The Sims 5 dev 'definitely wants' to add multiplayer

You asked, and it sounds like Maxis listened. For the past 23 years of The Sims, we've enjoyed getting frisky in the hot tub, being impregnated by aliens, and trying to set fire to the Grim Reaper. Still, have you ever wanted your friends to join the fun without lurking behind you and watching from afar?

Aside from the short-lived disaster that was The Sims Online, the long-running simulation series hasn't allowed you to throw a real-life party, with The Sims always veering away from multiplayer. All of that could be about to change, and with The Sims 5 on the horizon, the timing couldn't be better.

The Sims 5 devs want to add multiplayer

Details about The Sims 5 (or Project Rene as the team is calling it) are thin on the ground, but from what little we've seen so far, it won't be like your typical version of The Sims. Speaking to Radio Times, The Sims Creative Vice President Lyndsay Pearson promised that the developers "definitely want to include multiplayer."

Pearson went on to reiterate that The Sims 5 multiplayer wouldn't be "multiplayer in the big, scary 'jump in a world full of strangers' kind of way," saying it'll be "literally, how do you and your friends want to do some play together."

Saying, "There's a lot of different flavours that could take, so we’re exploring a lot of different spaces there," Pearson cited the beloved Animal Crossing: New Horizons as an influence. Looking at Nintendo's island-hopping adventure, Pearson said New Horizons was "a good example of my little space, my little island, but I can invite you over."

The Sims 5 is something completely different

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Before you go cheering that you won't have to download mods to play The Sims 5 multiplayer, Pearson suggested it'll be a 'typically Maxis' take on the idea of multiplayer. She concluded, "Playing together can look like so many different things, right?" Among Us could be another source of inspiration here.

Although the potential inclusion of multiplayer ticks a big one-off The Sims 5 wishlist, there are still a few worries about what's next for the franchise. Project Rene rumours suggest you might be confined to apartments, taking away the classic fun of building ridiculous mansions next to the Goth Family.

Elsewhere, the positives of a potentially free-to-play The Sims 5 have led to concerns about a microtransaction-laden game where EA will put profits ahead of its players. We've left our trust in Maxis' hands since the OG version of The Sims, and with it rarely putting a foot wrong, we'll trust again that The Sims 5 will be the sequel we all deserve.