As fans of the long-running franchise continue to wait for Sims 5, those players can take solace in the fact that EA is continuing to pay special attention and support to The Sims 4, which is now eight years old. The company is now taking an extra step that could go a long way in helping it figure out just what players want to see in the series next, whether that happens to be a new game or another expansion.
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On Electronic Arts’ official website, the company has a job listing for what it calls a “User Experience Researcher.” Among the job responsibilities laid out for the position is that this person will be carrying out research activities across multiple platforms, including consoles, PCs, and mobile devices. That research will then take what The Sims players want and are most interested in and relay those insights to the development team to help shape the franchise’s direction moving forward.
It’s clear that EA is serious about this position as it’s not an entry-level job that can be done by anyone signed off the street. The position’s qualifications state that whoever is hired for the job must have an advanced degree in experimental psychology or something similar. Whoever fits this particular bill must also have at least two years of experience in the industry, carrying out research studies across multiple platforms. The job listing also says explicitly that the correct User Experience Researcher has plenty of experience aligning research and those they work with for “forward progress.”
One of the details left out of this job listing is just what kind of content the research studies could eventually lead to once they’ve been carried out and shown to the development teams. It’s certainly possible this kind of job could be in preparation for whatever direction a Sims 5 goes. However, it could just as easily be gathering information on what the next expansion should include.
It’s certainly interesting that Electronic Arts is going this in-depth when it comes to finding out the preferences of The Sims users. It will undoubtedly be worth watching where the right hire might help take the franchise.
The Sims 4 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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