‘The Sims 4’ Removes Gender-Specific Character Boundaries

It’s a whole new world for the gamers and fictional citizens of The Sims. Revealed today through a game update and website announcement, Electronic Arts has added new gender features to The Sims 4’s ‘Create a Sim’ platform.

The computer game update has removed any gender-specific restrictions to the design when creating a character. Previous male and female catalogue items like the Sim’s clothing, hairstyles, accessories, looks and mannerisms, which had been separated with pieces only available to a specific gender, will now be open to everyone to accurately express your Sim’s identity. Changes also affect the Sim’s voice, their walk and their physical stature. However, gamers will still need to select a male or female gender as their base model for when creating a new Sim.

According to Rachel Franklin, Executive Producer of The Sims 4, the update took more than a year in development since its earliest discussions. The update required a big art effort and technical prototyping as the changes affected many character aspects and over 700 pieces of content. The team also worked closely with GLAAD to ensure that the game would be respectful to all players and communities, especially the transgender community.

“We have a deep respect for our players no matter who they are or where they come from,” said Franklin. “For us to be able to give them more control and freedom of expression is the heart of what makes a Sims game so special. And supporting that makes me personally honored to work here.”

The update is available starting today for The Sims 4 on PC and Mac.