Alternate universe

The Sims 4 exists in an "alternate universe," Sarah Holding on Twitter: “@Tensimoles @TrueSkarrr I would call it an alternate universe...it was the most flexible way for us to keep all your favourite Sims in TS4.”. Retrieved on 4 August 2021. separate from the timeline established in The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3. In the original universe, The Sims 3 is set 25 years before The Sims and 50 years before The Sims 2. The alternate universe might have been created to allow the developers of The Sims 4 more flexibility over the Sims and families that appear in the game. Another theory is that the developers simply forgot about the original timeline or had no time/interest to properly continue the lore.
It has been speculated that the alternate universe of The Sims 4 was created by time travelling in The Sims 3: Into the Future and the time machine from The Sims 3: Ambitions. This also makes sense canonically, as The Sims 3 acts as a prequel to The Sims series and time travel isn't possible in The Sims and The Sims 2.
==Differences between continuities==
===Age differences===
Main Timeline 	Alternate Timeline
In The Sims 3, Mortimer Goth, Bella Goth, and Malcolm Landgraab are all children, and Holly Alto is a teenager. 	In The Sims 4, Mortimer is an adult, Bella is a young adult, and Malcolm is a teen. In the Get Famous expansion pack, Holly Alto is a young adult.
In The Sims 2, Don Lothario, Cassandra Goth, and the Caliente twins are all adults, with Cassandra being the oldest of the group by two days. 	In The Sims 4, Don and the Calientes are young adults, and Cassandra is a teen. Despite Cassandra being younger, her brother Alexander is the same age as he was in The Sims 2.
In The Sims 2, Dirk Dreamer, Dustin Broke, and the Pleasant twins are all teenagers. 	In The Sims 4: Get Famous, Dirk and Dustin are young adults. In The Sims 4: Discover University, Angela and Lilith Pleasant are also young adults.
In The Sims 3, Vincent Skullfinder from MySims appears as a ghost in the Pleasant Rest Graveyard. In MySims, Vincent is alive at the same time as Travis, Summer, Liberty, DJ Candy, and Yuki, so it is likely they would also die in the fifty years between The Sims 3 and 2. 	In The Sims 4, Travis, Summer, Liberty, Candy, and Yuki are all alive and young. Vincent does not appear as a Sim, but is referenced to still be alive if your Sim has a high skill level in Archaeology.
In The Sims 2, Olive Specter married Hugh Thanasia and Ichabod Specter as an elder. Her baby son, Nervous Subject, was taken from her by a social worker. As a teen, Nervous moved in with the Beaker family and started being experimented on. At the start of the game, Nervous is an adult.	In The Sims 4: Life & Death, Olive is an adult, but was already married to Hugh and Ichabod at the start of the game. Olive's son is a teen and was never taken away from her. Since he isn't the Beakers' subject, he goes by his original name: Nyon Specter. More accurate versions of The Sims 2 versions of Olive and her son can be downloaded from Maxis on The Gallery.
===Appearance differences===
Main Timeline 	Alternate Timeline
In The Sims 2, Dirk Dreamer has dark skin, black hair, and blue eyes. 	In The Sims 4: Get Famous, Dirk Dreamer has lighter skin, brown hair, and brown eyes.
In The Sims 3, Holly Alto has light skin, long light brown hair, and green eyes. 	In The Sims 4: Get Famous, Holly Alto has tan skin, short black hair, and brown eyes.
In The Sims 2, Dustin Broke has light skin, dark blue eyes, and the fit body type. 	In The Sims 4: Get Famous, Dustin Broke has tan skin, green eyes, and he is fat.
In MySims, DJ Candy has short brassy blonde hair, green eyes, and freckles. 	In The Sims 4: Get Together, Candy Behr has long light blonde hair with a hot pink ombre, brown eyes, and no freckles.
In MySims, Yuki has black hair with bangs, tan skin, magenta eyes, and two sharp teeth.	In The Sims 4: Get Together, Yuki Behr has teal hair without bangs, light skin, brown eyes, and regular teeth.
In The Sims 2, Olive Specter has no eyebrows. 	In The Sims 4, Olive Specter has eyebrows. A more accurate version of The Sims 2 version of Olive can be downloaded from Maxis on The Gallery.
In The Sims 2, Olive Specter's son Nervous Subject has light skin. 	In The Sims 4, Nyon Specter's skin tone is closer to his mother's.
=== Location differences===
Main Timeline 	Alternate Timeline
In The Sims 2, The Goths, Calientes, and Pleasants live in Pleasantview. 	The Goths live in Willow Creek whilst the Calientes live in Oasis Springs. The Pleasant twins live in Britechester, with their parents and teen selves available to download from the official Maxis page on The Gallery.
Before the start of The Sims 2, Bella Goth disappeared from Pleasantview as a result of an alien abduction. A near identical Sim (also named Bella Goth) can be found in Strangetown, but with none of Pleasantview Bella's memories or relationships.	Bella Goth still lives with her family at the start of The Sims 4. The Goth family bio mentions "Bella's mysterious disappearances", but this is referring to her career as a Secret Agent. While it is possible she will be abducted with the Get to Work expansion, she is no more likely to be abducted than any other sim, and if she is abducted, she will return home without any changes.
In The Sims 2, Agnes Crumplebottom is deceased and buried in Pleasantview. In The Sims 2: Nightlife, a relative of hers named Mrs. CrumpleBottom appears on lots Downtown. 	In The Sims 4: Cottage Living, Agnes Crumplebottom and Mrs. CrumpleBottom have been merged into one character. She appears in Henford-on-Bagley as the Garden Shop Owner with a cousin named Agatha.
In The Sims 2, Olive Specter and her son Nervous live in Strangetown, where her exes appear as ghosts. 	In The Sims 4: Life & Death, Olive Specter and her son Nyon live in Ravenwood. Olive's exes are said to be buried there, but they do not appear in-game.
Pleasantview, Strangetown, and Downtown do not appear as playable locations and are not referenced in any household's description in The Sims 4. While some locations from previous games are referenced in postcards, these three are not.
===Personality differences===
Main Timeline 	Alternate Timeline
In The Sims 3, Malcolm Landgraab is a good, ambitious bookworm. 	In The Sims 4, Malcolm is an evil snob. It is possible the game developers gave him these negative traits to reference the original Malcolm Landgraab from the console version of The Sims.
In MySims, Liberty never mentions reading and will actually avoid book parties since she dislikes Studious.	In The Sims 4, Liberty Lee has the bookworm trait.
In MySims, DJ Candy Supergroove's second interest is Geeky. 	In The Sims 4: Get Together, Candy Behr does not use the stage name "Supergroove" and does not have the geek trait.
In MySims, Yuki's interests are Spooky and Cute, not Geeky. 	In The Sims 4: Get Together, Yuki Behr has the geek trait.
===Relationship differences===
Main Timeline 	Alternate Timeline
In The Sims 2, Don Lothario is engaged to Cassandra Goth after he was rejected by Bella. 	In The Sims 4, Don Lothario does not know Cassandra or Bella, and could not initiate a romantic relationship with Cassandra until she ages up.
In MySims, DJ Candy and Yuki are not related. 	In The Sims 4, Candy Behr is Yuki's older sister.
In The Sims 2, Olive Specter's exes are Earl E. DeMise, Hugh Thanasia, Rigger Mortis, and Ichabod Specter.	In The Sims 4: Life & Death, all of Olive's exes are mentioned. She has an additional living fiancée named Layne Coffin.
 
===Other differences===
Main Timeline 	Alternate Timeline
In The Sims 2, Nighat Caliente is the mother of Nina and Dina. She died as an elder before the start of the game.	In The Sims 4, Katrina Caliente is the mother of Nina and Dina. She is alive and an adult.
Category:Lore
Category:The Sims 4
==References and notes==