Despite The Sims franchise boasting numerous beloved features, one long-awaited addition has been multiplayer. And after a long demand, it seems like the development team might finally be adding the multiplayer feature with The Sims 5.
The Sims 5, dubbed “Project Rene” while being developed at Maxis, has been in development for several years and is anticipated to be the next big addition to the Sims franchise. In a recent interview with Radio Times, Lyndsay Pearson, Vice President of Franchise Creative at Maxis, highlighted the game’s creative elements and she specifically called attention to the multiplayer mechanics, indicating a major change in the game’s development from previous installments.
Pearson was asked about the possibility of adding multiplayer to the franchise. Her response was optimistic. She discussed the team’s ambition to introduce online multiplayer to The Sims 5 – an addition largely awaited in the franchise’s history:
“We definitely want to introduce multiplayer. And not multiplayer in the big, scary ‘jump in a world full of strangers’ kind of way. But literally, how do you and your friends want to do some play together? And there’s a lot of different flavors that could take, so we’re exploring a lot of different spaces there.“
Pearson expressed the Maxis team’s enthusiasm for exploring various opportunities because ‘social’ can encompass a wide range of interactions. There are multiple ways through which Maxis could introduce multiplayer dynamics to The Sims 5, and Pearson cited Animal Crossing as a potential model for what could be achieved. In Animal Crossing, players craft their own customizable ‘island,’ and other players can visit it.
She said, “[we] talk about Animal Crossing all the time, because it is such a good example of my little space, my little island, but I can invite you over. And we’ve seen throughout the last few years of Animal Crossing, people inventing ways to play together that the game doesn’t specifically support, but they’ve made up scavenger hunts or whatever, which is amazing…or people who hosted talk shows on Animal Crossing, I think it is incredible, right?”
While the specifics of multiplayer functionality in The Sims 5 are yet unknown, it’s reasonable to expect it will be a prominent feature in this new generation of The Sims, a franchise that has existed for over two decades.
The Sims stands as one of the most beloved video game franchises, allowing players to build families, careers, and worlds within an endless cycle of gameplay and experiences. With frequent new DLC packs offering pets, professions, and more, fans of the franchise never run out of new activities. The Sims 5 is among the most highly anticipated upcoming releases in the gaming sphere. Given that The Sims 4 debuted back in 2014, gamers are eagerly awaiting to explore the world of The Sims 5.
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