South Korean recreation writer Krafton launched early entry to its life simulation recreation “InZOI” Friday, hoping its highly effective lifelike graphics will unseat the decades-long dominance of “The Sims” hit franchise.
Krafton, the developer of battle royale “PUBG: Battlegrounds”, says it affords a contemporary tackle the idea utilizing putting visuals — with “InZOI” capturing to the highest of wishlists on the web Steam platform.
“What stood out the most when I played “InZOI” was just how visually stunning it is,” mentioned Kim Rail, a YouTuber identified for taking part in “The Sims”, a recreation whose final instalment debuted practically a decade in the past.
“The game’s character is rendered with such precision that she looks almost like a real person,” Kim mentioned. “After decorating interiors, taking a screenshot makes it look like a magazine photo due to the high visual quality”.
“The Sims”, a spin-off from the favored “SimCity” franchise, takes gamers inside particular person properties, permitting them to customise all the things from furnishings to relationships.
Over 25 years, “The Sims” and its three sequels have bought greater than 200 million copies, and Electronic Arts is now planning a multi-player model.
But “InZOI” producer and director Kim Hyung-jun mentioned they supplied one thing new.
“I believe “InZOI” offers something that “The Sims” does not, and that users will find a different kind of enjoyment in that,” he mentioned.
“Inzoi” topped the best-selling video games chart by income on Steam simply 40 minutes after the launch Friday morning, whereas Krafton shares in Seoul rose six %.
“InZOI” producer Kim, an avid participant of “The Sims”, mentioned it was an “honor” to be in comparison with the sport.
“‘The Sims’ is a philosophical work that offers diverse interpretations of life,” he mentioned. “At times, it felt like a miniature version of real life, and I was often amazed by how thoughtfully the developers portrayed various aspects”.
But Kim advised AFP he needed to focus extra on how the “relationships” are portrayed in his recreation.
“For instance, if a player gets into a fight somewhere, the news spreads, and they may receive criticism or support through social media. We’ve built a system where one event leads to another,” he mentioned.
It additionally has a singular twist from its residence nation, drawing on maps together with one from South Korea — and a attainable profession path that permits gamers to grow to be a Okay-pop idol.
“Tapping into the global interest in K-culture, the game features detailed recreations of Korean streetscapes, convenience stores, karaoke rooms, and traditional restaurants, allowing players to explore and engage with uniquely Korean settings,” mentioned Kim Jung-tae, a gaming professor at Dongyang University.
It “lets players experience a wide range of everyday Korean life”, he added.
“InZOI” makes use of “Unreal Engine 5” developed by Epic Games, the primary for a life simulation title, which helps detailed customization choices for characters, together with options reminiscent of eye baggage and iris measurement.
The spectacular graphics come at a price.
The really helpful techniques for “InZOI” embrace an Intel i7 processor and an Nvidia RTX 3070 — a major leap from “The Sims 4”, which runs on the extra modest necessities of an Intel i5 and a GTX 650.
Content creators recommend the problem will likely be to woo the massive numbers of gamers of “The Sims”, who’re used to extra reasonable graphics but in addition decrease laptop specs.
“The game’s success is expected to hinge on the stability of its live service and the developers’ ability to consistently deliver new content,” mentioned Kim, the professor.
Krafton mentioned the ambition to problem a frontrunner like “The Sims” got here from the worldwide success of “PUBG”, a fight survival recreation whose cell model surpassed one billion downloads and recorded 50 million day by day lively customers.
“Even within the company, no one truly expected that success,” “InZOI” producer Kim Hyung-jun mentioned. “Back then, the idea of creating something like that in Korea was an unusual challenge”.
So, regardless of Krafton having “limited understanding” of the life simulation style, the corporate backed the concept, he mentioned, including that fortunately early launch responses have been “more enthusiastic ” than they’d anticipated.
But, in comparison with “The Sims”, Kim accepts his recreation nonetheless has “a long way to go”.
“‘The Sims’ 4 has been in service for 10 years, while “InZOI” has only been in development for two. I’d say it’s about 20 percent complete in comparison,” mentioned Kim.
“I don’t view the comparison negatively. Just as everyone lives a unique life, “The Sims” and “InZOI” are separate ‘lives’, each with their value and appeal”.
© 2025 AFP