EA have finally given a definitive answer to the Sims paysite debate—all custom content must be free. The policy goes so far as to disallow “early access” models as well.
Read their announcement on the EA Help website:
EA POLICY ON THE SIMS MODS
We know that, for many of you, Mods are an important part of your game experience. For that reason, we support a framework in The Sims 4 that makes it easier for you to install and use Mods.The Sims team doesn’t pre-screen, endorse or specifically support any particular Mod. You should use Mods with caution and understand there may be risk.
We have a long tradition of supporting creativity in our community. We do not object to Mod developers continuing to share their amazing content, subject to the following:
Do not promote your Mods in a way that suggests they are endorsed by or affiliated with The Sims, Maxis, or Electronic Arts. This means you cannot use any game logos or trademarks, including versions of the plumbob, or key art designs to promote your Mods. You may state that your Mods are for The Sims 4 and/or for a specific game expansion pack.
Mods must be non-commercial and distributed free-of-charge. Mods cannot be sold, licensed, or rented for a fee, nor can Mods contain features that would support monetary transactions of any type. However, Maxis recognizes that creating Mods takes time and resources. Accordingly, Mod developers may recoup their development costs via passive advertisements and donations as long as:
Passive advertisements and requests for donations must be limited to the Mod website or distribution site, and not appear within the Mod itself.
All users must be able to access the Mods in full for free regardless of whether they donate.
We reserve the right to address any inappropriate Mods, including Mods that infringe the intellectual property or privacy rights of others, contain obscene, objectionable, or harmful content, jeopardize the integrity of The Sims 4 gameplay, or otherwise violate the EA User Agreement.
Of course, some trash creators are refusing to abide by the new rules. We’ll see if anything bad happens to them and share it here if it’s particularly amusing.