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inZOI has had quite the Early Access journey since its March release, when PUBG developer Krafton launched the ultra-realistic life sim on Steam, from a bounce-back from dwindling player numbers with a cozy Stardew Valley-like DLC to sneak peeks at future content.
Just last week, director and producer Hyungjun ‘Kjun’ Kim confirmed that inZOI is getting multiplayer following a suggestion from the South Korean president (yes, you read that right) sometime down the line. Before that, Kim revealed that “realistic tragedy, the darker sides of life, and unpredictable dramatic events” were in the works, and shortly after, version 0.4.0 arrived just in time for Halloween with a focus on death.
Kim and the inZOI team aren’t done cooking up new content for the game, however, and a recent update from the lead on Discord proves as much. In his message, Kim details some of fans’ most requested features – namely, ones that developers are actively working to add – starting with things like strollers for toddlers, family trees, as well as more in-depth emotions and interaction systems for younger Zois.
He goes over a few other ideas, like auto-lighting, dishwashing after meals, family dinners, beverage choices, portion control, leftover food usage, and chores for child or teen Zois – in other words, all the basics you’d expect out of established genre gems like The Sims 4 (here’s hoping that Zois actually wash dishes in the kitchen, unlike Sims). Kim then discusses the two biggest highlights out of what’s underway, in my opinion: businesses and schools.
“We are working on new lots that families can own, allowing players to purchase land and build their own shops,” he writes. “You’ll be able to hire employees, set wages, and provide services using their various skills. You can also set business hours, enable automated operations, and run franchises.” That’s what I’m talking about – a true throwback to The Sims 2’s own Open for Business expansion… one of my favorites to date.
“You’ll be able to personally hire employees – including family members,” too. If a Zoi’s shop is family-owned, “it can also be inherited even if the original owner passes away.” The devs aren’t stopping there, either. Kim mentions bank accounts, part-time jobs for children and teens, and more. That’s when he unveils the soon-to-be school system in inZOI… and it’s one I’d argue the Sims 4 community has been waiting a good 11 years for.
You know how in The Sims 4, your child or teen Sims go to school in what’s known as a “rabbit hole” rather than an interactive building you can explore/play in yourself? Kim isn’t a fan of that, just as most of us Simmers aren’t. “Next year, we’ll upgrade the job system, and before the official launch, we aim to create a real school – not a rabbit hole,” he explains. That’s when the studio will “combine” all player feedback, apparently.
Devs are taking things like clubs, after-school programs, graduation ceremonies, and school events into consideration as well. Heck, Kim discusses “teacher interactions,” too – a dream come true after the rabbit-hole hellscape that is The Sims 4 oftentimes. I can’t wait to see the content finally make its way to inZOI, and considering it all along with the multiplayer mode that’s coming, something tells me there are hundreds of hours worth of playtime potential en route.
