The Sims 4 won't be always online like SimCity, due in 2014
Publisher EA is wisely ditching the obligatory Internet connection for the next Sims game, which is out next year.
A newly unveiled Sims sequel will be arriving next year, giving gamers a fourth chance to take control of tiny virtual humans for some ruthless life management.
The Sims 4 will be published by EA, with development bods Maxis once more taking the reins when it comes to bolting the new title together.
In an extraordinary case of a corporation learning from its mistakes, EA has confirmed that the next Sims instalment won't require an Internet connection to play.
The publisher says the game will be a, "single-player offline experience." Gamers will be interested to know that this genre isn't entirely new -- hardened players may have fond memories of one or two such 'single-player offline' games.
Taking the action away from EA's online system should avoid the server woes that ruined the debut of the recent SimCity game, which forces players to maintain a connection to the publisher's Origin platform.
As a peace offering, EA offered anyone who'd bought SimCity a free game, but the always-online debacle will have left a bad taste in the mouths of many gamers.
Little more is known about The Sims 4, but it will be released at some point in 2014, and has been confirmed to land on both Mac and PC.
Are you excited about The Sims 4? Are you keen for another opportunity to brick your Sims into a windowless room and watch as they are swallowed by the yawning gulf of insanity? (No? Just me?) Stick your Sim stories in the comments, or over on our Facebook wall.