The Sims 4 has enjoyed the kind of long-term enduring success that very few games ever do, having maintained a strong and dedicated playerbase that has continually grown since the game first came out in 2014. During their recent quarterly financial meeting, EA confirmed that the simulation game recently crossed yet another notable milestone, having now amassed over 20 million unique players over the course of its life.
In a Q&A during the meeting, EA CEO Andrew Wilson also discussed the future of The Sims, and how it will integrate social elements a lot more going forward. “Typically what The Sims has done is really focus on fulfilling the motivations of inspiration, escape, creation, self-improvement, and not necessarily focus as much as on social interaction and competition,” Wilson said.
He went on to say that as Maxis “continues to think about The Sims for a new generation”, it will put a greater focus on “social interactions and competition” similar to what The Sims Online attempted when it first launched years ago, and that this will “start to become a part of The Sims experience in the years to come”. Wilson went on to say that, owing to the fact that The Sims as a series doesn’t really have a real competitor in its genre, EA sees “tremendous growth opportunities” for it for the years to come.
The Sims 4 is currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One (and will be free on PS4 via PS Plus in February). Meanwhile, Maxis are reportedly working on a new unannounced IP as well.