As we told you last week in a previous article, there are pretty serious rumors about the next installment in The Sims series.
Recent statements from Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts, do not contribute to those rumors to subside. EA took advantage of the announcement of the company's financial results to organize a question and answer session. In addition to learning that The Sims 4 has surpassed the mark of 20 million unique players, becoming the best-selling game in the series to date, Andrew Wilson spoke about the future of the license.
One of the questions was about the possibility of releasing a game integrating a multiplayer dimension in the manner of The Sims Online. Here is what Andrew Wilson said:
As Maxis continues to think about The Sims for a new generation – cross-platforms and a cloud of a neighborhood world, you should imagine while we will always stay true to our inspiration, escape, creation, self-improvement, motivations – that this notion of social interactions and competition like the kind of things that were actually present in The Sims Online many many years ago – that they will start to become a part of The Sims experience in the years to come.
These statements seem to confirm something that was foreshadowed thanks to the published job offers: the future of The Sims will be online. The fans of the series have reacted strongly on social networks, some are enthusiastic, others, not so much. It is true that an online dimension would be interesting in a game like The Sims, it would open many possibilities, but also raises some doubts. EA's attempt to create an MMO with The Sims Online was a real failure, so big that the game no longer exists since 2008. Many are also worried about the controversies on the microtransactions, who have been suffered in particular by Star Wars Battlefront II players. If Maxis and EA wish to continue in the current lineage of the license, it is likely that we will have a hybrid game between The Sims 4 and The Sims Online, leaving the possibility for players to continue playing solo. We will still have to wait in order to have more answers.
On a side note, it is not unlikely that Maxis and EA will have surprises ready for The Sims players in the coming week, knowing that the series will celebrate its 20th anniversary tomorrow. As a reminder, on the occasion of The Sims 4's five years, a free update which has added to the game, among other things, the configurable stairs, is available now.
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