The Sims has never had multiplayer, but the fifth installment could change that.
Multiplayer is one of the most requested features in the history of The Sims. From EA’s first attempt with The Sims Online in 2022 to fan-made mods to make it work, the series has never had true cooperative gameplay built into the base game. That could all change with The Sims 5, which EA has finally confirmed is in development. Here’s what we know about The Sims multiplayer and how it could work in the future.
Most of what we know comes from a VentureBeat interview with Laura Miele at GamesBeat Summit 2021. The EA studio officer confirmed that her company is hard at work on developing The Sims 5. She also discussed the growing social element of many popular games.
“…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,” said Laura Miele, EA chief studio officer.
EA has not confirmed whether the game will have multiplayer, but it seems likely based on comments from developers.
Given Miele’s statements, it’s safe to say that The Sims 5 will have major multiplayer components. This could be opportunities to visit friends’ cities or evenly collaborate on a joint world. It’s anyone’s guess how EA will implement the feature, but fans have already set a precedent.
The Sims 5 multiplayer would likely allow players to team up, create characters, and live in the same city.
To see how The Sims multiplayer could work, we can take a look at the most popular fan mod. The Sims 4 Multiplayer mod is the most popular method of adding multiplayer to an existing Sims title. The fan-made creation converts one player’s game into a central server that other players can connect to. After syncing up save games and joining with the mod, up to 12 players can interact within a Sims world. All participants can edit layouts and create custom characters. Multiplayer is difficult to handle in simulation games, but the fan mod is a proof of concept.
Crossplay is a commonly requested feature across games. The Sims 4 is available on a ton of different platforms including PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation. Considering the slow gameplay and simple customization, The Sims would be a good candidate for crossplay, but no plans have been revealed.
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