Even though the mainline series is still going strong, the golden age ofThe Simsas a series has long since come to a close. Now thatThe Sims 5has been canceled, Maxis has focused its efforts on developing new content forThe Sims 4- most recently,theEnchanted by Natureexpansion. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that: disappointment aside, the mainlineSimsgames are still around, still just as expansive as before, and still perfectly fine.
But amid all these major releases,something else has been lost:Simsspinoffs. It’s been years since we’ve seen a proper spinoff game of the mainSimsfranchise, and, while they’ve never offered the same scale or freedom as the big releases, they’re a fun part of the equation that deserves to make a comeback in this new generation ofSims.
Sims Spinoffs Were A Wonderfully Wacky Offering
A Worthy Distraction
Spinoffs were once a valued part of the overallSimsfranchise, a tradition since lost to time. They always provided a valuable distraction from the reliability of mainlineSims, always bringing some new concept to the table. And there really were a ton of them:
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The Sims Medieval
Of course, not all of these games were great - the short-livedStoriessubseries is a bit of an odd one, confining players to pre-made stories instead of allowing them to customize their own experiences. TheMySimsarm of the franchise wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, either, for similar reasons.
But, as weird and awful as these spinoffs could be,each of them brought something new to the franchise, redefining whatThe Simscould be.The Sims 2: Castawaytook on decidedly more of a survival game format, andThe Sims Medievalgot weird and wild with its supernatural elements. While they might not scratch that mainlineSimsitch, they’re a lot of fun in their own right.
Sims Deserves More Weird Spinoffs
A Lost Art
In the current generation, though,there hasn’t been a singleSimsspinoff. The last one wasMedieval, over a decade ago. We did get aMySimsSwitch portlate last year, which was pretty cool, and goes to show that Maxis hasn’t completely forgotten about this wing of the franchise.
But there hasn’t been a newSimsspinoff in a long time, even thoughit’d be the perfect way to revitalize a floundering franchise. Something like a brand-newMySims, or aSims Medieval 2, or even an entirely new direction likeSims in Spacewould inject a lot of new energy intoThe Sims, allowing for an entirely different gameplay experience from anything in the mainline series.
But Maxis is more focused on making new content forThe Sims 4. It’s understandable: though broken and outdated, the most recent mainline entry has become a bit of a cash cow for its developer. But I’d still love to see some sort of spinoff ofThe Simscome along and redefine the franchise, just as they’ve done in the past.
