Hyungjun Kim, the director and driving force behind the life simulation game inZOI, gave an interview, where he discussed how inZOI provided him a chance to break away from years of working on online projects.

He mentioned that he has 24 years of experience in game development, with the majority of that time spent working on MMORPGs. He confessed that he had grown sick and tired of them.

In Kim's view, the online games he worked on overly encouraged competition among players, but he wanted to create something more relaxing. He also believes that the MMORPG genre, which is widely popular in South Korea, might slow down the growth of the game industry.

Kim and Krafton have set out to achieve something that no one in the gaming industry has managed before: to create a successful competitor to the iconic The Sims series. These life simulation games, developed by Electronic Arts since 2000, have sold hundreds of millions of copies and are recognized as a cultural phenomenon.

However, Electronic Arts recently announced that it has no plans to release The Sims 5, and what Project Rene will become remains unclear. Meanwhile, the development of Life by You was canceled despite showing great promise, and another competitor, Paralives, is being developed by a small team funded through Patreon, with its release not expected before 2025.

Recently, the creators of inZOI showcased the game's character editor, which received enthusiastic responses from players. Additionally, gameplay footage has been made available through streamers who gained early access to the game. The full release is expected this year.

Main image: ensigame.com

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