Disclaimer
This is an analysis of a forthcoming expansion pack for a life simulation video game that contains mild and moderate sexual references. Reader discretion is advised.
2026 marks the 26th year of creating sims, helping them find love, building their careers, and letting them experience much more in life…or just flat-out killing them. Before Deadpool became a fully rendered battler spouting zany references and making snarky and even flirty remarks at the other members of the roster in Marvel Rivals and after Mattel’s first-ever autistic Barbie doll was praised for being more than passable representation of some young autistic women in honour of neurodiversity, the reveal trailer for The Sims 4: Royalty & Legacy triggered a desire to feel like a king, queen, prince or princess or simply raised eyebrows. If you ask me, the pack seems to be rather original in terms of providing a premise, thus not looking like a rehash of one that was already established in a previous pack. While animal crossers continue to nurture the reception of their resort hotels ran by Kapp’n and his family in the original and brand new Nintendo Switch 2 version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and certain consumers feel modernised with the new emoji®: My Play Watch, let us discuss the potential of the upcoming twenty-first expansion pack for The Sims 4.
I recall stating that The Sims 4: Business and Hobbies should hopefully not try too hard to be the second chapter of The Sims 4: Get to Work before it was released in March 2025. This time, let us reflect on the regal essences of The Sims 4: Royalty & Legacy during the preparations for the 30th anniversary of the Tomb Raider franchise. Can you believe that the nobility gameplay trailer premiered and Rosalina and a Luma being playable characters in the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 port of Super Mario Bros. Wonder got confirmedon the same day? If only there could be a second remake of Conker’s Bad Fur Day for the Xbox Series X|S, the Nintendo Switch, and the Nintendo Switch 2 that can be even better than Conker: Live & Reloaded…
This imminent expansion pack is clearly inspired by The Sims Medieval. In a new world named “Ondraion”, a sim can become the head of a dynasty, deciding who will be the next in line to rule or who will be an outcast. It will be up to the simmer which member of the dynasty will nurture and level up their prestige by developing the kind of antique a royal would be known for, which appears to be comparable to building a sim’s reputation in The Sims 2: Apartment Life, The Sims 4: Get Famous, and The Sims 4: Journey to Batuu. I bet a frog that a prince or princess can kiss will turn into a future spouse (to possibly woohoo with in a secret passageway). Even though there is no Story mode that could be even more story-based than the storylines in certain expansion packs demonstrated in this one, the royal themes within these imminent gameplay elements would be ideal for simmers who also consider themselves fans of historical dramas, such as Bridgerton, especially for a reason that will be explained in a jiffy. On the other hand, perhaps the flow can be as simple as a fairy tale and possibly be almost as cutesy as the second “Minnie’s Funderland” event at Tokyo Disneyland, with certain stuff packs and kits included, but it all depends on what the simmer decides, because that is the godlike beauty of playing The Sims.
I can see that there may at least be a storyline for a historical drama admirer to follow, resulting in comparisons to the storylines in The Sims 4: Jungle Adventure, The Sims 4: StrangerVille, The Sims 4: Cottage Living, The Sims 4: Life & Death, and The Sims 4: Enchanted by Nature.
I can already imagine the Goth family becoming a dynasty, resulting in Bella becoming a queen. I can see her being a competent ruler, as if she were the White Queen from Wonderland once again. Ah, alas, The Sims Social. I knew you well.
A new career for a sim will be all about becoming a noble, meaning sims who follow this path will be likely to earn the crown if they stick to their royal duties and develop positive relationships with their fellow nobles. It was firstly shown in the reveal trailer that a noble’s reputation can be tarnished if a royal sim’s scandal, especially an affair, gets exposed by a member of a rival dynasty. That even reeks of the main conflict caused by a prince’s thirst for love in the first season of Helluva Boss, doesn’t it? A few more examples of what can tarnish a regal image are explained in the nobility gameplay trailer.
Fittingly enough, a new hobby in sword fighting, as well as a skill in swordsmanship to develop, which could be associated with earning a promotion in the new career, much like how gaining skill points would lead to your sim getting promoted in The Sims 2. Let us not forget that the throne could await the one sim who can pull the sword out of the stone, which was how Bob became the temporary king of England in Minions. We ought to learn that attractive characters alone do not make a game elevating to play by now, so it is vital that these new gameplay elements in Bellacode, Dambele, and Verdemar will especially be ideal for simmers who love creating juicy dramas and the satisfaction of helping a sim reach the top of a career.
Enguarde!
If you thought Princess Cordelia’s affair was shocking, guess what? One time, Randy Beaman and his wife, who was pregnant with their third child at the time, hosted a gender reveal party, but when they popped the balloon, the confetti was red instead of blue or pink because the third kid’s father turned out to be the Devil because Randy Beaman’s wife made a deal with him.
And of course, there can be balls for ranking up a noble’s reputation, quite like how a sim with the Popularity aspiration would want to have a great party in The Sims 2. And do not forget some other potential plot devices, such as crystal slippers, Anansi’s Trails and the Enchanted Mirror. After all, there will be some fairy tale flair aside from historical drama.
Aside from how the expansion pack consists of vibes from The Sims Medieval for simmers who consider that spin-off from 2011 underrated, it looks like it will expand on the lore of the Monty family, the Capp family, and the Thebe family from Veronaville, one of the pre-made neighbourhoods in The Sims 2. This is intriguing to me, as I have been wondering when the Montys and Capps will return in The Sims 4 for quite some time. And of course, Princess Cordelia Thebe, whose name may be associated with the history of the Capp family, despite how she is part of a separate timeline, is the one having an affair with Fia Acosta in the reveal trailer. The Dargons appear to be ancestors of the Dreamer family from Pleasantview, despite The Sims 4 being a reboot of the series, as you can tell by how different the two versions of Dirk Dreamer are. Oh! And let us not forget about the extended lore of the Landgraabs, as we are aware of their history throughout the series by now. Despite how plenty of simmers feel like the Sims 4 era has gone on for too long, the twenty-first expansion pack can still be appreciated for providing a new take on the Montys and the Capps in the alternate timeline that was established in The Sims 4 almost a dozen years ago.
*Where the heck is the Monty dynasty?!
Despite The Sims 4’s setting being a separate timeline, it can be technically theorised that this Dirk from The Sims 4: Get Famous is a vision of what the young Dirk from The Sims 2 would want to be once he grows up; a well-respected individual after dealing with the loss of his mother and failing grades. The older version of Dustin Broke in The Sims 4: Get Famous; however, one can consider him the same Dustin from The Sims 2 once his teenage years are over, as his reputation is pretty bad. But still, his father, Skip Broke, did not return in the Sims 4 era until The Sims 4: Adventure Awaits, with no connection to him or recollection of marrying Brandi Broke whatsoever. Could a new incarnation of Brandi make an appearance in the next expansion pack or game pack for The Sims 4 sometime after the reception of The Sims 4: Royalty & Legacy?
The Grand Bandle awaits simmers looking for a good deal when it comes to expanding their game with new content. Alongside The Sims 4: Royalty & Legacy are two new kits: the Silver Screen Style kit that will provide some dazzling glamour a sim with a Fortune aspiration and a high interest in fashion would dream of, and the Tea Time Solarium kit, fit for a tea party ideal for female members of a dynasty. Lastly, until about a week before my birthday in March, simmers who purchase the pack can get three bonus items, including a practice dummy resembling the Grim Reaper, which could cause Greg to drop an f-bomb. I suspect that there can be another bundle consisting of The Sims 4, The Sims 4: Enchanted by Nature, and The Sims 4: Royalty & Legacy that goes by the likely name of “The Sims 4 Fantasy Tale Bundle” for simmers who love fairy tales and consider The Sims Medieval underrated, serving as a compilation that has not been done yet.
Believe it or not, I am starting to wonder how Greg would feel about woohooing with a younger Olive Specter?
Since the Sims 4 era that has been running for almost twelve years, I suppose there can be a thirteenth game pack centred on the pirate lifestyle, much like in the only expansion pack for The Sims Medieval known as “The Sims Medieval: Pirates & Nobles”. A new pre-made sim in said pack can be a new incarnation of Lindsay from MySims Kingdom.
The Sims 4: Royalty & Legacy will launch on the same day Mario Tennis Fever gets released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2, Lara Croft’s origin story is told once again on iOS and Android, and the eighteenth season of Disney Speedstorm launches, featuring Lightning McQueen and his co-stars. Despite the controversy surrounding Electronic Arts’ merging with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, it looks like there is some determination to maintain the relevancy of The Sims 4 with yet another expansion pack for the sake of proactivity and profit. And of course, the Disneyland empire will expand in Abu Dhabi and possibly Thailand in the first half of the 2030s, despite protests against the idea of the seventh Disneyland being built in Abu Dhabi in response to the nation’s ongoing homophobia, which is the same exact reason why simmers have been fearful about EA being bought by Saudi Arabia’s PIF, yet same-sex marriage was rightfully legalised in Thailand last year. In the meantime, hazbeans shall keep their eyes peeled and their ears open for what shall be revealed at LVL UP EXPO in Las Vegas this April. Could it be a teaser for the eighth Helluva Short, the trailer for the third season of Helluva Boss, or both? As always, I dearly thank those who took the time to appreciate the back-breaking work I put into my writing. And remember, keep expressing your creativity, no matter how much you have been through and no matter how much bigotry, including racism, sexism and homophobia, lurks online.
Perhaps there can be a reimagining of the first Leisure Suit Larry game and its two remakes set in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s with plenty of LGBTQIA+ flair in certain backgrounds, as the original Pride flag was revealed in 1978. I believe that his reimagined love story ought to be non-linear, resulting in different endings, depending on the bachelorette the player wants him to successfully hook up with, quite like how a simmer would choose which woman in Pleasantview “should” Don Lothario marry in The Sims 2.
We shall stay tuned for the dynasty gameplay trailer in a few days, won’t we, fellow simmers? In all honesty, if I were to own a Nintendo Switch 2 and the Switch 2 edition of Animal Crossing: New Horizons or play the original version of the game on my fiancé’s Switch just before he gives it a try, I would set my second island in the Southern Hemisphere to experience the seasons that contrast with the climates in the Northern Hemisphere. Whether you are staying warm in the Northern Hemisphere or keeping cool in the Southern Hemisphere, do not be afraid to let inclusion, equality, and diversity co-exist with imaginativeness within a healthy form of escapism, regardless of what the toxic anti-“woke” crowd would spew.
