The Sims 4 will add more diverse skin tones to the game soon

the sims 4 skintones issue representation

The Sims 4 team has vowed to add more diverse skin tones to the game and fix the issues with the existing skin tones.

The Sims team have finally broken their silence on the lack of inclusive in the skin tones in The Sims 4.

Ever since the fourth instalment of the popular simulation franchise was released, players have raised concerns over the limited skin tones for their Sims.

Recently, the issue has gained more traction with a petition set up on Change.org and several high-profile YouTubers adding their voices to the campaign.

On Tuesday, Lyndsay Pearson aka SimGuruLyndsay – Executive Producer and General Manager of The Sims, released a statement addressing the problem with lack of diversity in The Sims 4 skin tones. Pearson said that additional skin tones will be added to the game in the coming months.

For our Southern Hemisphere readers, Fall would mean Spring for us.

Sim Guru Lyndsay speaks on lack of diversity in The Sims 4 skin tones

?[We] recognize that we have not done enough to address the variety of skin tones and hair styles that you expect to find in The Sims 4,? Pearson said in the video.

The GM further acknowledged that the team has failed to act on the quality issues with existing skin tones in The Sims 4.

?While we have made additions and improvements and fixes in the past, there is much more for us to do. We are making it a priority to release more options this year, as well as to address the visual issues with current skin tones- specifically, to improve the blotchy artifacts and ashy tones,? Pearson added.

?We’ve iterated on these before, but we are doing a deep dive into our full pipeline to trace our assets through every step and compare the before and afters to assess any loss in quality.?

Pearson said that the game will release new skin tones in the coming months and admitted that communication from The Sims 4 has been lacking, vouching that this too will be improved.

?We take feedback from a number of places that inform the work and hold us accountable in our execution. And part of that accountability is communicating to you; we will strive to keep you as up to date and informed as possible. So, as a start, we?re promising to fix the visual artifacts with existing skin tones and increase the number of tones available in The Sims 4 this fall,? Pearson said.

SimGuruLyndsay’s full statement and video on The Sims 4 skin tones

Hi Simmers,

First of all, I hope you are healthy and I hope you are safe.

I want to address a topic that is very near and dear to The Sims. Inclusivity is at the core of The Sims franchise. From the beginning, we set out to let you build Sims that look like you, or people you know. And we understand it doesn?t feel like we?re truly living up to that promise.

We hear you and recognize that we have not done enough to address the variety of skin tones and hair styles that you expect to find in The Sims 4. While we have made additions and improvements and fixes in the past, there is much more for us to do. We are making it a priority to release more options this year, as well as to address the visual issues with current skin tones- specifically, to improve the blotchy artifacts and ashy tones. We’ve iterated on these before, but we are doing a deep dive into our full pipeline to trace our assets through every step and compare the before and afters to assess any loss in quality.

As we have demonstrated, The Sims is committed not only to inclusion, but to authentic and respectful inclusion, which means we don’t do this work alone. We take feedback from a number of places that inform the work and hold us accountable in our execution. And part of that accountability is communicating to you; we will strive to keep you as up to date and informed as possible. So, as a start, we?re promising to fix the visual artifacts with existing skin tones and increase the number of tones available in The Sims 4 this Fall.

Our community is bigger and stronger than it has ever been, and we will continue to make sure our players are heard, feel represented and are able to create without boundaries. We are blown away by the incredible craftsmanship our mod community and what they bring to the game, and the ways in which they have expanded on the Sims 4 experience. There is no question that their contributions make the world of The Sims better. However, we know that this does not absolve us from continuing to grow and improve as well.

We realize there isn?t one single fix for representation. We are dedicating people to ongoing commitments to continue improvement over the long term. Thank you for caring so much about each other and caring about your experiences in The Sims 4 and thank you for being part of our continued evolution.

Sul Sul!