PalavesThe Sims, the independently developed life simulation game suspected of being the crown jewel of The Sims 4, has received a long-awaited update telling us when we can actually play it. The development team, led by Alex Massé, released a 7-minute gameplay video and accompanying blog post last night, which also talked about their plans for DLC (the elephant in the living room), before finally announcing plans for an Early Access release in 2025 The specific date has not yet been determined.
Parlives – Gameplay Overview
Paralives was released in 2019 and is currently earning £27,500/$33,000 a month via Massé’s Patreon, which is pretty impressive when you consider that these seven minutes are the most footage we’ve seen in one go of the game’s most important livestream. What an amazing mode; not to mention this is the first time the team has revealed the game’s release window. There’s clearly a huge appetite among gamers for a serious challenger to go head-to-head with EA’s behemoth The Sims series.
If there was any doubt left, Paralives is clearly going against The Sims, announcing yesterday that all updates and expansions will be free, including early access versions released after the game finally launches with V1.0, and that the game will never be updated and expanded . Expanded to paid DLC. (As a quick reminder, a full complement of The Sims 4’s DLC will currently cost you a pretty penny, and there’s no sign of new content releases slowing down; while collecting all the little add-ons available in The Sims 3 The cost is like buying a family home outright in some areas of Wales.)
Some fans have expressed concerns about how the Paralives team will fund their ongoing work on the game if they abandon the long tradition of regular paid expansions for life simulation games. Considering the project’s healthy Patreon numbers, it seems like a smart choice to give patrons some kind of timed exclusive access before the update is released to all players. However, the team chose not to elaborate further on their financial plans, instead focusing on the socially conscious reasons why they want to continue developing the game without charging players more for additional content. All I can say is that I wish them all the best in this noble endeavour, especially as good intentions like this often don’t get you far in the gaming industry, sadly.
The next few years are going to be pretty exciting for life simulation fans. The Sims series recently celebrated its 24th anniversary, and with The Sims 4 and its long-awaited successor still in active development, it’s hard not to be excited about what’s in store for next year’s milestone birthday . Meanwhile, Paradox’s upcoming life sim Life by You (directed by The Sims series veteran) has suffered a second delay, but is still expected to launch in Early Access this year, with a revised release date of June 4th.
Add to this the fact that Tiny Life, last year’s lo-fi indie game The Sims, is now in Early Access, rumors surrounding Krafton’s recently demoed Sims competitor InZOI, and now the much-anticipated news about Paralives, and Fans who control the lives of little computer humans have gotten the treat they were looking forward to.
