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Image: Marion Pintaux

Franchises like Farming Simulator have grown in stature over the past five or so years, and we’re big fans of titles like Train Sim World 2 as well. It’s not massively surprising to see Nacon recognise the potential of this fledgling category, then – and announce an entire suite of software that it’s putting under the umbrella of “life simulators”.

The game’s – due out in 2021 and 2022 – include: Train Life, Hotel Life, Chef Life, Surgeon Life, and Architect Life. Various developers have been signed up to lead the projects, and we’re going to include the blurbs from each title from the press release below:

  • Train Life – A Railway Simulator (Simteract): As well as an ultra-realistic train driving experience, for the first time in a railway simulator you also manage the development of your company: hire conductors, buy locomotives, choose contracts to take on, and roll out your network across Europe.
  • Hotel Life – A Resort Simulator (RingZero Game Studio): Hotel Life is a hotel simulator that takes you behind the scenes of an idyllic holiday destination. Players manage the day-to-day running of the hotel, increase its reputation, and support guests as expertly as possible from check-in to checkout, while ensuring they are kept entertained through a variety of daily activities.
  • Chef Life - A Restaurant Simulator (Cyanide Studio): Chef Life puts you in total control of all aspects of a restaurant. From buying ingredients to plating dishes, you must serve the best food while supervising your teams, designing the decor, and managing the service.
  • Surgeon Life – A Hospital Simulator (RingZero Game Studio): Players become managers of a private clinic. In addition to performing surgical procedures, you must also manage the care teams and attract new patients.
  • Architect Life – A Building Simulator (SimFabric): In Architect Life, you work on all stages of the construction and design of your dream home (and those of your clients). This includes drawing up plans, budgeting, and hiring labourers, among other tasks. More than a simple design game, you must ensure the smooth running of the site to meet the contractual specifications.

These kinds of titles are curiously popular right now, so it’ll be interesting to see how they perform. Obviously it’s got competition in the rail and construction spaces, but the likes of Hotel Life and Chef Life should bring something entirely new to PlayStation 5 and PS4. Are you intrigued by these projects, or do you just not get the appeal at all? Unwind from a busy day of work with more work in the comments section below.