The Simsseries is one of the biggest names in the simulator genre, but most if its spin-offs seem to have died off. The only surviving franchise in the greaterSimsseries is the aptly titledThe Sims. It has outlived pretty much every other Maxis series includingSimCity,Spore, and theMySimsseries.
TheMySimsseries was a popular spin-off ofThe Simsmade largely for Nintendo consoles that would see six different titles release in the span of three years. However, since the release ofMySims SkyHeroesin 2010, it seems like EA has little interest in continuing this series. What was once a Nintendo mainstay seems to have faded into relative obscurity, and the majority of the games have been left to gather dust on their respective consoles.
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MySims Once Thrived on Nintendo Platforms
TheMySimsseries kicked off in 2007 withMySimson the Nintendo Wii and DS. This game put players in control of their own custom Mii-like character and tasked them with redeveloping a run down town. They did this by interacting with the various townsfolk, building and customizing their houses, and gathering resources known as essences to further expand their creative potential. It was less about life simulation and more about designing a town for a colorful cast of characters liketheAnimal Crossingseries.
MySimswould prove very successful, and would go on to become one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo DS. EA quickly capitalized on this success by releasing numerous sequels that took the concept to brand-new settings. The first of these sequels came in the form ofMySims Kingdomin 2008.Kingdomhad a similar gameplay loop to the original game, but this time it brought players to multiple islands with different themes, and had them rebuild an entire kingdom. It also put more of an emphasis on a story, and would see the return of many fan favorite characters from the first game.
In 2009, EA released three differentMySimsgames that completely changed the series.MySimsPartygave the colorful cast of charactersaMario Partyspin. Players still had to rebuild a town, but they did this by playing all sorts of wild minigames.MySims Racinggave theMySimsseries aMario Kartmakeover, and let players race against characters from previous games.MySims Agentssent players on a secret agent adventure across theMySimsworld, and was probably the most story-driven game in the series.
Each of theMySimsgames from 2009 were fun, but none of them seemed to match their predecessors.MySims RacingandMySims Partywere nothingcompared to Nintendo’s franchises, andMySims Agentswas nothing like the first two games. Some critics felt like these titles were simply uninspired cash-ins on the IP, and releasing three games in the same year may have been too muchMySims.
EA released one moreMySimsgame before the series would be put on hold:MySims Skyheroes. This game put players in the cockpit of a plane, and had them take to the skies in singleplayer or multiplayer. It was the onlyMySimsgame to release on the PS3 and Xbox 360 along with the Wii, but it seems like that was not enough to keep the series going.
There has beennoMySimsgame since 2010, and the only game playable on modern hardware is the original. The first two games were fun, but the studio quickly oversaturated the market and strayed from what made the series enjoyable in the first place. This likely caused dwindling sales numbers and worsening critical reviews, and that resulted in theMySimsseries getting unceremoniously canceled. Maybe it will return one day, but for now it is simply a part of gaming history.
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