Multiplayer has been the talk of the town when it comes to The Sims 5. Whether that be in the form of bringing back co-op, or introducing a full new multiplayer, the prospect is exciting.
Collaborating with friends to create the most well-rounded lives for your sims or living in the same spaces as other players' characters would take the franchise to another level.
Sims 5 Multiplayer
However, since The Sims 5 hasn't even been announced yet, it's difficult to know what for any multiplayer features would take.
In an interview with VentureBeat, EA’s Chief Studio Officer Laura Miele shared new details about The Sims 5 and had the following to say about multiplayer:
"I think that’s one of our biggest opportunities with The Sims is the social connection component that we need to bring to this brand and this franchise. The team is hard at work on the next generation of that experience"
This week, though, Reddit user u/J3ttf posted about how they think The Sims 5 could be a separate game to the multiplayer, leaving the core experience as it for those that want to play alone.
They said "I think The Sims 5 will release soon and will be a separate game to the online one everyone's freaking out over."
There's absolutely nothing to back up these claims, so don't think of it as something that's going to happen, but it's an interesting idea nonetheless.
Sims Online vs. GTA Online
I envisage it taking the GTA Online approach, with a separate Sims Online complimenting The Sims 5 and allowing anyone who wants the traditional experience to stick with the numbered entry.
Since an online component would almost certainly see each town become filled with other real world players, it makes complete sense for that to be separate.
I know from personal experience that lots of Sims fans like to sit in front of some terrible TV and control their sims' lives whenever they lose interest in the show they're supposed to be watching.
An always evolving online Sims 5 would be a frustration for many, no matter how many more features and interesting ideas it would introduce.
An entirely separate Sims Online experience would also allow Maxis and EA to experiment more than they would with the base game.
Live events, which have recently been tried out in The Sims 4, world and map overhauls, and game changing features could all make their debuts there, all while leaving the classic experience as it is.
It would also allow a modding community to thrive, changing the game in whatever way players would like, making for a much more varied Sims title.
It is something that has worked incredibly well for GTA Online, which uses GTA V's world as a starting point for a dramatically different online game.
It has allowed Rockstar to take the game in ways they never could have done before, all while keeping the core gameplay at the centre.
The Future of The Sims
Imagine the standard Sims formula but expanded, with massive worlds filled with the players all trying to live their lives, or the lives of their sims.
Multiplayer will be an exciting component of The Sims 5 if it is included, but it's not going to be for everyone.
Having a complete separation allows fans of the classic experience to enjoy what they love and allows the devs have more fun with multiplayer than if it was just an extra mode.