The Sims 4 Bans Paid Mods

thegamer.com:

The Sims 4's newest policy update is a controversial one—paid mods are being banned. They were already against the terms of service but new wording has thrown things like early access Patreon mods into flux, while also flat out banning permanently paywalled mods.

"All users must be able to access the mods in full for free regardless of whether they donate," the update stated. "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 time."

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The term 'rented' has the community confused as it's unclear if distributing mods early to Patreons before a full release would classify as 'renting', but so far Maxis hasn't commented. For now, Patreon modders are left unclear on how to proceed, but you can still make money from your mods through advertising and donations. However, "passive advertisements and requests for donations must be limited to the mod website or distribution site, and not appear within the mod itself."

The general stance on paid mods isn't new as this has always been a part of the terms of service, and so EA is simply reinforcing old rules, but paid mods have been thriving during The Sims 4's run. Regardless, EA is clamping down and reinforcing old rules, although new wording is confusing modders.

In the update, EA also explains that redistributing paid mods is allowed, so if you were to purchase CC, you could share it for free. EA likewise could. If you want further clarity, unfortunately, EA help chat can't answer these questions, so it's unclear just exactly what will