022, but in 2023 — after the F2P transition — three expansions were released plus the return of Stuff Packs. This was a safety net: EA wasn't sure that removing the base game price wouldn't hurt profits, so they hedged with more releases.
What About Project X?
Asked about possible leaks from the April playtest of Project X, the insider was brief and cryptic. He said he has "no news on that front." Development is going well, with no cancellations or major changes. "They're just in the thick of it right now, in that long stretch of development where everything is at different stages."
This suggests the project is alive and in active development, but still far from any public announcement.
The insider's departure is a significant loss for those who liked peeking behind EA's curtain. The community has lost one of its most reliable sources of inside information. The final revelations confirm that EA plays by its own rules, hiding failures and only showcasing convenient numbers. And Project X, it seems, is still a long way off.
