EA kicked off its Gamescom 2013 press conference by showcasing The Sims 4. As the first game to see a return from Maxis (the third game was developed solely by The Sims Studio), EA unveiled it with a live action trailer featuring computer generated Sims characters just mingling. Check it out above.
The Sims 4 will apparently feature an “emotion-based” gameplay, and according to executive producer Rachel Franklin, every action will be informed by emotional states, thus reinventing the tools of creation. The environment now affects your Sim’s emotions. Take your home decor for example: Depending on the home scene, your Sims will either be happy, excited or depressed. You can also look forward to the return of evil violin playing, voodoo dolls and even love triangles.
The UI for creation is a little more user-friendly this time around, and there will be a new feature called “Smart Sim”, which will make our Sims more emotionally aware and intelligent. We don’t know if this means we’ll be having emotional breakdowns at work or negotiating hostage crises but hey, hope and dreams and all that jazz.
Whether you’re still into the Sims or not – the third game did release about four years ago – there’s no denying that The Sims 4 looks slick. It’s currently slated to release sometime in 2014 for PC.
Update: Added Gameplay Trailer and Screens below: