Fans have been impatiently waiting for The Sims 5, as EA has been developing the follow-up for years, while also adding more expansions to The Sims 4. While fans are still waiting for more concrete details, a recent developer interview did confirm multiplayer that won’t be a scary world with strangers.
Lyndsay Pearson, the vice president of EA's The Sims franchise, spoke with Radio Times’ One More Life podcast about the upcoming sequel’s multiplayer mode. To be more specific, Pearson spoke about the possibility of multiplayer mode, as the vice president is hoping it becomes a feature for this sequel.
"We definitely want to introduce multiplayer," Pearson said. "And not multiplayer in the big, scary 'jump in a world full of strangers' kind of way. But literally, how do you and your friends want to do some play together?”
It seems that Pearson is aware of how toxic online communities can be, which should be a big no for The Sims 5. EA’s simple franchise has always been considered a cozy game series and there’s nothing less cozy than weirdos telling people to kill themselves for gamer-related reasons.
Despite being a heavily-requested feature, EA has yet to implement an official multiplayer mode for the franchise. While fans did mod in a multiplayer mode for The Sims 4, it’s made by fans and lacks some polish. Hopefully, EA can find a way to implement a friendly multiplayer mode, because we’re sure some fans would settle for private lobbies or local co-op.
At the time of writing, EA has been very quiet about The Sims 5, barely acknowledging that this installment is being made. The company has been releasing additional expansions for The Sims 4, including a fairly unpopular Star Wars one, with a few more likely coming.
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No release date or window for The Sims 5 has been revealed, though we can expect the game to come out on PC. It will also be a free-to-play title after the success of The Sims 4.