'The Sims 4' DLC news: Pets DLC coming; game files reveal codes for DLC

After the reveal of the Vampire and Bowling game packs and the rollout of the Toddler update for "The Sims 4," it looks like Electronic Arts (EA) is nowhere near done from expanding its hit life simulation game.

Sims Community has found tons of references to pets in the game files. There are related state machine nods to animations pertaining to dogs (small and large ones), cats and possibly horses.

The first state machine, JumpOnObject, applies to the dogs, cats and horses while the second one found in "The Sims 4," which is "sitNextTo_Posture," also involves dogs, which were referred to as small and large.

However, as the website continues to dive into the game files, it appeared that horses were no longer being mentioned, which gave them the impression that the animals might end up being removed from "The Sims 4" pet downloadable content (DLC).

References to the species of the pets to expect showed that there will be two for dogs (and four small dogs) and a couple for cats. There was no mention of a horse.

The site suggested that EA may have decided to pull the plug on bringing back the horses or the code for the game pack is still incomplete as work on it could still be well underway.

While it is no surprise that pets are coming to "The Sims 4" — much like toddlers and vampires, these have become staples in the franchise — the addition of horses is also very much welcome.

Horses were added in "The Sims 3" along with cats and dogs. They can race, ride and jump and can even develop a romantic social skill, which could lead to pregnancy.

Whether they will be brought back in "The Sims 4" remains to be seen, but the game files show that EA has plans for them. More details from the datamining should give fans a clearer idea of what the developer has up its sleeve for these beloved animals.