After rising to "Mostly Positive" Steam reviews following chill Stardew Valley-like DLC, inZOI devs know you want "realistic tragedy, the darker sides of life, and unpredictable dramatic events" and more in future updates

inZOI Character Studio trailer screenshot showing a young woman with ginger-y hair and a light baseball cap smiling to the side — (Image credit: Krafton)

Over six months have passed since PUBG developer Krafton saw the Early Access release of its hyper-realistic Sims 4 competitor inZOI on Steam, and what a journey it's been since then, with dwindling players, a comeback following Stardew Valley-like DLC – and soon, more.

Krafton isn't done pulling back and building the impressive life sim it promised, it seems, as director and producer Hyungjun "Kjun" Kim has unveiled much of what's to come to inZOI this year and beyond – and I mean much. Sharing his acknowledgment of players' bubbling requests in the game's official Discord server, Kim first explains that the team is working on implementing everything – although some features "will take more time" than others.

There's a lot underway, though, starting with "story and drama enhancements" following fans' pleas for a "Story Mode." Although Kim doesn't confirm that one is coming outright, he does say "the development team is currently reviewing this idea internally" and suggests it "could give more purpose and structure to their gameplay." The lead also states that Krafton will provide information on the mode when it's "more defined," implying it's at least planned.

It won't all be sunshine and rainbows for Zois come the game's future updates, however. Kim notes that players "requested the addition of realistic tragedy, the darker sides of life, and unpredictable dramatic events to give the gameplay more emotional depth and tension," too – and he "would like to include such elements as well." It's great news for those of us with, erm, darker tastes (no more tragedy-inducing Sims 4 mods necessary, eh?).

Kim cites other requests, like those for a "divorce" feature, a "living world" – one "where stories between NPCs unfold on their own, such as witnessing accidents or arguments, allowing the player to feel like part of the world rather than its center" – and "powerful in-game storytelling tools and AI-driven NPCs that allow them to create their own stories," which is "such a promising area" the director will hold a separate discussion on it later.

Various other potential additions to inZOI are mentioned in Kim's message, including character and NPC autonomy, "realistic relationship dynamics," and improved controls. The game sounds as though it's shaping up to have quite the bright future – perhaps one that's markedly better than that of The Sims 4 even, but I won't hold my breath just yet as a life sim stan myself. It's safe to say, however, that if anything, inZOI is proving itself as a worthy competitor.

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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