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PlayStation Magazine hints at 2021 release
The Official PlayStation Magazine has listed a few of the games we can expect to release on the PS5 console, and it includes The Sims 5. But, with very few updates on the game since then it seems like a release might be a lot further away.
Development Update On The Sims 5
We haven’t heard much about the development progress of The Sims 5, but EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson made some comments back in February 2020. In CNN’s interview with Wilson, he explained that:
“As Maxis continues to think about The Sims for a new generation across platforms and a cloud-enabled world, you should imagine that while we will always stay true to our inspiration, escape, creation, self-improvement motivation, that this notion of social interaction and competition… will start to become part of the ongoing The Sims experience in the years to come.”
What this hard-to-digest quote actually tells us is that The Sims 5 is being developed to facilitate technologies that are sure to have a big place in the future of gaming.
Sims 5 on Steam
Many Sims players have complained over the years due to having to use Origin to play the game. In recent news, The Sims 4 has made its way to Steam, which means The Sims 5 could very well follow suit. This would be a huge improvement in the view of many players, and will likely continue to be at the least another option for future releases.
Manifesting "Sit Back and Relax" energy for all of 2021! 🙌
Thank you to @Steam and everyone who voted for #TheSims4 in #TheSteamAwards as your moment of zen for 2020. 😊🏆https://t.co/k7K9IgIH7r pic.twitter.com/yh6dljKC5L
— The Sims (@TheSims) January 4, 2021
Next-Gen
With the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X now out in the wild, we can expect The Sims 5 to release on that platform and take advantage and everything on offer with the new system, including fast loading and 4K gameplay. But then, EA has mostly stuck to releasing each Sims game as a PC exclusive for the first few years. If we do see The Sims 5 on next-gen consoles, it may take another couple years.
This isn’t definite either. And with both the PS5 and Xbox 2020 set to break new boundaries in the gaming world, EA might as well adopt a different strategy that encompasses the new consoles.
While we are unsure of what the Standard Edition of Sims 5 will cost although in comparison to Limited Editions of the game, most blockbuster titles that have released in 2020 and 2021 are listed somewhere around the £50 mark, although the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X versions of the game may cost up to £70.
Will The Sims 5 be Open-World?
Unfortunately, an open-world feature hasn’t been confirmed, but in short, it really ought to. The Sims 5 could address the shortcomings of previous entries in the series. One of the best things about life in The Sims 4‘s predecessors is that it felt like your household was part of a much bigger neighborhood.
For some reason, The Sims 4 ditched all of that, so this really needs to be addressed for The Sims 5. If the upcoming project is to exceed expectations, it really needs to blend the open-world elements of The Sims 3 with the variety of landscapes in The Sims 4.
I want a The Sims 5. I want the open map of The Sims 3 with The Sims 4 gameplay
— Aoife (@aoifegr) January 9, 2021
Plot details
As anyone familiar with The Sims franchise already knows, The Sims is at its core a life simulator that allows you to play God and control your characters’ lives, with increasing detail as the franchise has aged. EA has hinted that the new instalment is made with a new generation in mind. What this means though, remains mainly a mystery. There could be a modern update to the long-running franchise. Will this mean increased social media integration into The Sims? Vegan diet options perhaps? Only time will tell with this one.
Expansion packs
- One aspect that stands out in the fanmade trailers is the incredible graphics. This is accurate as we know that The Sims 5 will upgrade significantly on graphics, and add many more customization options to boot. Alongside this will be a bucket load of new features, which has been rumoured to include better vehicles and full neighbourhood customisation. Having features like pets and seasons right from the start could be a welcome change.
- Some fans claim that they’d like to have a few more business options in the title. The expansion pack ‘The Sims 4: Get to Work’ did provide some. However, being able to run your own business would be a plus.
- Online multiplayer is the feature fans have been waiting for years could finally arrive on The Sims 5. In an interview with Forbes, EA’s Andrew Wilson revealed–
“The notion of social interactions and competition like the kind of things that were actually present in The Sims Online many many years ago […] will start to become a part of The Sims experience in the years to come”.
This means it is very likely that online multiplayer will arrive in The Sims 5.
Once the game releases, PC gamers will be able to download the full game through their Origin account. If The Sims 5 follows the same formula as previous editions then PS4 and Xbox One owners will have to wait a little longer as a console edition would not arrive for a few years yet. However, the arrival of next-gen consoles might change things up a bit for The Sims formula.
Release Date
Unfortunately, there is no talk of a release date any time soon, so it’s very unlikely we will be seeing The Sims 5 released this year. The most likely course of action for EA will be to release it later this year or in 2022, but there is no fixed release date as of yet.
