Fans of life-simulator games have been eating well lately, as the dominance of The Sims 4 has been challenged by new kids on the block like InZoi and Paralives. While both of these titles are considered to be serious challengers in a cozy genre of living your best life, the team behind Paralives doesn’t see itself as a “Sims-killer,” preferring instead to view the game as another option in the genre. After all, competition in this field will ultimately benefit players by offering them more choice.
“I think having more than one life-sim game makes for such a better experience for players,” Paralive’s communication manager Gab Boyer-Antoni told GameSpot. “It helps games get better and improve, and we want to offer a great experience for players. So that aspect of competition is great to have. There shouldn’t be just one amazing [life-sim]. Also, I feel like a life-sim game is three games in one and caters to so many types of players.
“Some people just want to build their cozy little bedroom, apartment, or house, and they don’t care about the live mode. Some people are really into the stories, the challenges, and [creating] generations of Sims, Paras, or Zoi. There are so many types of players, and I think we need a lot of games to help cater to different needs. It’s a lot to expect one game to [do everything]. In most other genres of video games, you have a lot of [titles]. If you think of shooters, there are so many huge games that have huge fan bases–it’s really rare to have just one that somehow caters to everybody. I think it makes for a stronger ecosystem of games that they don’t.”
It’s still early days for Paralives, but the game appears to be hitting its stride mere months after launch. Its creators are already confident that it can deliver years of free content to its players thanks to strong launch sales, and it’s looking to carve out its own space in this genre as its early access journey continues.
Meanwhile, The Sims 4 is looking to turn things around after several turbulent months, starting with an overhaul of the Maker Marketplace that angered the game’s community.