KRAFTON, following the successful release of PUBG, has unveiled its new project – inZOI, its own interpretation of the “life simulator” genre in the style of The Sims. The game, created on the powerful Unreal Engine 5 engine, has been in development for over a year, offering players unique opportunities to create and control virtual characters known as zoi.
inZOI is a life simulator
In terms of genre, inZOI is a life simulator. The cat featured in the video is actually the boss of the company the player gets a job at. His name is “Psychet” and he uses various equipment to control people in the city. ZOI are the characters living in the city and the employees of the company are called upon to determine what kind of life they will live.
A life simulator created on the Unreal Engine 5 engine and claims to be a worthy competitor to The Sims series. The main characters of the game are zoes with a variety of character traits, tastes and ambitions in life. You can not only manage the daily life of your characters, but also influence the formation of their personality.
One of the key advantages of inZOI is the detailed customization system. You will be able to fully customize the appearance of your zoey with the help of a powerful clothing and footwear designer with the widest palette of colors. There are similar options for home furnishings and interior items.
Customization of everything is god-level
Players will be able to take on different roles and live in a virtual modern world. It will be possible to visit various establishments, work, dine in cafes and do other everyday things. In the house you can cook, play musical instruments and communicate with other inhabitants of the virtual world.
Players will also have an elaborate character editor with detailed customization: from age to musculature and makeup. Their homes are designed in the editor, where you can even make your own garden. Judging by the video, players will also be able to take care of small children.
It will be possible to customize household items and clothing. Players will also be able to use artificial intelligence, which will generate textures on demand. In the test version was the ability to change the city, advertising posters and other details. Interestingly, the different settlements will be located around the world, acting as fictional analogs of real cities.
The development of inZOI has been underway for about a year, but the platforms have not been disclosed. Judging by Krafton’s recent financial report, the life simulator should be expected in 2024, along with other games of the company.
Key features of the game
- Zoe personalization:
Each zoe has unique traits that shape his or her character and influence behavior in different situations.
Ability to choose preferences, ambitions and a list of topics that zoey likes or dislikes. - Customization of clothing and household items:
Detailed options to change the colors, styles, and settings of clothing.
Ability to customize household items such as chairs and lamps using a detailed builder. - A variety of fictional cities:
Plans include the creation of various cities around the world representing fictional analogs of real places, such as Dowon (a version of Seoul) and Blissbay (an analog of Los Angeles). - Environment and ambiance customization:
Players can change images on billboards, select tree species in parks, and determine the number of cats on the streets in the test build.
Procedural generation of wallpapers and textures within the game using artificial intelligence. - Jobs and Events:
Detailed tasks at work, where characters perform their duties in stages.
Events in cities, though their details have yet to be revealed. - Zoe’s Relationship and Life System:
The ability to develop romantic relationships, though the system may need tweaking.
Cut-scenes for important moments such as weddings, romantic nights and the birth of a child. - Interesting mechanics:
Cars, although they are not yet drivable, could be an interesting element of the game.
Phones through which characters receive notifications and invitations to various events.
First official teaser
The first teaser just shows the moment when the girl receives an invitation to the company. She hurries to catch the elevator that will take her to the 201st floor. The floor number is a reference to ZOI. According to the concept of the game, the player is a god in the world of the game. The time in the company office is the same as real time, but in the inZOI world, time can be controlled.
The developers scanned a lot of objects from real life and used motion capture to make the game realistic. The city was created on the basis of aerial photos, after which the artists gave it saturation and clarity of the picture. Also in the game realized a realistic system of changing the time of day.
Impressive realistic graphics with detailed characters
Impressive realistic graphics with detailed characters and intensive use of real-time reflections attracted attention to the game. InZoi may be one of the most ambitious demonstrations of the Unreal Engine 5 engine, as the number of games on this engine on the market is still limited. However, it’s worth noting that the visuals may require astronomically high system requirements for PCs.
Krafton stated in an internal interview that they have been working on InZoi for about a year now. They welcome comparisons to The Sims, but hope that their new project manages to stand out as one of EA’s best-selling games.
The InZoi game is scheduled for release in 2024
InZoi is scheduled for release next year, but Krafton has yet to reveal information about which platforms will be supported and whether the game will be free-to-play like The Sims 4. Everyone knows The Sims 4 has been on the market for nine years, but developers EA have only barely touched on the topic of the next big installment in the series.
Earlier this year, EA confirmed that the upcoming Sims project will be free-to-play, but will not be called The Sims 5. They aim to create an alternative way to play The Sims that coexists with The Sims 4, rather than replacing it. InZoi may appeal to players who want to see a new technological breakthrough in the life-building genre.
At the moment, one South Korean-inspired city is ready, but more cities await us in the future: in the spirit of North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. The cities will contain hidden elements and references to the real world.
Players can get into a variety of situations: from problems to happy events. The game is designed to have unpredictable events. Character traits are determined from birth and can affect the relationship between ZOI, including becoming the cause of quarrels and the breakup of relationships. Things don’t always go according to plan.
In South Korea, the “life simulator” genre is not popular, and there is very little experience in developing such games. Therefore, the developers made a lot of stupid decisions, as they did not know how to properly plan, develop and implement everything. In the end, they decided to do everything they could and see what would happen. The final result delighted them. But even now they wonder, “Is the game done right?”.
inZOI is not just a game
inZOI is not just a game, but a tool for creators to realize their ideas. Support for tools such as “texture generation with artificial intelligence” will help players without modeling experience to create unique and high quality game items.
Instead of conducting a classic closed beta test and inviting players to them, the developers decided to let youtubers who are experts in games play and observe how exactly they play their game. This experiment was a success and the developers were pleased with the results.
After the announcement of the game, users often compared the game to the Sims series and the producer agrees with this comparison, as both games belong to the same genre and there are similar elements. But inZOI has many unique elements and it is a new generation game.