Colorful tiles, purple trees, and adorable axolotls; we must be in the beautiful world of Ciudad Enamorada! If you're looking to learn more about the lovely locales built by community creators for  The Sims™ 4 Lovestruck Expansion Pack–we’ve got you!

Our latest expansion pack for The Sims 4 takes us on a journey of romance to the charming, Mexico City-inspired world of Ciudad Enamorada. To bring more authenticity to the game, we partnered with community creators Fritosaurio, Shikiuv and RusticSims who populated the world with a variety of homes and community lots. Even if your Sims end up feeling more “lovelorn” than “Lothario”, heartbreak feels good in a place like this.

To learn more about the creation process behind their builds and all there is to explore in Ciudad Enamorada, we sat down with these talented Simmers to get all the details!

Fritosaurio

David–more commonly known as Fritosaurio–designed three lots: Mansión de la Pasión in Vista Hermosa, the gym SUDOR in Nuevo Corazón, and park lot of Media Naranja in Plaza Mariposa. He was born and raised in Mexico City and has been creating gaming content since 2013 on YouTube and Twitch. The Sims has remained one of his favorite video games since his adolescence. He loves the diversity of Mexican culture and everything related to its history, gastronomy, music, and style. He’s passionate about technology, but when he’s not in front of the computer, he spends his time meditating, learning languages, reading, and listening to music.

THE SIMS TEAM: First off, let’s talk love. This season is all about celebrating romance; what romantic stories do you imagine Simmers could play in your lots?

FRITOSAURIO: Players could have their Sims meet their next crush at the gym, take them on a captivating romantic date in the park, and then move them into the house I built to start a lovely family.

THE SIMS TEAM: What design decisions did you make to ensure that the homes in this expansion pack felt unique and distinct from previous expansion packs?

FRITOSAURIO: I enjoy incorporating curved walls into my creations and making them a significant part of the design of each building. I don’t see that a lot in the lots of other packs and wanted to include it.

THE SIMS TEAM: What was your favorite part about the collaboration process?

FRITOSAURIO: I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with two great content creator friends: Shikiuv and RusticSims. I also valued the approach and communication with The Sims dev team and their guidance throughout the whole building process.

Shikiuv

Vanessa–more commonly known as Shiki–built the López family home and Laguna del Abrazo in Vista Hermosa as well as Dynamic Daters in Plaza Mariposa. Shiki is a Mexican Simmer with a background in bacteriology and parasitology, who loves building and playing with occult Sims. She loves sweet crepes, sleeping, and alpacas--she even has a collection of alpaca plushies! Right after graduating, she started playing The Sims 4 and was most drawn to building. Shiki remembers spending her nights watching how-to building tutorials and falling asleep excited to test her skills the next day. To this day, she still loves building, as it's an activity that allows for a temporary escape from the stresses of adult life. There's nothing that a night of The Sims + S-pop can't fix!

THE SIMS TEAM: What is something you knew you wanted to add to Ciudad Enamorada to make it feel authentic and alive?

SHIKI: The world in general I liked a lot, and found is really similar to Mexico City. I knew I wanted to include buildings that are more colorful, as well as more trees and green areas.

THE SIMS TEAM: Household lots have a ‘story’ about The Sims that will be living in them. How did these stories inform your design choices?

SHIKI: I thought about what a Sim would like. Their personalities guided me in designing and decorating the houses, especially their bedrooms. It was quite fun to imagine the Sims living there and doing their crazy things and experiencing their romances.

THE SIMS TEAM: Laguna del Abrazo is such a unique location for a date night or a night out! What are some of your favorite details?

SHIKI: Definitely my favorite detail is the small stage, I really enjoy doing that kind of thing in these constructions, plus the wall with pictures in front of the tables, those are my favorite things.

RusticSims

RusticSims built La Suite del Flechazo and Mirador del Amor in Nuevo Corazón, and Villa Cálida in Plaza Mariposa. She hails from one of the most commercially and historically important Mexican cities of Veracruz. An avid fan of Mexican decoration and world architecture, she enjoys creating and transforming environments that exist around her and finds it appealing to put together a puzzle when it comes to constructing the most complex and impressive castles, mansions, haciendas, and houses.

She had always wished to see the folklore of her country reflected in the game and to share it with the world. RusticSims has been a fervent fan of The Sims franchise going back to The Sims 2, which allowed her to experiment with architecture, experience fantastic stories, and spend thousands of happy hours gaming.

THE SIMS TEAM: This pack draws a lot of inspiration from Mexico and Mexico City, is there something you see a lot in the region that you just had to include in your design?

RUSTICSIMS: I felt like I had to put everything in the package into my designs, which I didn't hesitate to do. I’m fascinated with magical colors such as Mexican pink–vibrant like love–and the greenery of Mexico's nature with cacti and succulents. The interior objects such as the Acapulco chairs, the typical furniture from Guadalajara Equipales, windows with borders of 19th century Mexican history give an authentic Mexican atmosphere to the pack.

THE SIMS TEAM: Mirador del Amor has such a particular vibe, can you describe how you approached designing a public place that feels universal while still having some regional flair throughout?

RUSTICSIMS: This building in particular is a puzzle of styles from CDMX (Mexico City) and my city, Veracruz, mixing the past with a little industrial and bohemian style, with the intention of creating a building with exteriors from the past. I added a Garden which we know in my city as “Portal,” a corridor where Sims can interact and enjoy the warm climate of the city while having interesting conversations. With the interiors, I wanted to provide a romantic, flirtatious and mysterious atmosphere where Sims can feel comfortable interacting and relaxing to the rhythm of the night.

THE SIMS TEAM: Were there any assets from the build/buy of this pack that you knew you wanted to include?

RUSTICSIMS: I always wished that there would be many Sims objects inspired by my country–most of all the equipales. With this Expansion Pack, we have equipale chairs in the game! I am fascinated by the idea of being able to include them in future constructions that can range from haciendas to a tropical beach bar.

THE SIMS TEAM: Alright, last question for each of you. Which lot are you most proud of, and why?

FRITOSAURIO: I love the park (Media Naranja)! I've always loved to see a public space full of Sims interacting.

SHIKI: The López house, when I read the stories of the families was the one that caught my attention the most, plus their house is on a lot that I really liked because it reminds me of the place where I lived, surrounded by buildings, I really liked how it turned out, as it has a very familiar and colorful vibe, which is what I like to create the most.

RUSTICSIMS: I feel proud to be able to express my love for my country, which is surrounded by diverse cultural expressions that make it authentic and unmatched. Villa Cálida embodies the fusion of art, color, and modern Mexican architecture, which I was able to blend with exciting new interior and exterior objects to create a romantic and cozy atmosphere that feels true to Mexico.

Thank you to Simmers Fritosaurio, Shikiuv and RusticSims for building these beautiful lots and taking the time to dive into the world of Ciudad Enamorada with us! Check them out for yourself in The Sims 4 Lovestruck Expansion Pack. By partnering with our community, we craft more immersive worlds, tell more relatable stories, and open doors to new and different ways of living through play. Our players make The Sims every day. They play to express their individualities, interests and aspirations. They inspire us to keep innovating and improving. They’re creators in every sense of the word. They’re you!

The Sims 4 Lovestruck Expansion Pack is available for purchase beginning July 25, 2024, for PC via EA app™, Mac® via Origin, Epic Games Store and Steam®, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One systems.