The Sims 4 legend behind piracy tool rendering nearly $1,500 of DLC totally free quits town and takes his loot with 'em, players pay tribute as copycats immediately try to charge for alternatives

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The Sims 4 legend behind piracy tool rendering nearly $1,500 of DLC totally free quits town and takes his loot with 'em, players pay tribute as copycats immediately try to charge for alternatives News By Anna Koselke published 21 November 2025

"Guess I'm never playing The Sims again"

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The Sims 4 community is truly going through it right now, as one of the most iconic figures – pirate king Anadius himself – seemingly departs from all social media and leaves his DLC unlocker tool for EA's notoriously expensive game defunct.

If you're unfamiliar with Anadius, he was the creator behind the "Sims 4 Updater" – a tool many players used to pirate all of the expansions (we're talking kits, game packs, you name it) for The Sims 4. It's been around for quite some time now, and although Anadius has a bit of a reputation as a take-no-flak kind of guy, the Sims 4 Updater saved users a whopping $1,449.05 (yes, that's how much The Sims 4 expansion packs cost) in DLC money.

Anadius is gone permanently this time... wtf happened? from r/PiratedGames

Anadius hasn't stepped down without leaving a goodbye message, however. As noted on Reddit, his farewell post reads as follows: "I decided to step down. Don't pester my close friends, till the end I acted like an asshole I am and haven't told them the reason why either." He then explains that, while the "Sims 4 Updater is dead dead," source code for his DLC unlocker tools "is safe with the moderation team."

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According to the pirating legend, the moderators can "share it with anyone willing to update them (in case they break)." Unsurprisingly, the Sims 4 fanbase is in shambles. Under the final thread online from Anadius – with him having scrubbed all others before it – players gather to mourn the loss of free, albeit pirated, DLC. "I will forever be grateful for you," writes one sad Simmer. Another says, "Welp. Guess I'm never playing The Sims again."

The debacle doesn't end there, though. Simmerella, a prominent creator of Sims 4 mods, is taking on the hard work of keeping pirating of EA's downloadable content alive, as per her Patreon – but there's a catch. As the community notes in a separate post, Simmerella's DLC unlocker comes with a twist: "...you have to pay for their Patreon to get DLCs on the release day." Anadius's tool was entirely free, and fans had immediate access to expansions on launch.

Someone took over anadius tools and you have to pay for their Patreon to get DLCs on the release day lmfao 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀November 21, 2025

Understandably, players are now even more upset. "So it basically destroys the whole purpose of what Anadius stood for and what pirating is about," comments one such fan. Another adds, "I had no love for him, but this feels disrespectful to what Anadius stood for as a person." I get where they're coming from as a longtime Simmer myself – although I obviously can't just advocate for piracy outright. But, it's tough out here, folks.

It's especially tough as a Sims stan, from the thousands of dollars of expansions to the fact that we aren't getting another mainline game, as EA admitted in the past that it has no plans for a Sims 5 – and Anadius's departure feels like another nail in the coffin.

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The Sims 4 fans left baffled as rumors suggest EA's latest life sim entry could be getting a remaster, despite ongoing support: "What will they be remastering exactly?"

TOPICS EA CATEGORIES PC Gaming Xbox Series X PS5 Xbox One PS4 Platforms Xbox PlayStation Anna KoselkeSocial Links NavigationStaff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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