News Article
Developer talks about the new update and Winnie Harlow collaboration
Sul Sul, Simmers! I’m Ash and I’m thrilled to introduce you to the newest addition to Skin Details in Create-A-Sim: Vitiligo!
Skin Details in The Sims 4
Skin details are an important area of focus for the dev team as we remain committed to expanding representation in The Sims 4. Birthmarks, stretch marks, scars, and freckles have empowered our players to tell diverse and authentic stories, and today's update continues with these efforts. We have known for a while we wanted to add Vitiligo to the game, and we spent a lot of time learning about it and considering how to authentically provide it to players.
Bringing Vitiligo In-Game
When it came to Vitiligo in The Sims, we knew we wanted to start with providing a range of patterns showing different levels of coverage and symmetry. Our Concept Artist and Art Director collaborated to design a diverse set of patterns across faces, torso sections, and limbs. In our research, we found that depigmentation may have clear edges and some edges may be darker and irregular. Affected skin can be absolutely white, or can be pink or varying shades lighter than the surrounding skin. Since vitiligo affects people of all ethnicities and skin types, our Senior Character Artist intentionally created the first assets to work with a Sim's skin tone. As you cycle through the shades and change from warm to neutral to cool, the color of your Sim’s Vitiligo will adjust to change with it.
Vitiligo can begin to appear early in infancy and as you age your patches can expand and change, so we knew we wanted to provide this feature to all ages, from infants to elder Sims. The patterns of patches could warp in shape if they were simply converted for each frame of Sim, so our Character Artist who expanded the selection ensured that they stayed consistent across bodies. In all, our artists developed 61 Vitiligo variants across all ages for this first release. Our team of developers, dedicated to The Sims 4 Base Game, is beyond grateful for the talent and time provided to us by the artists and their dedication to the quality of every asset they create.
How It Works
After you download today’s update, you’ll find the new Vitiligo assets in Create-A-Sim. Go to the Skin Details category for either the Face or Body. The new assets will show up right before the Birthmarks that were delivered with the Growing Together Base Game update. You can choose patches for your Sim’s face, upper torso, lower torso, arms, and legs. Several Vitiligo patterns will have more than one variant - you can choose whether you want to start with a less prominent part of the pattern at first or start with the full pattern. All ages will have access to the same pieces, so your choices can stay the same as they age or you can change them over time.
Winnie Harlow Partnership
The Sims 4 team is partnering with supermodel and beauty entrepreneur Winnie Harlow to introduce this new update. Winnie, who was an avid The Sims player during her youth, is excited to share styling and interior design inspiration with players through an original content piece that showcases a Simified version of the fashion model’s Hollywood home. She gives a room-by-room tour of her dream home and talks about what this level of in-game representation with the Vitiligo feature means to her. Simmers can download her home from the gallery as well as play with the Winnie-inspired Sim.
“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.”
F.A.Q.
Can I choose the color of my Sim’s Vitiligo?
Can I change my Sim’s Vitiligo pattern? Or, can I add or remove it later?
Can the shape of the Sim’s pattern change based on their body?
Will Vitiligo affect my Sim during gameplay?
Can Vitiligo layer with other Skin Details?
Why can’t Vitiligo layer with Birthmarks?
Will Vitiligo affect my Sim’s Body Hair color?