Mark your calendars, Simmers! The creators of The Sims are excited to announce the upcoming stream of “Behind The Sims” on January 31 at 1pm ET. This highly-anticipated event will be streamed on the official The Sims Twitch and YouTube profiles, and is the latest installment in the series that began with the “Behind The Sims Summit” in October 2022.
So, what can we expect from this stream? While Maxis has remained tight-lipped about the details, they have teased that they will be sharing some “exceptional news” with us. Based on their previous announcements and developments, we can make some educated guesses about what they might unveil.
One thing we know for sure is that live demos will be a regular feature of these streams. This means that we can expect to see some exciting new content that will be released to the game in the coming quarter. Fans of The Sims have been eagerly awaiting new updates, and this stream is sure to give us a glimpse into what’s to come.
In addition to live demos, many fans are speculating that Maxis will provide more information about the upcoming additions that were teased on the game’s official social media on January 10.
A map was released, showcasing some new graphics and themes, but no further details were provided. We can hope that during the upcoming stream, Maxis will give us a deeper look into what these new additions will bring to the game.
Get familiar with The Sims this season!
Whether you're expecting an update or waiting for a new expansion pack to arrive, it's all relative ✨ pic.twitter.com/aOgywOOqDA
— The Sims (@TheSims) January 10, 2023
Enhancing the childhood years
During the October broadcast of Behind The Sims, the creators unveiled their exciting work on a new phase of life for the beloved virtual characters, known as Sims. This new phase, referred to as the “toddler stage,” will serve as a bridge between the infant and child stages, providing players with an even more immersive and realistic gaming experience.
Unlike newborn Sims, who are confined to their cribs and unable to move, toddlers will be able to crawl and explore their surroundings.
However, they will not yet have the ability to walk or communicate their needs clearly. At the Behind The Sims Summit, attendees were given a sneak peek of this new stage through a clip of a crawling toddler and sketches of babies in prams and carriers.
Although the introduction of the toddler stage has been announced for early 2023, fans eagerly await an official presentation at a future Behind The Sims event, where they can expect to learn more about the details of this exciting new development.
With the addition of this new stage, the possibilities for players to create unique and dynamic storylines for their Sims will be endless.
A new major DLC on the way
In the recent video presentation of upcoming news for The Sims, a major expansion was announced alongside a captivating illustration of a tooth-shaped bear adorned with a crown. This intriguing graphic, which can be read as “crowned molar bear” or “tooth bear-y,” cleverly references the treatment of teeth or the tooth fairy.
However, the expansion plans for the coming months were presented in a different form, in the shape of a family tree. This is in line with the recurring theme of family that has been subtly hinted at in recent weeks.
As a result, many fans of the game have begun to speculate that the beloved The Sims 3: Generations add-on will be making a comeback, but with a fresh twist for the latest installment of the series.
Given the confirmed next phase of life for The Sims, an add-on that delves deeper into family relationships would be a perfect fit for the upcoming free update.
During the Behind The Sims Summit presentation, we were also given a glimpse of graphics announcing two new additions to the game. One of these images depicts a city with a distinctive bridge, which also appeared in the January roadmap, further fueling the theory that the upcoming expansion will indeed be centered around generations.
What about Sims 5?
As die-hard fans of The Sims series eagerly await new information about Project Rene, the highly-anticipated continuation of the beloved franchise, it seems that any hope of a reveal during the upcoming Sims Summit may be nothing more than wishful thinking.
The reason for this can be traced back to a leak of fragments of the test version of the game, which was made available to a select group of players for testing purposes.
These testers were under strict obligations not to share any of the materials presented to them with anyone, but unfortunately, someone broke that contract.
Screenshots and short recordings of the test version of the game quickly made their way onto the internet, causing widespread excitement and speculation among fans. However, despite this leak, Maxis and EA, the developers of the game, have yet to comment on the situation.
Since the leak, there has been a noticeable silence from the developers regarding the topic of The Sims 5, leading many to speculate that the unplanned release of this early version of the game may have thrown a wrench in their plans.
It’s possible that the developers have chosen to refrain from sharing any further fragments of the game’s production, or that they will only present what has already been leaked to the public.
Whatever the case may be, one thing is certain – the Sims community is anxiously awaiting any information about the future of the franchise. The leak has made the anticipation even more intense, as fans are eager to see what the developers have in store for them with Project Rene.
So, whether you’re a long-time fan or a newcomer to The Sims, be sure to tune in to the “Behind The Sims” stream on January 31 at 1pm ET to catch all the latest news and updates straight from the creators themselves!
