The Sims is a legendary franchise comprised of more than twenty years of gaming history. However, since 2014, only one game has stood on centre stage where the series is concerned. Recently, a discussion took place during a developer update that confirmed several details about The Sims 5, which has been in development for quite some time but – at present – doesn’t have any kind of a release window.
In October 2022, Electronic Arts announced that The Sims 4 would become free to play, and almost immediately, player numbers skyrocketed on a universal scale. There’s plenty left in The Sims 4’s tank, but players are still eagerly awaiting concrete news on The Sims 5.
It’s All About The Sims
In a post on simscommunity.info, a round-up was posted that summarised everything revealed during Behind The Sims, the most recent update on the state of play for Maxis and EA. It was explained that there’s much more of a focus on making Sims more emotive and animated this time around.
In a line, the Animation Director for The Sims 5, Nawwaf, explained that there’s a vision to enable players to ‘read the room’ based on the animations of Sims, and that starts with their body language.
Right now, we’re experimenting with how little we can get away with. We’re really leaning into just clear, playful and simple visuals that are starting to give us a feel on how much information is too much or too little and see what’s working. We can really better horn in that sweet spot to help you better understand what your Sims are actually talking about.
‘Jill’, Producer at Maxis
There were reveals of prototype scenes, with developers explaining how, from point to point, an entire scene comes to life, consisting of 3D models, audio, scripted behaviours, and animations. It looks as though Maxis desires to make The Sims 5 one of the most open-ended games in the series, enabling any scenario to truly become something unique every time.
And on the subject of uniqueness, the team spoke at length about customisation, showing how elements such as hair are being made more free and fluid than ever before. We’ve been promised a ‘broader neighbourhood’ that’ll be populated with Sims that have defined schedules and routines, reducing aimless wandering and giving even the most ‘insignificant’ Sims a purpose.
There’s no release date for The Sims 5 – also known as Project Rene – but it’s shaping up nicely.
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