The Sims 4 community is split over EA’s latest policy update for mods

gamesradar.com:

The Sims 4 modding community is currently divided over the latest policy EA has introduced for the game which states players are no longer allowed to charge for their creations. 

As reported by GameSpot (opens in new tab), EA has introduced a new policy for The Sims 4, one that specifically affects modders. According to a recent post titled The Sims 4 - Mods and game updates (opens in new tab), EA says it does "not object to mod developers continuing to share their amazing content", subject to a few conditions. 

One of these conditions includes: Players are not allowed to promote their mods "in a way that suggests they are endorsed by or affiliated with The Sims, Maxis, or Electronic Arts." What this specifically means is that modders can no longer use any game logos or trademarks, including the iconic Plumbob, or key art to promote the mods. However, they can still state that the mods are for "The Sims 4" and/or any specific game expansions. 

The main new policy that has Sims 4 players up in arms though is that "mods must be non-commercial and distributed free-of-charge." Meaning those who offer mods through the likes of the membership platform Patreon, are no longer able to do so. "Mods cannot be sold, licensed, or rented for a fee," the new policy reads, "nor can mods contain features that would support monetary transactions of any type."

The Sims developer Maxis does say however that it "recognizes that creating mods takes time and resources" and so "mod developers may recoup their development costs via passive advertisements and donations" - subject to a few other conditions including: "Passive advertisements and requests for donations must be limited to the mod website or distribution site, and not appear within