After nearly two dozed different editions and expansion packs, Maxis and EA are finally moving on to bigger and better things. The two companies formally announced The Sims 4 this morning, set to hit PC and Mac sometime in 2014.
"Today we are revealing to our top fans the fact that The Sims 4 is coming to PC and Mac in 2014," reads the announcement. "The Sims franchise is fueled by the passion and creativity of its millions of fans around the world. Their continued devotion to the franchise ignites the fire of creativity of the team at The Sims Studio, driving them to continually improve and innovate on one of the world's most successful simulation game that has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide."
Details were unfortunately sparse, but more information is due to arrive later today. Fingers cross they've learned their lesson about "always online DRM" like Microsoft has.
UPDATE: Maxis and EA finally offered up some details for the upcoming Sims title. Well, kind of...
A new post on the EA news feed encourages fans to stay abreast of any new information via the official Sims site. When you arrive, you're greeted by a wealth of new details for The Sims 4. In Simlish. So unless you speak the language as well as a Rita Ora or Katy Perry, the only way you'll find out more is by signing up with EA.
Apart from that, the only "new" thing offered by the post is the usual PR "details" that's par for the course with The Sims games: "The Sims 4 celebrates the heart and soul of the Sims themselves, giving players a deeper connection with the most expressive, surprising and charming Sims ever..."
Nothing special really. But the good news is that Maxis and EA have learned from their SimCity bluster, calling The Sims 4 a "single-player offline experience. The Sims 4 encourages players to personalize their world with new and intuitive tools while offering them the ability to effortlessly share their creativity with friends and fans."
We'll keep you posted as more info is released.
