Moschino is not the first brand to release Sims themed content. In the past we’ve seen Diesel, H&M and Ikea all enter into collaborations with the franchise. However, this pairing was different, mostly due to the fact that Moschino is a high end and very expensive luxury brand.
Many Simmers felt that the match was a misfir[brightcove_video:]e, with a large number of them feeling excluded by the fact that the themed items were far beyond their budget. For a game that has always prided itself on inclusiveness, the unconventional pairing felt like a kick in the teeth for fans.
So what exactly were the issues and has the new Moschino Stuff Pack managed to persuade fans that the collaboration was a good idea after all?
The Beginning
The collaboration between The Sims 4 and the luxury fashion brand Moschino began back in April of this year. It all started with a collection of Sims themed clothing in Moschino stores. This was then extended digitally, with a Moschino and Sims branded t-shirt being added in a free patch to a range of Sims games.
The finalé of the collaboration appears to be the recently released Moschino Stuff Pack, the first branded content for The Sims 4. While there has been no official confirmation, it seems likely that this themed DLC marks the end of the unexpected pairing.
A Huge Backlash
The issues many Simmers have with the collaboration are split between problems with the Moschino range itself and those with the in-game cross over.
In terms of the in-store capsule collection, Simmers have taken against both the designs and the prices of the items. While some were themed around Sims imagery, such as the plumbob and the freezer bunny, most were an 8-bit retro style.
These old school gaming-themed items appear to have little to do with the franchise, instead displaying a style of graphics not seen in The Sims for a long time. The fact that Moschino originally referred to the Sims’ iconic freezer bunny as “lucky bunny” didn’t help endear Simmers to their cause either.
Those items which were recognizable as Sims themed were so expensive that fans felt excluded, with most being unable to or unwilling to spend so much money on a piece of clothing.
Players did see a free freezer bunny t-shirt patched into their game, but even this comes with issues. The top features a prominent Moschino logo - the only English text in the entire game. For a game which is themed around Simlish, it sticks out like a sore thumb, only seeming to highlight the mismatch.
Moschino Stuff Pack Announcement
At EA Play, the team announced the upcoming release of the Moschino Stuff Pack. The reception wasn’t warm, to say the least. Some of the audience clapped politely, but most remained silent. While this reaction shouldn’t have been unexpected it was probably quite embarrassing for the team. However, they did have an ace up their sleeve with the announcement that the pack would be the first stuff pack to contain a new career.
This has proven to be a fantastic idea and the focus on additional content outside of the Moschino clothing has meant that the pack is far more useful and flexible than many expected.
Simmers Are Surprised
The Moschino Stuff Pack has actually surprised many players, including myself. While most didn’t want the collaboration, the addition of a huge amount of gameplay to the stuff pack has helped bring round some of the skeptics, especially those who enjoy building.
Seeing another stuff pack was unexpected in itself, as the last one was My First Pet Stuff which also generated a lot of negative reactions. Released early last year, the pet-themed pack had its own share of controversy. Requiring the Cats and Dogs expansion to access all the content led to many branding it DLC for DLC and being left feeling cheated.
When Stuff Packs appeared to vanish in the months that followed many had thought that My First Pet Stuff had killed them. However, this was not the case, as we’ve now seen.
We will likely never know if the Moschino collaboration was a commercial success for either side but this time the release schedule for content has helped gloss over any issues.
Distraction Techniques
At EA Play, the team also announced that we would see a game pack titled Realm of Magic in the fall. What simmers didn’t expect was for it to be released within a month of the Moschino Stuff Pack, and just a week after the stuff pack comes to consoles.
Skeptics say that the packs have been released so close together to distract us from the ill-conceived collaboration but many simmers don’t care. Witches are one of the most desired additions for The Sims 4 and right now the new trailer is all anyone is talking about.
With an early September release for the pack, it also leaves a space for another release before Christmas.
Right now the word Moschino is rarely being uttered in the Simming community, with attention focused firmly on spellcasters. If predictions are correct and we also see a University themed expansion this year then the community may just explode with happiness.
As for Moschino? Well, the collaboration is likely to quickly be forgotten about as the hype builds for the content which Simmers have been waiting 5 years for.
Moschino who? We’re all about the magic right now.