During a recent earnings call (via SimsCommunity), EA Head Andrew Wilson discussed the future of the Sims franchise and what to expect from the new generation of the Sims in The Sims 5. According to Wilson, the next iteration of the game could potentially incorporate online features, not unlike those in the short-lived and relatively unsuccessful MMO The Sims Online.
“But a few things are in fact true over the years,” Says Wilson during the call, “One is that the Sims community continues to grow and with the broad of social platforms continue to connect with each other and share what they do – in and around the game they play. And we’ve seen that manifest in The Sims Online which was a more social experience for us. And we’re also seeing that the competition nature of The Sims is also rising and we’re seeing people compare and contrast. Not competition in an original sport sense but how they create and what they create and how they use their imaginations and what they’re able to build inside of these Sims universes.”
What this may mean for The Sims 5 is that we see cross-platform gameplay in order to maximise connectivity between players as well as a cloud of neighborhoods to visit and the addition of more competitive gameplay mechanics. Elements of the Sims experience that were, according to Wilson, “actually present in The Sims Online many, many years ago.”
So far the response from fans has been fairly positive when it comes to EA’s decision to embrace the social engagement of the Sims community that has kept the Sims 4 thriving since its original release in 2014. Though we don’t have any idea when to expect a new installment in the Sims franchise, Wilson assures us that EA is “very excited” going forward, which is certainly good news for fans of the series at the very least.
