Building San Sequoia

In our more-than-35-year history, Maxis has called a variety of offices home. In fact, we’re now a widely distributed team with offices all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe—and a large number of fully remote teammates. But our original home was in the San Francisco Bay Area, and many of our colleagues still call the area home. So when it came time to design a setting for the new expansion to The Sims™ 4, our designers didn’t have to look far for ideas.

“In building Growing Together, we took inspiration from all over the Bay Area to create San Sequoia,” says Art Director Mike O’Connor. “So places like Anchorpoint Wharf, Gilbert Gardens, and Hopewell Hills will be familiar to folks who live here.”

“And some of the little hints of lore threaded throughout the game reference other areas in Northern California,” says Game Designer Rach Gilbert. “There are bits influenced by the North Bay, the South Bay…and I had to have frogs in Hopewell Hills, because my backyard here turns into a frog symphony after a good rain.”

The Bay Area is definitely a gorgeous location that offers lots of visual variety, so it’s a good fit for a game like The Sims 4. But the area’s diversity goes far beyond the visual: It’s also one of the most culturally diverse areas in the country. So in designing Growing Together—an expansion pack that’s all about families—the team made sure the game reflected that, as well.

“We knew we wanted this world to be a melting pot, much like the actual Bay Area,” says Feature Producer Morgan Henry. “And we know that family doesn’t always look the same to everyone. So we put a lot of thought into inclusivity and diversity for our premade Sims, starting from the moment the design team began conceptualizing them.”

“And since this pack is heavily focused on family moments and milestones,” Mike says, “we wanted as many players as possible to be able to recreate how they see their own families celebrating these events.”

This dedication to inclusivity is one of Maxis’ core values, and so it’s vitally important to the team to approach cultural matters authentically and respectfully. In doing so, the designers make sure to look beyond their own experiences for guidance. “We take the time with all our projects to team up with consultants who can give us feedback on our designs as we’re working on them,” Rach says. “The goal is to ensure that we’re able to represent something faithfully within the framework of the game itself.”

“So on this pack specifically,” Morgan says, “after we had a rough idea of who our Sims were and what they looked like, we worked with consultants to ensure we were being authentic and respectful with all aspects of these Sims—from their appearances to their stories.”

“And for the clothing and objects, we designed a range of patterns with an eye towards evoking the broadest range of cultures possible,” says Mike. “Some assets have a subtle approach; a sofa or rug may have a few select multicultural patterns inspired by real-world cultures, but they’re abstracted—so they feel authentic while remaining respectful. Others, like some of the clothing or wall art, had a bit more room for extra patterns. The hope is that players can create a scene where the rug, sofa, art, clothing, and so on, all add up to something they see as representing their real family.”

Growing Together also leans into diversity beyond the cultural, offering visual elements to celebrate a variety of age groups and body types. “In Create-a-Sim, I’m most excited about the new skin details we’ve added,” Morgan says. “Along with the stork bites, stretch marks, and C-section scar that are coming to the base game at the same time, Growing Together has an array of new freckles and moles that I think make the characters feel very authentic. I also love the variety of assets that are available for the different age groups—from the elder-friendly headscarf to the little candy necklaces and bracelets for children.”

These additions both to the base game and the Growing Together expansion also include more depth for your younger Sims, including Infant Quirks, Toddler Quirks, and new ways for all ages to interact. We’ve also introduced a whole new way to grow your in-game family with the addition of Science Babies, which allow your Sims to procreate whether they’re in a romantic relationship or not!

“We wanted to showcase a range of personalities and family dynamics,” says Rach, “and we wanted to show sensitivity there. It mattered a lot to me to make our characters feel like at least a small slice of some of the Bay Area communities I’m familiar with.”

This commitment to reflecting the area’s great diversity is important, but it’s also all in a day’s work for Maxis. Authenticity and inclusivity are, after all, some of the studio’s core values—not just in games but in the everyday work experience of the whole team. If you’d like to be a part of this shared experience, take a look at the Maxis Careers Page, which includes remote and in-office opportunities all over the world. You might just find a new family of your own.