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The Sims 4 Marketplace has a quality-control problem - despite EA's own quality standards. By Queenie 24 hours ago 12 views The Sims 4 Marketplace is supposed to offer approved, game-ready content from community Makers. However, a growing collection of reported problems is raising questions about its quality control. EA says Maker content is reviewed before it reaches the Marketplace. In fact, its own Maker Program information states that created content is reviewed to make sure it meets quality standards. Yet players are finding texture problems, missing shadows and incorrectly configured objects in paid Maker Packs. Some of these reports have even been verified by EA. A new Maker Pack is already facing texture complaints. One of the latest complaints involves the recently released Note Nook: After School Study Maker Pack by icemunmun. On September 21, a player shared screenshots of the Note Nook Homework Desk on the official EA Forums. They reported that the desk has poor-looking textures across every available swatch. The original EA Forums report includes several in-game screenshots showing the issue. At the moment, this particular complaint has not been verified by EA. Therefore, it remains a player report rather than a confirmed bug. However, it is far from the only quality issue reported with paid Maker content. EA has already verified several visual problems. The official Sims Marketplace bug tracker contains other problems that EA has formally marked as Verified. For example, players reported visible white seams across wallpapers from the Haussmann Walls & Floors Maker Pack by Syboulette. The lines repeat across the wallpaper pattern and affect multiple swatches. Players later reported similar seams on the pack's Chevron Parquet flooring. EA Community Manager EA_Solaire changed the report's status to Verified. That makes this more than a matter of personal taste. EA has acknowledged the issue through its own bug-report system. Hanging plants shipped without shadows. Another verified problem affects the Little Plant & Garden Shop Maker Pack by SixamCC. According to the EA Forums report, all of the pack's hanging plants appear without shadows. The problem affects the objects both indoors and outdoors. Once again, EA reviewed the report and changed its status to Verified. For Build/Buy content, missing shadows can make an object look noticeably disconnected from the environment around it. It is also particularly interesting because shadow maps are specifically listed among the files Build/Buy creators are expected to work with as part of the Maker Program. EA's official application requirements include diffuse, normal, specular and shadow maps for submitted Build/Buy assets. Other Maker Packs have configuration problems too. Not every quality problem is purely visual. A console table from the Soft Minimalism Living Collection by simspancake has a snapping point facing the wrong direction. That means an item placed into that slot can face incorrectly when it snaps into position. EA has also marked this report as Verified. Meanwhile, the Marketplace bug tracker currently lists other verified issues. These include switched black hair swatches in Miiko's Sweet Summer pack and an incorrectly named object in SixamCC's Little Plant & Garden Shop. Individually, these are relatively small errors. Together, however, they raise a larger question about what happens during the Marketplace review process. EA says Maker content must meet quality standards. The important part is that Marketplace content is not presented as ordinary third-party custom content. Makers use official tools and must first pass a technical evaluation before joining the program. EA's own Maker Program information says Maker content is reviewed to make sure it meets quality standards. It also says Makers must successfully complete a technical evaluation before they can participate. EA has separately explained that Makers use official tools to produce Marketplace-ready content which meets technical, quality and content standards before collections are submitted for review. The official Marketplace help page also describes Maker Packs as quality-approved by The Sims team. That makes visible defects in paid Maker Packs harder to dismiss as the normal risks of downloading unofficial custom content. Players are also questioning how quickly Maker bugs get fixed. There is another concern. A recent discussion on the EA Forums points out that many Maker Pack bug reports receive very few votes compared with major Base Game problems. The player highlighted issues including incorrect thumbnails, duplicate swatches, visual wallpaper problems and incorrectly tagged assets. They questioned whether smaller Marketplace reports could struggle to receive attention because EA often uses player votes when prioritising bugs. That does not mean EA is deliberately ignoring Marketplace problems. However, there are already verified Maker Pack bugs sitting on EA's own tracker. Meanwhile, new paid content continues to arrive regularly. So, does The Sims 4 Marketplace have a quality-control problem? There is no evidence that every Maker Pack has problems. Many players use Marketplace content without encountering noticeable issues. However, EA's own bug tracker now contains multiple verified defects across packs from different creators. The newest Note Nook complaint adds another potential example. That matters because players are not simply downloading free custom content at their own risk. Maker Packs are sold through an official EA storefront using Moola, and EA says the content goes through its review process. Players are therefore entitled to expect the finished items to meet the standards EA itself has set. The question now is whether these defects are occasional mistakes slipping through an otherwise effective review process, or a sign that The Sims 4 Marketplace needs stronger quality control before paid content goes live.

EA SPORTS FC 27 is here - and The Grounds could be its biggest talking point. EA Sports FC 27 adds The Grounds, a rebuilt transfer market and a free Lite edition. Discover the new features and platform restrictions. The latest instalment of EA's football series introduces a social playground, overhauls Career Mode and adds a free Lite edition. There is plenty to explore, although some of its most interesting features depend on which console you own. Football games have spent years trying to reproduce the atmosphere of the world's great stadiums. EA Sports FC 27, released worldwide on 25 September 2026, is taking a rather different approach with The Grounds, a new social football playground that allows players to work their way from informal kickabouts towards the bigger stage. Discover more It's the headline addition to an instalment that also brings a rebuilt Career Mode transfer market, fresh Ultimate Team features and gameplay changes. There's even a free Lite edition for anyone who fancies discovering whether their footballing ability extends beyond shouting instructions at the television. The Grounds is arguably the most interesting development, particularly for players who enjoy the social side of football gaming. There is, however, a catch for anyone still playing on older hardware. The Grounds brings street football into FC 27. The Grounds introduces an environment built around playing, competing and connecting with other football fans. Players can take part in informal Kickabouts, compete in one-on-one matches or join friends in Clubs. Renowned football mentors are also part of the experience, helping players develop their abilities as they progress. Discover more Video Game Development The idea is to create a football playground that extends beyond conventional matches, giving players opportunities to develop and express their own footballing identities on and off the pitch. EA considers it one of the series' most significant mode innovations in years. "The Grounds, one of our biggest mode innovations in years, introducing a new social football playground where players can compete, connect, and express themselves on and off the pitch," said Nick Wlodyka, SVP and Group GM of EA Sports FC. The important restriction is that The Grounds, including Clubs, is available only on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2. Players on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the original Nintendo Switch won't have access to the new mode. Career Mode gets a more involved transfer market. For those who prefer building a football club to testing their reflexes against strangers, Career Mode has received some substantial attention. The rebuilt Transfer Market introduces active bidding between clubs and player valuations enhanced by TransferRoom. Negotiations now include performance-related and buy-back clauses, offering managers additional ways to structure deals. Player development is changing, too. Dynamic overall ratings, or OVRs, now respond to form, morale and fitness across every club. That should give managers more to consider than a player's numerical rating when deciding who deserves a place in the starting eleven. EA has also introduced a standalone web portal through which players can build, play and share custom scenarios. Community-created and curated Manager Live Creator Challenges will appear throughout the season. For Career Mode regulars, the appeal lies in having more decisions to make away from the pitch, particularly when handling transfers and responding to a squad's changing circumstances. Ultimate Team adds a Gallery and new player items. Football Ultimate Team returns with another reason to hold on to those player items. The new FUT Gallery allows players to curate Sets containing past and present Player Items. Building these collections increases their Gallery Level, earns rewards and provides another way to establish their club's identity. Holographic variants and Hall of FUT Player Items are also being introduced, while streamlined Squad Building Challenges should make exchanging items more straightforward. Players who prefer avoiding online opposition haven't been overlooked. New Single Player Live Events provide additional challenges within Ultimate Team. On the pitch, FC 27 introduces dynamic corners, improved attacking awareness and changes to defending designed for competitive play. EA is also promising more fluid and realistic gameplay, although how successfully those changes translate into individual matches will ultimately be judged by players. FC 27 Lite offers a free way to get started. EA is also attempting to make its football series more approachable with FC 27 Lite, a free-to-download version containing a limited selection of the full game's modes. At launch, players can access Kick-Off, Learn to Play, Online Friendlies and Online Seasons. The selection gives newcomers an opportunity to understand the controls and experience both offline and online football before deciding whether to purchase the complete game. An EA Account and persistent internet connection are required, and content availability may vary by territory and over time. For EA Play members, there's another route into the full game: a ten-hour trial, with progress carrying over should they decide to purchase it. Members also receive a 10 per cent discount on eligible EA digital purchases, including the full game and FC Points. FC 27 arrives alongside the FC Mobile 27 Season Update and Anniversary Event, extending the new season to mobile players. A bigger football world, but check your platform. EA Sports FC 27 features more than 21,000 players representing over 800 clubs and national teams, with 140 stadiums and more than 35 leagues. Its licensed football content is supported by over 300 global football partners. There's also a 120-track soundtrack featuring artists from 36 countries, continuing the series' longstanding relationship with emerging and established musical talent. The full game is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. For returning players, the significant developments are likely to be the rebuilt transfer system, Ultimate Team's new collecting mechanics and, above all, The Grounds. Just remember that buying the latest football game doesn't necessarily mean getting every new feature. This season, the hardware you're playing on matters almost as much as the players you're controlling. Andy Devaney is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sustain Health Magazine, an editor and all-round media man with more than two decades' experience in newspaper and magazine journalism. Over the years he has steered Sustain Health from a niche passion project into an award-winning health and fitness title, recognised for its coverage of sport, wellness, lifestyle and celebrity culture. Andy's own health and fitness journey kicked off in earnest just before his 40th birthday, after years of slogging through fad diets and "miracle" products. That experience pushed him to cut through the industry noise, separate fact from fiction and give readers straight, honest information about what actually works. Today, he uses Sustain Health as a platform to do exactly that - interrogating trends, testing products and telling readers what's worth their time, money and effort.