Summary
South Korean developer Krafton has revealed some new footage frominZOI, its life simulation game that combines the gameplay formula ofThe Simswith ultra-realistic graphics. While the life sim is still in the works, it has recently received a limited demo that allowsSteamusers to check out some of its core features ahead of its release.
Krafton originally revealedinZOIin November 2023, stating that itsSims 4competitoris targeting a 2024 release. The developer has been sharing additional details about the game on a regular basis ever since.
inZOI Gets New Gameplay Trailer at Gamescom 2024
Its latest info dump arrived on August 20, as part of the Opening Night Live show held ahead of the2024 iteration of Gamescom. During the two-hour broadcast, Krafton revealed a new gameplay trailer forinZOIthat offers glimpses of some of the game’s many features, including socializing, cooking, romance, parenting, camping, and gardening. The minute-long clip even features some less-than-idyllic slice-of-life moments, like a kitchen fire and a character getting into a traffic accident.
inZOI: Character Studio Demo Now Available For a Limited Time
The trailer also served to announce the launch ofinZOI: Character Studio, which isnow available to download via Steam. Much like its name suggests, this is a demo that allows players to explore the game’s many character customization options. Registering for a Krafton account is a requirement for accessingCharacter Studio, which will presumably also be the case with the game itself. The account requirement ostensibly stems from the fact thatinZOIhas a built-in cloud platform for user-generated content called Canvas. This feature is what will allow players to transfer theircreations from theinZOIdemoto the full version of the game.inZOI:Character Studiowill only be available until Monday, August 26, at midnight ET.
Gamescom 2024 attendees will have an opportunity to try outinZOIat the Samsung Electronics booth in Hall 9.1. Specifically, Krafton partnered with Samsung to promote both the upcoming life sim and the newly announced Odyssey 3D monitor.
While the game itself is still officially targeting a 2024 launch, Krafton has yet to commit to a concrete release date. It is currently unclear whether the character creator demo is planned to return to Steam following its initial five-day run. Either way,inZOIis shaping up to be the first big-budgetSimsrival in ages, especially now that Paradox Interactive canceled its own life sim,Life By You. AnotherpotentialSimscompetitor has previously been announced in the form ofParalives, which is currently planned to debut in early access sometime in 2025.
