Watch out, The Sims 4 – series mastermind Will Wright is back with a brand-new game over a decade after his last, and while it’s also a life sim, it seems nothing like its predecessors.
16 years have passed since Spore launched in 2008, and legendary Sims designer Will Wright has stayed out of the limelight since. He’s making a return soon with a new project, however, and it’s an ambitious AI life sim called Proxi. Wright discusses Proxi in a recent stream on Twitch, highlighting some of the game and emphasizing what Gallium Studios’ mission is: “to create digital human beings that live, care, and grow with us.”
The game actually uses players’ own real-life memories to shape experiences, allowing for almost unbelievably personal playthroughs. If it sounds like a challenging feat to develop, that’s because it is – but Wright feels confident that Proxi’s personalized approach to the life sim genre is the correct path to take, and his years of expertise back as much. “I found myself getting continuously closer and closer to the player,” says Wright.
“Kind of a saying I’ve lived by,” he continues, “which is that no game designer has ever gone wrong by overestimating the narcissism of their players.” He’s not wrong – we live in an era of extensive customization and personalization. There are millions of Sims 4 mods that serve as proof, and hyper-realistic character creators such as rival life sim inZOI’s own to boot. Of all the ways to tailor a player’s experience, though, using memories might take the cake.
By using memories, Proxi populates its “mind world” or in-game environment with familiar faces for players to interact with. They represent real people from users’ school, work, or any other flavor of memorable circumstance. They’re not meant to replace them, however – the project aims to “enhance, not replace human-to-human interactions.” Think digital pals, but a lot more advanced than beloved virtual pets like Tamagotchis or Webkinz.
I’m not sure how I feel about it all myself just yet, as I don’t want to become invested and not see it come to fruition in the end as was the case recently with Life by You. Considering EA’s new plan for The Sims 4 and Project Rene, though, I’m desperate for something bigger and better than ever before – and Proxi sounds like it could be just that. Now all I need to do is get out, touch grass, and make memories so that come Proxi, I can game-ify them.
Need something to play while you wait for Proxi? Here are 10 games like The Sims 4 to check out right now.