inZOI – Krafton sketches the gameplay of its life simulation game Project inZOI

Krafton became known in the West in particular as a publisher of PUBG: Battleground and the game of Battle Royale has long ensured its prosperity. We nevertheless know the adage: it is better not to have all your eggs in one basket and the Korean giant is now working to diversify its catalog – around thirty games are currently in preparation in its various studios, for releases planned until ‘in 2026. Among the lot, Krafton notably signs the Project inZOIan intriguing life simulation game of which a first playable version is currently being revealed on the sidelines of G-Star 2023in South Korea.

The ambition of inZOI is clear: to immerse the player in a realistic urban world (which currently draws its inspiration from the Korean society of Seoul, but other cities and cultures are planned later), while leaving the player total control over this virtual life – the game is playable solo.

Realistic characters and world

Concretely, the player begins by creating his character (a ZOI), with an impressive level of detail, whether it is the physical appearance of the character or his wardrobe – the game is made with the Unreal Engine 5, allowing you to pay particular attention to modeling or textures. When creating the ZOI, it will also be necessary to define the main character traits of the character, which clearly have influences on their future social relationships.

Once in the game universe (subject to a day/night cycle and climatic hazards), the ZOI will be able to take possession of a largely customizable accommodation: the player can improvise as an architect and decorate his interior thanks to a collection of furniture.
The ZOI is above all intended to live its life: to walk, interact with the environment, other inhabitants or the animals (cats in particular) which inhabit the city of Bossom, but also to practice various activities such as having fun, working, doing sports. sports or cleaning – places get dirty gradually, so vacuum or mop the floor from time to time. The more the ZOI practices certain activities, the more competent it becomes and can therefore carry out certain tasks effectively. The world of Project inZOI is also punctuated by events to which the ZOI can be invited via their smartphone (an important interaction tool in the game, with the environment or other characters).

Maintain social relationships

The character is also intended to form friendly or even romantic relationships (but also conflictual ones depending on his character), as long as the ZOIs of the game universe are receptive to the character’s advances – which often seems to be the case. These social interactions can progress to marriage, living together, or even the birth of a virtual baby – who clearly does not require much attention, but who will grow up to become a child, then a teenager (potentially a fan of K -Pop).

ZOIs nevertheless require the player to take care of them since they can die. Neglected ZOIs can die of starvation if they are not fed regularly or die after being hit by vehicles that operate in the game world (but which cannot be driven, for the moment).

If life simulation games are aimed at a very specific population of players (The Sims demonstrated that it could be significant) and if the gameplay of Project inZOI still seems relatively limited, the game nevertheless piques curiosity also because of its creation and the developer’s ability to design and populate a realistic virtual world – we may be curious to see these technologies used in other types of projects. A preview of Project inZOI is being revealed this week in South Korea as part of G-Star 2023, pending the launch of the final version of the game during the second half of 2024.