The Sims is a franchise that keeps on growing. The Sims 4 has received a new game pack in the last month and should see a whole new expansion pack next month.
With the announcement of Sims 5 inevitably right around the corner, we have spent some time wondering what the game could give us. One of the best features we could receive are fully-fledged multiplayer aspects, here's how they could work and what makes them so great.
Why Sims Co Op Is Great
I have fond memories of playing The Sims 2 on the PlayStation 2 over a decade ago. One of the great things about it was the ability to play with friends. This experience was heightened by the ability to control your sims with the analog stick.
This is such a simple idea but it helps to immerse you in the world in front of you. Rather than controlling a whole family, it really encourages latching onto your character and living their life.
This changes the way you experience The Sims but in a great way, especially when it's entirely optional. You could still choose to play the game the standard way but giving players options to customize their own experience is what The Sims is all about.
Co op is a very specific mode to the game - one where you work together in some fashion to get further in the game. The Sims 2 had a dedicated single-player mode with its own unique progression, so this might require a similar function for the Sims 5. This being said, we may see multiplayer in some form.
We Might See Multiplayer in Sims 5
In an interview with VentureBeat, light confirmation was made for some form of multiplayer in the game.
Laura Miele spoke about how The Sims has developed over decades. In this, they clarified that the social connection of playing the game is very important to the overall experience. They said that "The team is hard at work on the next generation of tat experience."
It isn't clear what we will see here but we can guarantee at least some basic form of multiplayer, maybe ways of interacting with other people's worlds or social features similar to mobile games where you can send each other things and interact. This being said, it would be great to see so much more.
What Could They Do With It?
The dream for this multiplayer mode would be some form of simultaneous co op. Perhaps, players could visit your house and hang out for a while or maybe you can start a new house together where you can both control your own sims and make your own changes.
This is clearly something fans want, given the popularity of Sims 4's multiplayer mod. This mod is a fan-made addition to the game that allows for multiple people to play together in real-time.
Essentially, one player hosts their world and they can invite others to come over. The host can access buy mode and change the time but the other play can't - a good workaround for this system. With the resources Maxis has available, The Sims 5 could take this system and run with it in an interesting new direction to really give a great experience.