Is the new Sims 4 world set in New Zealand?
Clues include cabbage trees, nikau palm, fairy bread and hot pools. Plus a trailer narrator that sounds a lot like Rhys Darby.
Rumours are circulating that the new Sims world, boasting “the world’s largest geyser, unusual caves of crystal, and a bioluminescent bay”, is inspired by New Zealand.
Sims is one of the most popular video games and has four instalments so far. Users create and control virtual people, called "Sims", and manage their daily lives.
This latest pack comes just two months after the developers put out the Enchanted By Nature Expansion Pack, which was also initially rumoured to be inspired by Aotearoa but that turned out to be Ireland.
However, the trailer of Adventure Awaits’ Gibbi Island, released online last week, has clues that resemble native flora and fauna - like cabbage trees, nikau palm and takahē - coupled with narration from a voice that sounds like Kiwi comedian Rhys Darby (although his name doesn’t appear on the IMDB credits yet) and the appearance of fairy bread and a hot pool geyser.
A screenshot from The Sims 4 Adventure Awaits showing a lakeside house.
The Sims / EA
Further fueling the fire, a Sims mod (a user who modifies a game for additional or customised features) who goes by the name CBXSims posted a few months ago about the game going to New Zealand.
Responding to another user last week on X, who said Adventure Awaits release felt rushed after the previous pack release, CBXSims said: “And what if it was actually Adventure Awaits that was meant to release first,” with a wink emoji.
A post on X by user and The Sims mod CBXsims fuelled speculation for a few months about an NZ-inspired world.
X
Kiwi gamer known as KiwiSimsKate was also given the chance “to build one-of-a-kind Lots and Getaway Systems for the pack” alongside other content creators, according to the Sims website.
There have been mods of Sims that featured New Zealand in some capacity before – including Queenstown and Pounawea-inspired places for The Sims 3.
Sims 4 Adventure Awaits pack is set to be released 2 October.
