More information on the development of The Sims 5

The information on the next Sims Game (as we call it The Sims 5) are all coming together now thanks to the Maxis Official Careers page.

Just yesterday we reported on the information that Maxis has started the search for a Senior CAS Artists who will help create the initial look of the characters and their tools. The finding also included a search for a Game Designer who will help design and support the future creative tools for the game. The listing also came with some other interesting information that you can catch up to HERE!

Today, there’s a new job opportunity listing that fits all the pieces into a giant puzzle of information that we have on The Sims 5 thus far.

The latest listing is searching for a UI Artist who will do a medley of things for the User Interface and Experience research and development for the game. Before you check out the full listing, here’s a summary of all the interesting and important facts they’ve mentioned in the listing:

• Fitting with our discovery that we’ve made a few days ago that The Sims 5 will be prototyped in Unreal Engine – the User Interface development for the game will also be done in Unreal Engine.
• The work that will be done as a UI Artist will last for at least the next 2 years – meaning that we probably won’t hear official news on The Sims 5 until at least 2023. Also note that they’ve stated that the UI work for the game will last “for a minimum of 2 years” – meaning that the development time frame is subject to change could be extended over the course.
• The game is planned to have a modular, responsive User Interface system created in Unreal Engine that’s planned to work on all platforms – including Mobiles, Tables, Computers and Consoles. This further confirms the concept that Maxis currently has to make the game a cross-platform experience available for almost all platforms! EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson also stated in early 2020 that they’re planning to make the next generation Sims Game a “cross-platform” experience!
• The work on the game’s User Interface will be dynamic – meaning that it’s expected for the game’s user interface to change and grow as the development team expands the game’s actual content.
  • To put things better in perspective – The Sims 4’s User Interface also went through numerous changes as the game was being developed. It eventually ended up from blue to transparent white user interface that we have today. Here’s just an example of how The Sims 4 User Interface looked in the early days of development:
• The role of the UI Artist will also include creating the game’s initial prototype of its design, typography, iconography and more.
• The team plans to have the players in mind – meaning that they’ll be listening to the feedback and evolve the User Interface if needed to meet all the design and accessibility standards.

There’s a lot of exciting technical information in the listing that you can check out below. But, before you do, keep in mind the following:

• The game is still early in development so we shouldn’t be expecting an official announcement in at least the next 2 years. This is just an assumption however considering that it’s hard to put a timeframe on a project that’s still early-on.
• This won’t have an impact on the continuous development and content release of The Sims 4. There are different teams working on different games in the Maxis studio.

You can catch up on all the previous findings regarding the next Sims Game in our The Sims 5 News Category!

UI Artist

We are looking for an XD Designer who will focus exclusively on UI for a minimum of 2 years of the project development. After this period this role could become a hybrid UI/UX role.

This role will be responsible for creating, documenting and maintaining the UI systems and needs to be someone who is a systems thinker and doer. You will work closely with the Art Director, Technical Art Director, Engineers and Experience Designers to help develop a modular, responsive UI system in Unreal that works on all platforms (mobile, tablet, PC, Console) and will expand over time. We need to design for the future, working as smartly as possible because the initial UI will change and grow when the game’s content expands.

This role will be the Unreal expert in UI who will guide the team in best practices. You will also coordinate and partner with the other EA studios who are using Unreal to build bridges and share knowledge.

Responsibilities

Drive the delivery of the following:

• UI Framework
• UI Style guide – this role would also help decide what platform software we use to maintain the style guide to allow for iterative design and collaboration.
• Design and implementation of UI elements, icons etc. into the dev prototypes in Unreal

Qualifications

• Responsible for the creation of the game’s UI systems, both technical and visual.
• Design UI systems that are intuitive and engaging while balancing player, business and technical goals.
• Produce the game’s visual design system that includes iconography, typography, visual hierarchy, brand expression and motion.
• Partner with XD team to author and co-own the XD pattern library and component library.
• Deliver high fidelity and high-quality UI screens that align with the product’s experience goals, usability and accessibility standards.
• Experience designing with players motivations and needs in mind.
• Able to digest and interpret player feedback to make meaningful improvements to the UI.
• Collaborate closely with the other Experience Designers to gather requirements, explore creative directions, produce prototypes and iterate based on testing results.
• Initiate, define and lead R&D and innovation initiatives pertaining to UI design, UI motion, and UI VFX.
• Partner with stakeholders to set priorities and find balanced design solutions to player and business goals within technical constraints.
• Strong visual design skills (i.e., composition, iconography, layout, typography, color theory) with the ability to lay out complex information in an easy to understand manner.
• Motion graphics skills, the ability to bring interfaces to life with usability in mind.
• Comfortable presenting cohesive design solutions to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience designing a cross platform UI system is a giant plus.