Ooh, a top five list? We’re being daring today! Alright, sarcasm aside on this site we do cover mainly the more lighthearted topics for our ‘top x’ lists. But now we’re doing something a little (and I do mean ‘a little’) more serious. Well, serious to us in The Sims community.
Ever since we covered the fact that EA has pushed The Sims 5 on the backburner, I’ve been stewing over this for a while. Having grown up mainly playing SimCity, I remember how Maxis used to seem to push the envelope with each release. But now, The Sims feels stale.
So, with that in mind, why do we need this change? Let’s dig in and find out!
The Sims 4 is over a decade old
This is probably the most straightforward, yet likely divisive, point. Released in 2014, The Sims 4 has had a lifespan greater than many ‘live service’ contenders. For reference, Overwatch – the great icon of hero shooters that’s now found itself eclipsed and been seen as emblematic of a historic fall – released in 2016.
And The Sims 4 does show its age in terms of technical performance too, something a new engine or more optimised approach would help with. After all, without a total overhaul there’s only so much the platform that TS4 is built on can do.
The Sims needs to set a new precedent
Ever since The Sims 2, the franchise seems to have followed the trend of missing out a number of features only to see them make a return in (paid) expansions. Now, that’s not solely something The Sims as at fault with but a new release that tries to have the same breadth of content as The Sims 4 from the get-go would set a new precedent for the franchise.
The Sims 4 also – although take this with a grain of salt – originally had to row back heavily on multiplayer expectations from EA after the failure of SimCity 2013; the ‘Sims but multiplayer’ concept being one they’ve tried to grasp again with Project Rene.
Building a whole new release from the ground up to appeal to classic Sims fans who’ve been hankering for more would set a new course for the series.
The Formula still works
More than anything, The Sims’ enduring popularity shows that the emergent storytelling and drama of the franchise is evergreen. Whether it’s some truly melodramatic storylines or just watching Sims versions of your favourite characters get up to wacky hijinks.
Both fans who want a serious experience and those that just want to watch the chaos unfold can have an equal amount of fun. And by emphasising that player choice The Sims could bring the whole weight of their franchise popularity to bear.
Tastes have changed
But, by the same token of the last point, tastes have also changed over the years. While The Sims’ overtly wacky nature may have had broad appeal in the past, nowadays many fans want a more serious experience.
And alternative life sims such as Stardew Valley, which also harken back to other competitors such as Harvest Moon, shows that more direct control is also an important point for fans.
But what these lack is the kind of broad, family-by-family and person-by-person life sim approach The Sims has always offered, which leads us to…
The Sims still has the advantage
This is probably one of the most important points: Which is that The Sims still rules the roost. Honestly, which other franchise can really say they’ve remained the standard for a genre over a decade without a new release? The Sims 4 remains the king of the genre, but that can breed complacency.
The Sims still sets the standard for the life sim, and as long as EA and Maxis approach a new release with a more player-friendly mindset instead of trend-chasing as they did initially with The Sims 4, they have a virtually guaranteed success.
But what do you think? Well, unfortunately I can’t hear you through the screen. However, until we find out what kind of influence Project Rene has, or unless Inzoi really gets a foothold, we may be waiting a while to find out whether The Sims 5 is forced out by EA.
