The Sims 4 For Rent wasn't designed 'to be edgy' but to draw on reality for a lot of players

techradar.com:

The Sims 4 recently released its newest expansion pack: For Rent. Within this pack, players have the opportunity to develop closer tenant and landlord relationships, explore a new lot type, and introduce an entirely new map for you to explore. All of this is incredibly exciting for an avid Simmer. 

However, while the vast majority of this sounds fine, the realities of rental properties were also translated into the pack. Sims can now face eviction anxiety should they mistreat their property, and malicious mold can now affect the health of your Sims if exposed for too long — arguably two things you don't want to deal with in what is usually a fairly light-hearted simulation game. However, one developer had a good explanation as to why the pack was created in the first place. 

In an interview with PCGamesN, a senior member of the team stressed that the pack wasn't designed «to be edgy.» Senior Sims 4 designer Jessica Croft stated: “I think it’s important for us to be able to approach topics that are a little raw. These are relatable experiences for a lot of folks."

So when approaching the content of the For Rent pack, Croft expressed how the team aimed to «navigate that with caution and respect» rather than continuing The Sims 4's clumsy humor into a serious matter. With that said, this process wasn't entirely easy either, and the team struggled to find an «optimistic lens through which we can portray that story.»

As most expansion packs do, The Sims 4: For Rent builds upon the base game to help make a more immersive experience for players. While it touches on a few topics that do feel more «raw» for players, it also helps introduce the reality that many may be unaware of — earning itself the title of one of the «most