inZOI Director Explains Why The Sims Dominates Life Sim Games
The director of inZOI has shared candid insights into the challenges of developing life simulation games, explaining why The Sims has remained dominant for decades.
During a recent Q&A session, Hyungjun Kim, the game director of inZOI, described the genre as one of the most difficult to develop, stating that it is “extremely hard to make it perfect.” He even admitted, “If I could go back in time, I might hesitate to do it again.”
A Strong Start but Rapid Decline
When inZOI launched in Early Access, it achieved impressive success on Steam. The game reached a peak of 87,377 concurrent players and surpassed 1 million copies sold within its first week, quickly climbing to the top of Steam charts within just 40 minutes.
However, this momentum did not last. Within just two weeks, player numbers dropped by 85%, with recent concurrent player counts falling to around 2,934 players.
Why The Sims Still Leads
Kim explained that working on inZOI helped him understand why The Sims has led the life simulation genre for over 30 years.
He noted that creating a fully open world life simulator is incredibly complex. This also explains why The Sims 3 featured an open world, while The Sims 4 shifted to a zone-based system instead.
According to Kim, the scale of such games is simply too large to perfect, and it may discourage other developers from attempting similar projects.
The Reality of Early Access Development
The director admitted that inZOI was not able to meet its original standards at launch, which is why it was released in Early Access.
He emphasized that players play a crucial role in testing and improving the game, though he also expressed feeling guilty about relying on players to help refine an unfinished product.
Krafton has also pointed out that for a single-player experience like inZOI, success should not be measured purely by concurrent player numbers. Instead, long-term sales growth across updates is a more accurate indicator.
A Personal Connection to Life Sim Games
Kim also shared a personal perspective, revealing that The Sims was a major influence during his childhood. Today, his son has also started playing life simulation games and even expressed interest in becoming a game developer.
Despite this, Kim humorously admitted concerns about his son’s potential, while hoping that playing inZOI might inspire him to learn more about game development.
A Genre That Demands Perfection
The story of inZOI highlights just how challenging life simulation games are to create. Even experienced developers with decades of experience face difficulties delivering a fully polished experience.
As the game continues its Early Access journey, it remains to be seen whether inZOI can overcome these challenges and carve out its place alongside industry giants.
inZOI is currently available in Early Access on Steam.
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Origin: ign
