Within the bracket of video games, there are some franchises that have earned a legendary status over the years, becoming icons of the virtual world. Among this treasured selection isThe Simsseries, a sandbox game appealing to those who may never have owned a console or felt a pull towards skill-based titles.
Comprised of four main games and several spin-offs,The Simshas been going strong for over twenty years, originating from an era that saw the birth of PlayStation 1 and the original Xbox. The creative freedom of Electronic Art’s beloved publication has garnered a huge fan base, many of whom have followed the series up untilThe Sims 4, released in 2014. However, after seven years of silence from EA, fans are now beginning to speculate whetherThe Sims 5is just a fool’s hopefor the future.
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The Sims Series
Released at the turn of the century,The Simswas one of the first games to encapsulate a feeling of real life, enabling players to design their dream houses and project their own desires onto their virtual counterparts. This ability to live an alternate fantasy life through mini people generated an immersive experience for players, with a slightly addictive edge. AsThe Simsgrew in popularity, EA began to develop expansion packs for the game, eventually releasing a total of seven. These included unique added content such as pets, magical elements, and new maps for players to enjoy.
AlthoughThe Sims 4is a vastly improved game compared toThe Sims 1, there are elements of it that are becoming outdated. To combat this, EA developed11 purchasable expansion packsfor the game, which include fresh content and new maps. Despite adding exciting new content as recently as the summer of 2021, this does not hide the fact thatThe Sims 4is now seven years old, with much of its gameplay having been experienced by players many times over. WithThe Sims’space growing stagnant since the latest expansion pack, fans can be forgiven for expecting an announcement from EA on the much-anticipated fifth installment of the series.
No official announcement forThe Sims 5has occurred so far, leaving only hints and rumors to go on. The first major hint was a series of comments made by CEO Andrew Wilson at EA’s Q3 FY20 earning calls conference, back in January 2020. During the conference, Wilson heavilyhinted thatThe Sims 5was in the initial stages of pre-production and that a future installment could see both single-player and multiplayer components. Another scrap of evidence, first circulating on Reddit, was a job listing for a senior character artist. This job listing was posted last year byThe Simsdevelopment company, Maxis, with the purpose of working on a “new, unannounced title.”
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The idea ofThe Sims 5being a multi-player game is not altogether a surprising one, since a lot of games released nowadays are either multiplayer or online. This is not the first time EA has ventured down the path of a multiplayerThe Sims, with a failed attempt at creating an online version of the game in two thousand and two. This game, later titledEA Land, received negative feedback from players and was compared to a giant chat room, before being canceled six years after its release. Another positive feature players would love to see again would be an open-world map with minimal loading screens, as wasexperienced inThe Sims 3. Paired with an online mode, this combination would placeThe Sims 5in very high esteem.
Eleven years on from its initial release and seven years on from its latest installment,The Simshas captured the hearts of millions, but is starting to test people’s patience. Judging by the amount of time in between each title of the series getting released, with only five years in betweenThe Sims 3andThe Sims 4,The Sims 5is overdue an official announcement. If the rumors and hints dropped byElectronic Art’s CEOare anything to go by, the fifth installment to the series should be on its way, if it is not already.
The Sims 4is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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