Everything We Know About The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies Pack So Far

We’re almost certain that you spotted the trailer for The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies Pack earlier on, however, if you just watch it at surface level then you’re going to have missed a lot of extra details.

While we’ve got a full trailer analysis on the way (do keep checking back for that) we’re taking this as an opportunity to sum up the details that Electronics Arts and Maxis have confirmed to us so far – including some things that you could have blinked and missed while watching the trailer.

1. The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies pack will launch on March 6th, however we’ve still got a gameplay trailer and at least one more information drop to come before that date.
2. Purchasing The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies pack before April17th will get you several bonus items which allude to business opportunities within the game.
   • The Practice Makes Perfect Priscilla Statue (Sculpting and Stone-work)
   • The Sweetest Treat Display Case (Patisserie/Cake-Shop)
   • The Beautiful Flaws Lamp (Kintsugi – An artistic Japanese form of pottery repair)
3. Transferrable ownership of businesses is in, as shown by the inheriting of the combined tattoo x pottery parlour in the trailer.
   • Running a gym, art gallery and sweet shop were also shown in the trailer
4. Nordhaven, and its two neighbourhoods of Gammelvik and Iverstad, are heavily Scandinavian inspired, featuring European Mixed Housing – a town-planning model where residents reside above shops. This is a perfect fit for this expansion because…
5. Houses can be zoned and rezoned into residential, employee only and business, meaning that – as per the trailer – you can have a house above a business, or visa versa. I’m personally looking forward to people having houses operate as fronts for businesses (perhaps what all the crime posters allude to), but remain curious as to how businesses are separated out from each other as we’ve only seen them mutually share all spaces.
6. ‘Small Businesses’ don’t need specific goals; ‘Retail Surfaces’ are used to define what is for sale, rather than needing a set type of product.
   • That said, you can list Business Activities, such as ‘Get a Tattoo’, and you can also target specific customers.
7. Hobby Meet-ups are in, and another great way to socialise and meet new Sims, which also allows you to quickly meet new Sims with similar hobbies.
8. Mentoring, which is already included in the base game, is expanded on through the new expansion pack. While perhaps a little unclear in the trailer, as there’s also the chance to ‘teach’ through lectures and classes – mentoring and working with people on things will aid in skill learning.
9. Small Business Venue Lots are in, and presumably Nordhaven is stuffed with them.
10. You define the price of services, either through the previously mentioned retail surfaces or through the Ticket Kiosk, which allows you to define whether a charge is one-off or hourly.
11. You can hire (and fire) other Sims through the Small Business system.
12. There’s a perk and – kind of – morality system included which lets you be a ‘Schemer’ or a ‘Dreamer’ as well as ‘Neutral’, which sits inbetween.

Most critically though, and let’s break out of the numbered list formula for this, Maxis have made an effort to tie in the previous expansions to this. There’s already an amazing list of crossover business opportunities which have been detailed, and there’s surely many, many more to come.

Here’re the Expansion/Stuff tie-ins that we know about:

• Cats and Dogs Expansion Pack: Sims who love and adore their four legged friends can open pet cafés.
• Get Together Expansion Pack: Sims who are down to dance until the sun rises can create dance clubs and Sims who game until the wee hours of the morning can open arcades for like minded gamers.
• City Living Expansion Pack – Sing your heart out in your favorite city at your very own karaoke bar fitted out with your favorite Simlish tunes.
• Get Famous Expansion Pack – Did someone say paparazzi? Open an acting school where you teach celebrities how to play the part!
• Spa Day Game Pack – Fancy a massage, facial or meditative yoga retreat? Say namaste to all the Sims who choose to relax with you at your spa!
• Laundry Day Stuff Pack – Scrub a dub dub in your very own tub! Collect Simoleons as Sims wash their clothes at your laundromat!
• Bowling Night Stuff Pack – Sims who are competitive can open their very own bowling alleys. Get a strike or a spare on a fun night out with friends.

Personally, I’m going to set up an arcade out the back of a laundromat… assuming that they’re not going to offer us cool crime options.