There’s a new Sims rival on the way–InZOI, a new life simulator by Korean developer Krafton. InZOI puts you in the godlike position of controlling the daily life of a neighbourhood full of “ZOIs”, including managing their jobs, relationships, and the spaces they live and work in.
Krafton has just released its first gameplay footage of the life sim, showing off character creation, building and decorating modes, character interactions and relationships, and heaps more, all in a gorgeous photorealistic style powered by Unreal Engine 5.
In an internal interview, the game’s producer Hyungjun Kim explained the concept behind the game. The player takes the role of an intern at a company, where their job is to manage (or control) the lives of a neighbourhood full of ZOI. The cat in the trailer is actually the company boss, he adds.
While InZOI appears to have a lot in common with EA’s The Sims, it has its own points of difference too. Working a job appears to be more important in InZOI, with more gameplay revolving around working–whether you choose to be a convenience store worker, a firefighter, or even an idol.
InZOI also has something called Director Mode, where you can control aspects of the neighborhood at large, modifying street decor, billboard displays, and even change the weather. The trailer also shows off in-depth customization tools for both clothing and furniture, allowing players to change prints on clothes or decor, and even modify elements of pieces of furniture–similar to new features EA has been trialing for The Sims 5.
The trailer is still from an early build of the game, so some elements may change before Krafton’s projected release window in 2024. The developer hasn’t announced yet what platforms it’s planning to release InZOI on.
