Much-requested feature finally rolls out
Electronic Arts has finally launched its long-awaited Custom Pronoun update for its popular sandbox lifestyle simulator The Sims 4. The new update, available now on PC and console platforms, offers a selection of pronouns that players can now afford their community of in-game Sims.
When creating a new Sim, players can now select a new option labeled “Hello, my name and pronouns are…” in order to name their character and their respective pronouns. Players can currently choose from “He/Him,” “She/Her,” “They/Them,” or “Custom,” which allows full control over Subjective, Objective, Possessive Dependent, Possessive Independent, and Reflexive forms of the character’s pronouns.
The developer notes that the update is currently only available in English, and more information regarding bringing custom pronouns to other language editions will be released as and when it is available. “There is a lot of complexity around how different languages and cultures use pronouns,” read the official patch notes, “so we’ll need additional time to research how to properly integrate grammar rules into other languages that the game is available in.”
Additionally, developer Maxis notes that The Sims 4 pronoun update is a work in progress, and as such players might initially experience occasional grammatical errors such as “They likes” instead of the correct “They like.” The team at Maxis will be adjusting incidents such as these as the update rolls out.
This update, produced in conjunction with LGBTQ+ friendly organizations It Gets Better and GLAAD, will no doubt be incredibly beneficial to trans, non-binary, and other LGBTQ players within The Sims 4‘s expanded community. In recent years, we have certainly started to see these options become a little more commonplace in gaming’s custom character creators, and hopefully, more developers and publishers will add this simple but important feature to their titles in the future.
The Sims 4 is available now on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms.
Chris Moyse
Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse
