'The Sims 4' Partners With Supermodel Winnie Harlow to Bring Inclusive Update to the Game
"As a child, I spent a lot of time playing 'The Sims' and I think it’s so beautiful to be able to represent your true self in-game," Harlow said.
Feb. 13 2024, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
For the past few years, the team behind wildly popular life-simulation game The Sims 4 has made it their mission to make the game more inclusive and diverse — an effort that fans have been rallying behind since the title first released in 2014. Not only have recent expansion packs brought new cultures to life through clothing, recipes, decor items, and worlds, but free base-game updates have also been a popular vehicle for the game's newer inclusive features.
Following the pronoun update, as well as the addition of body scars, medical wearables, and more into the game, The Sims 4 is going even further with its newest addition — vitiligo.
'The Sims 4' team partners with Winnie Harlow to add new vitiligo update to the base game.
Vitiligo, an autoimmune condition characterized by loss of pigment in large and often symmetrical patches of skin or hair, will now be added to The Sims 4 base game — and in an exciting move, the team actually partnered with supermodel Winnie Harlow, known for rocking her prominent vitiligo, to commemorate this update.
Winnie, a longtime fan of the Sims franchise, was reportedly thrilled to work with the team to bring this new skin detail to players: “It’s magical to see The Sims 4 team introduce this new Vitiligo feature,” Winnie said. “As a child, I spent a lot of time playing The Sims and I think it’s so beautiful to be able to represent your true self in-game. This partnership is a powerful statement encouraging players to embrace what makes them unique — both in-game and in real life.”
To accompany the vitiligo update, Winnie will also "share styling and interior design inspiration with players through original content like a Simified version of her Hollywood home and a playable, Winnie-inspired Sim," according to The Sims 4 team.
Vitiligo in 'The Sims 4' will be highly customizable.
In order to help Sims players to best create and represent themselves, these new skin details will be available in several different variants with varying levels of symmetry and coverage. Players will also be able to individually chose swatches for their Sim's face, upper and lower torso, arms, and legs for added personalization. And just as in real life, vitiligo can appear in Sims of all stages of life — from infants to elders.
The free vitiligo update will be delivered to the game starting at 1 p.m. EST on February 13, 2024.
