UAE's Largest Natural Gas Facility Suspended After Attack-Triggered Fire 
RBC Capital: European Medtech Firms Show Minimal Middle East and Energy Risk Exposure 
McDonald's and Restaurant Brands International Face Headwinds Amid Iran Conflict and Rising Costs 
MATCH Act Targets ASML and Chinese Chipmakers in New U.S. Export Crackdown 
Google's TurboQuant Algorithm Sends Memory Chip Stocks Tumbling 
SpaceX Eyes Historic IPO at $1.75 Trillion Valuation 
Ukrainian Drones and the #MadeByHousewives Movement: Kyiv Fires Back at Rheinmetall CEO 
CTOC Adds 3,000 Doctors, 500 Hospitals Ahead of Liquidity Push 
Jefferies Upgrades Sodexo to Buy With €55 Target After Historic CEO Appointment 
Annie Altman Amends Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman 
SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn 
Microsoft's $10 Billion Japan Investment: AI Infrastructure and Data Sovereignty Push 
TSMC Japan's Second Fab to Produce 3nm Chips by 2028 
Reflection AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation in Massive $2.5 Billion Funding Round 
NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo 
Apple Turns 50: From Garage Startup to AI Crossroads 
First Western Ship Transits Strait of Hormuz Since Iran War Began 
EA is aiming to expand the already massive fanbase of “The Sims 4” by making it free-to-play. The publisher is also giving away free desert-inspired content to thank players who paid for the base game.
“The Sims 4” will join the list of free-to-play titles published by EA eight years after the popular simulation game launched. This means new players no longer have to buy the base game, which currently costs $19.99, starting Tuesday, Oct. 18.
“With ‘The Sims 4’ going free to play, our team is more dedicated than ever to developing new and meaningful The Sims 4 experiences for our players and we will continue to develop and release packs, kits and Sims Delivery Express drops into the foreseeable future,” the publisher said in a blog post. EA and Maxis will reveal more about this transition in a live stream of the Behind ‘The Sims’ Summit on Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. PT.
Players still have to purchase Expansion and Game Packs separately, commonly priced at $39.99 and $19.99, respectively. The new business model for “The Sims 4” will be applied to all its versions available on PC, Mac, PlayStation, and Xbox. But it remains to be seen if its free-to-play model will also mean more paid content updates are in the pipeline.
This might not be the best news for those who just paid for the full price of the “The Sims 4” base game. To make up for that and to thank long-time players, EA said they can now redeem the free Desert Luxe Kit from the game’s main menu until Oct. 17. EA Play and EA Play Pro subscribers, while not affected by “The Sims 4” going free-to-play, are getting an upgrade with member-only bundles also arriving on Oct. 18.
A free-to-play model will likely invite new players to try the game, which then gives EA more opportunities to increase sales for its paid content. EA said during its earnings call for the fiscal year 2019’s third quarter that “The Sims 4” revenue has surpassed $1 billion. In May 2021, the company reported the game had gained 36 million players.
