inZOI's recent updates have gotten a pretty positive response from players, and the devs at inZOI Studio aim to keep the momentum rolling with a big December update addressing some of the biggest points of community feedback. Director Hyungjun 'Kjun' Kim has started detailing some of that update's content, and chief among the new features is a shop management system taking a page from some of the most beloved Sims expansions.
"Many players requested a more realistic economy and shop management feature," Kjun explains in a message on the game's official Discord. "We’re developing this for December, though it may not be fully complete in the first release. It will gradually improve over time. We’re updating the city to allow players to open stores anywhere and to make existing shops operate within this system."
What features will eventually be included after this initial release? Kjun cites community suggestions "such as inventory control, pricing, employee hiring and training, promotions, and reputation systems – as well as the introduction of diverse store types (bookstores, florists, bakeries, etc.), malls, and hotels."
These kinds of features will sound pretty familiar to the Sims fans that inZOI has been courting, since expansion packs like Open for Business for The Sims 2 and Get to Work for The Sims 4 have always been among the most popular add-ons for the Maxis games. It looks like inZOI's take on letting you run your own business will be a free addition, though.
Kjun details a whole lot of other planned additions for the December update, including improvements to group interactions focused "first on making multiple characters move and act together" – those improvements will eventually expand into the more robust family interactions that players have been asking for.
The December update will "temporarily simplify" the karma system while the devs explore "better ways to integrate karma as a meaningful core system in the game." The crime and police system is also getting some improvements, as is basic autonomy and AI behavior. "Our goal is to make Zois interact naturally with each other, build relationships, and perform longer, more expressive animations," Kjun says.
No word yet on exactly when the December update will launch, but with a name like that, it's probably safe to guess it'll be out by the end of the year.
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