The Sims 5 really has to be worried because a new competitor has just emerged. Enough to clearly endanger EA’s game again.
Game developers who have worked on iconic titles such as Sid Meier’s Civilization, XCOM and The Sims have announced the launch of their own development studio, Midsummer Studios, with funding notably coming from Trevor Noah’s Day Zero Productions. The goal ? Create the ultimate Sims like, among other things. A very ambitious project.
There are a few issues to worry about with The Sims 5
Midsummer Studios was founded by Jake Solomon, former creative director at Firaxis Games, Will Miller, game director, and Nelsie Birch, COO and CFO. The studio is launching with a $6 million seed round led by Transcend Fund and supported by Tirta Ventures, Betaworks Ventures, 1Up Ventures, F4 Fund, Krafton and Day Zero Productions. A threat to The Sims 5?
The studio’s first project is a next-generation life simulator with a focus on player-driven narratives, allowing communities to share moments of their own creativity. The Midsummer team also includes Grant Rodiek from Maxis Studios and several former Firaxis employees, making a total of 11 developers.
Jake Solomon expressed his enthusiasm for this new adventure and explained that the market for life simulators is booming. He points out that Midsummer Studios stands out for its focus on stories created by the players themselves. From the start of the game, players can choose from several “themes” that shape their story, such as finding a soul mate while running a small local business.
The game then generates a cast of supporting characters and establishes relationships between them to create a story-rich environment. For example, if a player wants to tell a romantic story, the game could include an ex-lover who is also a work colleague, childhood sweetheart, etc. Players can share the characters they create, the scenarios they develop, and even the entire cities they customize. A community hub allows players to upload other people’s creations and integrate them directly into their own game.
According to Solomon, Midsummer Studios plans to achieve slow, controlled growth in order to remain flexible and efficient while providing a stable and sustainable work environment for its team, which is anything but a given in today’s video game industry. In any case, the life simulator will be overloaded between the Sims 5, this new project, inZOI and Life by You.
