The developers of inZOI have taken swift action to address a disturbing bug that allowed players to run over children within the game. This issue, which came to light during the Early Access phase, has been rectified in the latest patch. Dive deeper into this unsettling feature and hear insights from the inZOI Director on their approach to realism in the game.
inZOI Early Access Fixes Shocking Bug
inZOI Developers Aim to Strengthen Internal Review Processes in the Future
As inZOI's Early Access period progresses, the gaming community has uncovered a troubling feature allowing players to run over children with vehicles. A video posted on the inZOI subreddit on March 28, titled "I don't think that Krafton realizes that you can run over children in inZOI", showcased this capability, revealing a child being hit by a car, flying a considerable distance, and ultimately succumbing to the impact.
While the developers had previously outlined various ways for characters (referred to as Zois) to meet their demise in the inZOI Online Showcase, including vehicular accidents, they did not intend for this to extend to child characters. Addressing the issue, a Krafton spokesperson clarified to Eurogamer on March 28 that this was an unintended bug, now fixed in the latest patch.
The spokesperson's statement emphasized, "These depictions are highly inappropriate and do not reflect the intent and values of inZOI. We understand the seriousness of this matter concerning age-appropriate content, and we are strengthening our internal review processes to prevent similar incidents in the future." Removing this bug aligns with inZOI's ESRB rating of T for Teen, ensuring the game remains within its intended age demographic.
inZOI Director Admits Realistic Style Makes It Hard for Goofing Around In-Game
inZOI has garnered a "Very Positive" review rating on Steam, with players praising its detailed and high-quality visuals. However, inZOI's Game Director, Hyungjun 'Kjun' Kim, shared with PCGamesN on March 31 that the game's hyper-realistic approach presents its challenges.
Kjun explained, "This was something we thought about a lot. With such realistic graphics, we constantly questioned how far we should take that realism. At times, we wanted to incorporate comical or lighthearted elements, but they didn’t quite fit with the grounded visuals, which was a bit disappointing sometimes."
Kjun has previously expressed admiration for The Sims 4, highlighting its charming goofiness as a defining trait. With inZOI's realistic style, integrating similar playful elements has proven challenging. Despite these hurdles, Kjun remains confident in the game's direction, stating, "We believe this level of immersive graphics will resonate with players and, throughout development, we’ve felt both proud and excited to bring this world to life."
While inZOI surpasses The Sims 4 in terms of detail and quality, the developers continue to search for a unique identity that will establish inZOI as a formidable competitor in the life-simulation genre. For more insights on inZOI's Early Access release, explore our detailed article below!
