Voodoo dolls, love triangles and rocketships? It can only be the first teaser trailer for the next iteration in Maxis’ real-life simulator, The Sims 4. Promising a new way to play and interact with your creations, the next-generation of the series is poised to release sometime in 2014. Speaking on stage at the Gamescom event in Cologne, Germany, the vice president and executive producer for the game, Rachel Franklin, spoke about the progressive design process behind The Sims 4:
“Over 10 years ago, we created a genre, now we’re taking our most revolutionary step forward by focusing on the heart of the franchise. The Sims 4 is the bold leap for the franchise where each Sim now has a rich emotional center that drives meaningful social interactions. Your ability to affect the mind, body and heart of these new Sims brings your stories to life in a way that is more personal than ever before.”
Built on new technology called ‘SmartSim’, The Sims 4 will grant players with the ability to create nuanced and emotionally intelligent beings. During the game’s debut, Franklin demonstrated the consequential nature of the in-game choices, and how each of your decisions can impact the outcome of any given scenario. The aforementioned love triangle was used as the paradigm situation where a player can manipulate the eventual results; from sabotaging another Sim’s chances to intervening via a magical voodoo doll.
Additionally, the vice president detailed the new, intuitive user interface at present in the game’s creation tools. With a smooth and responsive UI, The Sims 4 will surely allow us to manifest our own domestic environment down to a T.
Pre-orders have begun today over on the game’s official website, and fans will have the option to put their money down on the Limited Edition version – which will come bundled with the Life of the Party Digital Content upon release. While a specific release hasn’t been announced, Maxis and EA have confirmed that The Sims 4 will debut during the course of 2014.
