The Sims 4 is getting paid mods, and a new in-game currency to pay for them

The Sims 4 has officially entered into its paid mods era. Developer Maxis announced The Sims Maker Program, and The Sims 4 Marketplace - two new destinations to publish, and discover new add-on content.

The two new features will arrive first on PC and Mac, starting March 17. PlayStation and Xbox players will receive them over the next couple of months, which is very much in line with how other franchises have rolled out their own paid mods systems.

The Maker Program is a way for community creators to get their work out there, and profit from it. The content they create will end up on the Marketplace, where other players can browse it, and pay for it if they want to use it in their game.

Created content will be available across all platforms. All previous packs The Sims 4 players should be familiar with will move to the Marketplace, too: once the feature launches, this is where you’re going to find Expansion Packs, Game Packs, Stuff Packs, Kits, and other official additions created by Maxis.

Alongside this, the game is also introducing a new virtual currency - Moola - which is what you’re going to use to purchase Maker Packs, as well as Sims 4 Kits in the Marketplace. A portion of your purchase will go to the creator (roughly 30%) of what you buy.

It is worth noting, however, that you’ll still be able to buy Expansion Packs, Game Packs, and Stuff Packs without having to purchase Moola, or go through the Marketplace. Kits are the only items that will no longer be available on the existing PC/console storefronts. Moola comes in the usual denominations you’ve seen a hundred items in other games’ in-game shops.

In order to start creating custom content and publishing it on the Marketplace, you’ll need to first be accepted into the program. Once that’s done, you’ll be able to directly publish your content on the Marketplace.

In the blog post announcing the new features, Maxis said that creators will have control over the price of their content, and how it's packaged. These are referred to as Maker Packs, which can include Create-a-Sim or Build/Buy items.

You can apply to become a Maker from March 5. Once accepted, you’ll also get access to the Maker Suite, which is what you’re going to use to test your work to ensure it runs smoothly on the different platforms, and eventually publish it.