The developers of inZOI have addressed a disturbing bug that allowed players to run over children with vehicles, which has now been fixed in their latest patch. This shocking feature sparked significant discussion within the gaming community, prompting a swift response from the inZOI team. Dive deeper to understand more about this issue 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 phase progresses, players have uncovered a distressing feature that permitted running over children with vehicles. A video posted on inZOI’s subreddit on March 28, titled "I don't think that Krafton realizes that you can run over children in inZOI," showcased a player using a car to hit a child, resulting in the child being thrown a considerable distance before tragically passing away.

While the developers had previously indicated during the inZOI Online Showcase that Zois could be killed in various ways, including vehicular accidents, it was never suggested that this would extend to children. In a statement to Eurogamer on March 28, a Krafton spokesperson clarified that this was an unintended bug, now resolved in the latest patch.

The statement emphasized, "These depictions are highly inappropriate and do not reflect the intent and values of inZOI. We understand the seriousness of this matter and the importance of age-appropriate content. 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, preventing a potential shift to a more restrictive age rating.

inZOI Director Admits Realistic Style Makes It Hard for Goofing Around In-Game

inZOI has garnered a "Very Positive" review rating on Steam, praised for its detailed and high-quality visuals. However, inZOI’s Game Director Hyungjun ‘Kjun’ Kim shared with PCGamesN on March 31 that their commitment to hyper-realism 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 expressed admiration for The Sims 4, particularly its ability to blend charming goofiness with gameplay, a balance that inZOI's realistic style struggles to achieve. Despite these challenges, Kjun remains confident in inZOI's approach, 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 are still working to define the game's identity as a formidable contender in the life-simulation genre. For more insights into inZOI's Early Access release, explore our detailed article below!