The Sims 4 is an upcoming open world life and social simulation game. It will be the fourth installment in The Sims series. Electronic Arts announced the game on May 6, 2013 and is scheduled to be released in June 27, 2014. The game is also a complete reboot to the franchise.
Background[]
On April 25, 2013, several screenshots from mock-up flash videos of the user interface were leaked online. On May 3, 2013, Electronic Arts sent out an e-mail to several fansites stating that there would be a big announcement on May 6, 2013, which many have speculated to be The Sims 4.
In July 2013, it was revealed that The Sims 4 will reboot the franchise and will not have relations with the previous games. It was also revealed that the Sims' names will have realistic names.
According to EA, The Sims 4 is destined to be their biggest open world game to date. It was revealed that the game's default world will be 1420 square miles large. Unlike the previous games, the world is an island with a large environmental variation, similar to the Just Cause 2's world. Creating an new world or editing one will be possible with in-game tools which will be featured in a future patch.
Direct Control, which was featured in the console versions of The Urbz: Sims in the City and The Sims 2, will be present on The Sims 4, however, players will also be able to use the classic control mode.
A Story mode will also be present in the game, similar to the console versions of previous games. Criterion revealed that the game's storyline will be based on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS versions of The Sims games. Although they will optimize the storyline for the rating and for the game's capabilities.
The game's jobs and specific commercial areas will not be an rabbit hole object anymore, it will be possible to customize them as if it were a commercial or residential lot. However, Criterion Games had not confirmed if it still will be a rabbit hole or a fully featured setting.
Features from previous games' expansion packs such as Colleges, Cars, Weather, Swimming outside of pools, Animals and Buildings will also be avaliable in the base game. New features, like Airports, Buses, Trains, Gas Stations, Swamps and other features that have yet to be revealed are confirmed.
Development[]
The game is being developed by Criterion Games and Maxis, in collaboration with Origin Systems (formerly known as The Sims Studio and second incarnation of the original studio) and EA Digital Illusions CE, unlike The Sims 3, which was developed by Origin Systems standalone. This will also mark the full return of Maxis to develop a main The Sims title and the first time that Criterion develops a The Sims title. Maxis had recently returned to develop SimCity after a long hiatus, which released in March 2013.
Criterion Games confirmed they will be not working on the expansion packs, as they are a small studio and they are too busy with other games. However, EA opened a new studio in Malaysia which will focus on those expansion packs along with Maxis.
Initially, The Sims 4 was rumoured to be single-player only, but it was later confirmed that the game will also be multiplayer. Unlike SimCity, the game will not require a internet connection to play, meaning that multiplayer is optional. However, it will also be possible to play in LAN.
Criterion Games confirmed that the game's requirements will be almost the same from the 2012 version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted.