'The Sims 4' PS4, Xbox One release date: porting issues delaying release to consoles?

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Speculations suggest that Electronic Arts is thinking of releasing "The Sims 4" for the PS4 and Xbox One. However, the port versions may have snagged a few problems and EA is rumored to have no choice but to keep the release unconfirmed.

It is said that instead of ported versions, the publisher may instead come out with a franchise follow-up.

NeuroGadget believes that porting problems with "The Sims 4" are preventing EA from confirming an Xbox One and PS4 versions for the current-gen title. It is unclear, though, if the concerns are coming from EA's end or if there are technical issues with porting versions. The latter is highly likely, seeing as "The Sims 4" already has a number of released DLCs that may take up memory space for the console versions. Another game that has almost the same issue is "Fallout 4." Bethesda is delaying releasing the mods feature for the PS4 since the console only allows up to 200MB of ported data.

There are also rumors that EA and developer Maxis are instead waiting for the game to be complete before releasing it on consoles. Currently, "The Sims 4" has a number of DLCs that already went live, while others are reportedly still on the way, including major game updates. This is reportedly EA's decision too, for the release of "The Sims 5." Allegedly, the publisher will only release a follow-up if "The Sims 4" will perform solidly in terms of sales figures.

However, since EA is having issues with releasing "The Sims 4" on consoles, the development team may instead focus on a franchise follow-up. Fans have expected Electronic Arts to come out with a "The Sims 5" announcement this year, though the publisher has remained mum on the possibility. With the "The Sims 4" concerns, though, EA is likely to shift focus on "The Sims 5," and work instead on a full, multi-platform version from the ground up.