The Sims 5 could include online social features similar to those that were found in the now defunct The Sims Online, according to EA CEO Andrew Wilson. Running from 2002 to 2008, The Sims Online featured a player-run economy and let players interact with one another and move their Sims to several distinct cities.
The Sims 4 has been around since 2014, and while it’s still going strong, there’s reason to suspect that The Sims 5 isn’t too far away. Recent job listings at developer EA Maxis Studios point to a new Sims game in the works. Interestingly, the job ad specified that the studio was looking for someone with “experience running a live service,” which points even more clearly toward a partially online Sims 5.
Whenever The Sims 5 makes its appearance, it’s likely to incorporate some elements taken from The Sims Online, according to an earnings call shared by SimsCommunity. In it, EA CEO Andrew Wilson says that online features will be implemented in The Sims “in the years to come.” Specifically, Wilson references the “social interactions and competition” from The Sims Online making their way into other games. As he points out, the Sims community is already very social, with players connecting on social media to share their own experiences in the games. From there, adding social interaction into the Sims itself seems like a natural step.
Despite the likelihood of The Sims 5 on the horizon, it doesn’t seem like EA is giving up on The Sims 4 just yet. Recently, The Sims 4 surpassed 20 million players worldwide, showing that six years after its release, the game continues to attract new players. EA has also remained at work on The Sims 4, regularly adding updates both large and small. In the past year alone, The Sims 4 has gotten several well-received DLC packs, including Realm of Magic and Discover University.
Although it’s a solo game, a large part of the appeal of The Sims is sharing unique in-game experiences with other players. It makes sense that EA would want to bring that social aspect into the game itself rather than having players connect on other platforms. While The Sims Online ultimately didn’t work out, its developers have learned a lot in the ensuing years just as the community around the games has expanded, giving Sims fans plenty of good reasons to be excited about the multiplayer potential of The Sims 5.
Source: SimsCommunity