Things are not as they seem with the Sims 5
A blogpost from EA and Maxis has revealed that we aren't getting the Sims 5 after all. It turns out that Project Rene, which everyone assumed was the next Sims game, isn't a direct sequel at all.
Instead, the Sims 4 will continue to be the main Sims game for essentially as long as the franchise is going. The base game has been free to play for some time, and will continue to be improved and updated.
However, while it might feel like the Sims 5 has been 'cancelled' today, this isn't true. Project Rene is still in development. So, what is the next Sims game going to look like?
What is Project Rene if not a sequel to The Sims 4?
With the Sims 4 continuing to get updates and paid expansions, rather than being replaced by the Sims 5, that is Project Rene going to be? We got some details today in a blog post about what the next Sims game is going to look like.
Here's what was shared today.
Continuing its development alongside other exciting new projects within The Sims franchise, Project Rene is focused on building ways for friends to meet, connect, and share while playing together in an all-new world.
There will be a small invite-only playtest for Rene this Fall 2024, giving an early look at a multiplayer experience that explores joining friends and other players at a shared location. Sign up for the chance to playtest in The Sims Labs here and be among the first to play in the new world! We’ll continue to share more information on the game’s development and milestones along the way.
That means that we will very soon see exactly what Project Rene looks like. It's not clear if people who get into the playtest will be able to share their gameplay or experiences.
However, this tells us that Project Rene will be an online Sims multi-player game. It's not clear if it will be very close to the Sims 4, or if it will be an entirely different approach. This will be the second attempt at an online Sims experience. "The Sims Online" launched back in 2002, but ultimately failed to gain any traction.
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Will there ever be a Sims 5?
It looks like there won't be a Sims 5. Speaking in an interview with Variety EA’s vice president and general manager of “The Sims” franchise Kate Gorman said that they are no longer working on replacements for their past product, in the way that Sims 1, 2, 3 and then 4 have followed each other. A new The Sims game has always meant starting from scratch, including having to rebuy DLCs as they steadily release. Popular expansion packs like 'Seasons' and 'Pets' have been released multiple times.
When Variety asked Gorman directly if there would be a Sims 5, she said:
"It’s not ‘Sims 5’ as a replacement for ‘4.’
What this means is that we will continue to bring HD simulation experience and what people would want from a ‘5’ — but it doesn’t mean that we’re going to start you over, reset all your progress, and really feel like you’re going to lose all of that amazing play you put into ‘4,’
I think as we think about the future of it, we want you to continue all of those families and generations. Those creations are your progress, your attachment. We don’t want to reset your progress. And so it’s not about as much of what the numbers are in the games, but know that the future of the franchise looks more like keeping your progress, keeping things across titles, and really having an ongoing experience, and not a start-and-stop experience between products"
So, while it might be disappointing to not have a Sims 5 on the horizon, we're going to get continual updates and new content for The Sims 4 for years to come. The Sims 4 will be getting an "exciting base game update" when the latest expansion pack "Life & Death" releases in October.
