So, a small list of some things that have been cut:

toddlers
pools
favs
tragic clown and social bunny
basements
garages

This is a worst case scenario and not wearing the tinfoil hat, but:
What if content that were "cut" were actually not... but indeed were completed, tested, and approved during development... but EA carefully worked their release of info to exclude them... because they really want to withhold this content for expansions and stuff packs. Perhaps the sequential release of info reporting content that would not be included in TS4 were actually those items just completed and hand-picked by execs for content holdback. Would EA do this?

I thought this was common knowledge by now?

I always saw through their marketing blabber. The codes for pools and toddlers being found in the demo furthered my suspicion.

Most those things you listed will probably be DLC or EP ideas. Why create original ideas or work on established EPs when you can make a fortune selling off basic items?

I'm not sure they actually did this now, but I certainly believe it's something they *would* do (and most likely have in the past).

Hasn't it been EA's motto for like forever?

"EA, Pay for everything..."

I'm pretty sure that I already posted this theory in the "things you've seen/heard/read about TS4"-thread a couple of weeks ago.

Too conspiracy theory ish for me to buy it. Plus, it's obvious EA knew fans would be pissed by the cuts, and surely they've had enough personal experience to know pissed fans equals lost revenue.

That said though, now that the cuts have been made, it would be completely in their character to only release them in expansions. >.>

I wouldn't put it past them. EA seems to be willing to do anything for a quick buck (insert cheap ho joke here)

Though if that's indeed the case, it was pretty fucking careless of them to just have the code laying around like that.

One interesting side effect of removing features is it seems to lower people's general expectations of the game. And once those expectations are lowered, the player base - at least, the most loyal parts of it - becomes easier to impress. They become grateful for those things that WEREN'T removed. So when those missing features are added later, those players who are still "fans" of the game will be saying, "Oh thank you EA, thank you for giving us <feature x>!"

It's like when Generations came out for TS3. People should have been outraged that this basic family/child content was being sold to them in an EP. But instead they were just happy that they got it at all. I suspect the same thing will happen with toddlers.

Personally, I think it's pathetic. But I have to admit, lowering players' expectations is a powerful tool for making the game seem less lame than it really is.

It doesn't look like EA knows their customers well at all, and with the way I've heard they handle critizisme on the main page forum, it's no surprise. Making lots of potential buyers turn their back on the next product is not very good business either. They might not ever come back.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what EA does. They can't do it forever though. People will buy the next Sims game because it's the next Sims game, but they'll eventually realise that EA will just keep lowering the bar and stop buying them. Then they'll need to start completing games and fixing bugs and not rushing the games. Maybe Sims 4 will be the Sims game that's so bad, EA will be forced to make better ones.

It's not unheard of in video games either. The Sonic franchise went through a similar stage (Sonic '06 being the lowest point). (Of course, the Sonic Team actually cares, and I'm not sure if the Sims devs do....)

EA is likely turning Sims 4 in a franchise similar to their sports games or Need For Speed.
Madden has pretty much been the same game since 2008, same for Fifa, the first 4 NFS games were brilliant after that, iterative uninspired yearly updates.
And guess what? People still buy them...

Of course they would. EA just sees their consumers as walking wallets. It's not about satisfying their fans, it's just about milking the sh*t out the cash cow this series has become. I wish the original team would come back and save us from this disaster.