Sims 4 Royalty and Legacy expansion adds dynasties, Backroom lots and throne play

Polygon reports Electronic Arts released the first cinematic trailer for The Sims 4: Royalty and Legacy, which launches for all platforms on Feb. 12. The expansion places Sims in Ondarion, a realm of three neighborhoods — Dambele (an artsy quarter that values kindness and community), Bellacorde (a neighborhood built around romantic hideaways and scandals), and Verdemar (where noble backstabbing and skullduggery prevail).

Social grace functions as currency under a new Powershift scenario: attending ritzy gatherings, dancing well and performing the right social moves raises stats like artistry and unity, while exposed trysts or secrets can cost you face. The pack adds a Noble path in which a Sim can pursue an as-yet unclaimed throne whose legacy passes to their children, then govern while balancing nobles and commoners, fend off rivals or even be dethroned in a duel; dynasty management includes designating heirs and outcasts.

Royalty and Legacy also introduces a Backroom Lot that serves community uses by day and a nightclub by night, with Dambele offering pre-built Backroom Lots to inspect. How much room for experimentation and different play styles these additions will allow remains a bit murky — The Sims 4's record adapting similar ideas has been uneven, the report notes — and EA promised more gameplay details on Jan.

Key Topics

Tech, Ondarion, Backroom Lot, Powershift, Dynasty Management