Highlights
- The Sims franchise excels at portraying the importance of family, with unique representations of different household traits and emotions.
- The Landgraab and Goth families have been mainstays in the series since the beginning, and their return in The Sims 5 is highly likely.
- The Caliente and Pleasant families also have rich lore and extensive involvement in the franchise, making their return in The Sims 5 very possible.
In the words of the feared tactical mastermind from Game of Thrones, Tywin Lannister, family is everything, and The Sims franchise does a fantastic job of harping on the family unit across every iteration of the series. While the textbook allure of the Maxis headliner lies in the remarkable depth of customization options it offers players, from creating a character to building the most impressive mansion ever known to The Sims universe, it is equally renowned for its lore through its families. Over the years, several households have come and gone in the life simulator series through the base games and its numerous expansion packs, but a few have been mainstays in the franchise from day one and are likely to return in the next iteration, The Sims 5.
Just like regular real-life families, members of a household share similar traits, and The Sims has unique representations of the spectrum of human emotions through its family units. For example, interacting with the Goth Family reveals a predisposition to dour moods and a tendency to isolate from others, while players will notice the Landgraabs have the typical snobbish materialism that comes with a lifetime of wealth and influence. Like Halo and Master Chief, every franchise needs its legacy characters, and an installment of The Sims wouldn't have the cozy Simlish feel without the presence of some families since they have appeared in just about every edition of the franchise.
The Landgraabs
The wealthiest family in The Sims, the Landgraabs have had their footprints all over the franchise right from the days of SimCity 3000, dotting the landscape with billboards depicting the family name. The illustrious family line can be traced through The Sims Medieval: Pirates and Nobles, where the ancestors were on opposite sites of warring factions, to Nancy, Geoffrey, and their son Malcolm in The Sims 4.
The family used to have powerful rivals in the Alto household in The Sims 3, with both families striving for the distinction of Mega Corporation's CEO through Nancy and Nick, and the relationship between members of the households was as frosty as any in The Sims memory. In The Sims 4, the Landgraabs have unchecked influence through the ownership of the Power Corporation and Copperdale High, and just about every Sim pays precious Simoleons to keep their household appliances running in the latest edition of the franchise, making their return in The Sims 5 pretty much inevitable.
The Goths
Every Sim has its quirks, but it is rare for an entire household to give off weird vibes. Even accounting for the StrangerVille world in The Sims 4 with its mystical connections to The Mother, the Goth family is one of the stranger units in The Sims' history. From their obsession with medieval and Gothic architecture (perhaps stemming from their royal roots) to lore concerning Bella, the Goths have inspired intrigue in every iteration they've graced. Mortimer, Bella's husband, is a Renaissance Sim with a flair for writing macabre stories, and despite his Outgoing personality trait, he is susceptible to periods of gloom.
Where things get interesting is with Bella, as her complex lore stretches back to the canonical timeline of The Sims 2. Tragedy strikes the household when Bella goes missing due to alien abduction and never returns home to Pleasantview. Mortimer is an Elder Sim in this story with a much younger love interest in Dina Caliente, who many believe is after a hefty inheritance payday. The Sims 4 takes place in an alternate universe, with the family's biggest worry being how to keep young Cassandra and Alexander from becoming as gloomy as their forebears, and The Sims 5 is another opportunity to expand the household's lore.
The Calientes
A good story needs romance drama to thrive, and the Caliente women provide enough material to sate lovers of a traditional soap opera. In The Sims 4, the family resides in the Oasis Springs with Katrina's live-in boyfriend Don Lothario, who is more than remotely interested in her twin daughters, Nina and Dina. The sisters have an alien heritage in The Sims 2, and given Dina's gold-digging aspirations and Bella Goth's last seen location at Don Lothario's home, they might be more involved in her disappearance than meets the eye. Lovers of The Sims expect the Caliente household to return in The Sims 5 due to their extensive involvement in the franchise's lore.
The Pleasants
Another legacy household, the Pleasants have been present in every iteration of The Sims franchise. One of the wealthier families in the series, Daniel and Mary-Sue Pleasant flaunt their riches on a honeymoon in the Sunlit Tides world in The Sims 3, although there are rumors of romantic trifles with the maids. The couple's twin daughters, Lillith and Angela, appeared in The Sims 4 with the introduction of the Discover University expansion pack, and since their timelines seem to be progressing - from Daniel as a child in The Sims, the honeymoon in The Sims 3, and finally the daughters in university in the latest installment - it is reasonable to expect more expansion in The Sims 5.
The Crumplebottoms
Life wouldn't be complete without a few grouchy old citizens, and Agnes and Agatha Crumplebottom carry the family torch in The Sims 4. The family is related to the Goths by Cornelia's marriage to Gunther in The Sims 3, which is set 50 years before the events of The Sims 2. While the household seems to be on its last legs since the sisters are Elder Sims, the family lives on through the Goths, and they might yet make another appearance in The Sims 5.
The Sims 5 is in development.