The life simulation game InZoi, a title often discussed as a potential competitor to EA's Sims franchise, has removed a social media post that drew significant criticism from its community. The post, shared on the game's official X (formerly Twitter) account, depicted a bald man in a leather coat observing children on a playground with the caption, "Just a peaceful day at the playground. Nothing unusual here... just ignore the bald guy." The content was quickly flagged by users as disturbing and suggestive of pedophilia, leading to its removal from the platform.
InZoi's developer, Krafton, subsequently issued a statement via its X account addressing the incident. "We sincerely apologize for the recent offensive post on our official account," the statement read. "We have immediately removed the post and are taking steps to ensure this does not happen again. We are committed to creating a positive and inclusive environment for all our players and will strive to be more careful in the future." While the post was deleted from X, it reportedly remained visible on the game's official Discord server.
The controversial post was apparently intended to highlight recent improvements to InZoi's playground environments and to promote the game's upcoming Celebrity DLC, which is scheduled for release in December. However, the sensitive nature of the imagery and caption led to a negative reaction from players, particularly in the context of recent controversies surrounding other life simulation games.
This incident occurs as The Sims franchise itself faces scrutiny. EA recently announced layoffs and the closure of BioWare, while also revealing that one of Maxis' ongoing Sims projects has been put on hold. InZoi, which aimed to offer an alternative to The Sims 4, has been navigating its own challenges, including a somewhat rocky early access period and concerns about the integration of AI technology into the game.