Month: June 2024

The next expansion for The Sims 4 focuses on steamy romance.

Developer Maxis and publisher Electronic Arts (EA) have revealed the next piece of downloadable content (DLC) for The Sims 4 and it focuses on all things romance.

First and foremost, The Sims 4 Lovestruck expansion pack adds the ability to create an online dating profile in the all-new Cupid’s Corner app. Your Sims can browse other profiles, match with other Sims, and plan dates. In addition to a selection of characters from your current world, the app will feature player-created Sims from the online gallery which will, in theory, give you almost limitless dating options.

How Sims navigate their relationships has also been overhauled thanks to the addition of an attraction system that balances Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs. These will affect how attracted your Sims are to one another and reflect the overall compatibility of their interests, choice of activities, and more. Relationships will fluctuate between four possible dynamics based on your decisions: wholesome, steamy, strained, or unpredictable. 

While on a date, you will be able to quickly change your choice of venue making it easier to visit different areas or take it back to the bedroom. Other Sims will finally no longer interrupt your dates (unless you specifically choose to invite them to a conversation), keeping the focus solely on your partner. On top of this, a new romantic boundaries system lets you control how your Sims will treat various boundaries, such as physical and emotional romantic exclusivity, and more finely control when they experience jealousy.

The Sims 4 Lovestruck includes plenty of new items and interactions too, such as an adult costume box that will allow your Sim to gear up in everything from a maid costume to a wrestling outfit, shareable treat boxes, and a portable blanket for getting down and dirty on the go. On top of two new aspirations, Paragon Partner and Romantic Explorer, a new romance skill will gradually increase as you become more experienced, unlocking even more interactions to try out.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though, as Sims who experience too many bad breakups can die of a broken heart. Those in particularly toxic relationships do have the option to go to therapy before it’s too late and your Sim can even try their hands at helping others through a new Romance Consultant career which features its own unique rewards.

As with other The Sims 4 expansion packs, Lovestruck introduces a new world to explore called Ciudad Enamorada. Featuring a sprawling park, a range of romantic date spots, and an uptown neighborhood with plenty of upscale venues, it sounds like the perfect place to take your dates.

The expansion will launch on July 25, 2024, and is currently available to pre-order for the standard price of $39.99 / £34.99. Those who purchase the expansion before September 5 will gain some bonus digital items including the Cry Me a River Eyeliner, Basic Breakup Double Bed, and Herbert Heart Plushie.

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The CEO has revealed that Multiple Assassin’s Creed remakes are being cooked up by Ubisoft.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has confirmed that multiple Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works at Ubisoft and that “players should be excited” about them.

In a new interview on Ubisoft’s website discussing the future of the behemoth stealth-action series, Guillemot confirmed that “Players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we’ve created in the past and modernize them; there are worlds in some of our older Assassin’s Creed games that are still extremely rich.”

The key bit there is ‘some remakes’ confirming that not one – like the heavily rumored Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake that was reported last summer – but multiple remakes are in progress or on the docket at Ubisoft. 

As well as Black Flag, we would bet that the first game in the series is one of those in question. It has never had any re-releases and has aged the least gracefully as a result; getting that one on to modern systems would be a joy and ensure that the whole saga can be experienced on modern hardware.

Could this also be a move to get all the series modernized and ready for the Assassin’s Creed Infinity platform? Getting all Assassin’s Creed games gathered in one tidy ‘location’ and being able to access them all is certainly one way to organize the sprawling series.

In addition to the remake news, Guillemot also confirmed that Ubisoft is looking to continue the variety of Assassin’s Creed experiences the developers create. Compare the sprawling open-world Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and the more focused, leaner Assassin’s Creed Mirage, for example. He said that “there will be plenty of experience variety. The goal is to have Assassin’s Creed games come out more regularly, but not for it to be the same experience every year.”

He closes out by offering a nugget of new info on the release cadence and a tidbit on another upcoming game in the series: “There are a lot of good things to come, including Assassin’s Creed Hexe, which we’ve announced, which is going to be a very different game from Assassin’s Creed Shadows. We’re going to surprise people, I think.”

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Managers recognize the time-saving and productivity benefits of AI, but many are still uncertain around its uses.

New research has highlighted the significant impact of artificial intelligence regulation on UK businesses.

The study by Freshworks of more than 7,000 senior decision-makers and managers across 12 countries reveals the complex landscape where the potential of AI is seriously recognized, yet regulatory uncertainties hold it back.

It found two in three (65%) UK business leaders trust AI to add value to their operations, however one in three (35%) cite unclear regulations as the primary barrier to wider AI adoption.

Businesses are seeking clearer AI regulations

Freshworks found the average UK business leader claims to save an average of more than three hours per week when using AI tools, with one in 10 (11%) claiming to save more than nine hours, or more than a typical day’s work.

Despite the evident time-saving benefits, more than one-third (37%) of UK leaders have no plans to integrate AI into their workplaces, largely due to regulatory uncertainty. British respondents were found to express more concern over this issue than those in other countries surveyed.

Moreover, those who are exploring the technology anticipate a one to two year period before expecting significant business impact, highlighting a highly cautious approach.

The report also covers the ongoing concern that AI could replace human workers, with nearly half (46%) fearing that AI could replace jobs in their sector. That being said, more than two-thirds (70%) stated that they would trust AI more if human review of outputs were mandatory, highlighting its assistive role.

When it comes to use cases, content creation (43%), data analysis (39%) and brainstorming (35%) were revealed to be the most common.

Speaking about artificial intelligence’s ability to deliver “tremendous productivity gains,” Freshworks CPO Prakash Ramamurthy commented: “the AI era is firmly delivering on its promise to free up employees for higher-level work and showcasing compelling returns on AI.”

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