The Sims fans have spent many a year wondering what the next major release in the series would look like. For the most part, it’s assumed that it’ll just be ‘The Sims 5’, but it’s what that game will look like that has the community deep in discussion. There’s also ‘Project Rene’, which has been thrown around by Maxis and Electronic Arts for some time.
At least one of those things has a more solid identity now, and it’s all thanks to those very same fans. In a new blog post, the team at Maxis revealed that Project Rene has ‘evolved’ into a ‘social, collaborative, mobile-first life-sim game.’
It’s not the next big Sims title, but what is it?
Project Rene is NOT The Sims 5
In a recent blog post, Maxis and Electronic Arts took a deep dive into all things The Sims. The post started with a reaffirmation that things aren’t set to run cold with The Sims 4, which will continue to receive updates and new content going forward.
It was believed that the game’s new expansion pack, Royalty & Legacy, would be the final Sims 4 expansion. It seems that might not be the case, based on the new blog post.
The blog post in question details everything you’d want to immediately know about Project Rene, including how the project has pivoted to focus on mobile-based multiplayer mechanics:
Thanks to ongoing player feedback, Project Rene has evolved to focus on social multiplayer play, offering a more direct way for friends to share creativity together.
It is not the successor to The Sims 4 and is a separate experience from any future deep, single player life simulation experience. It introduces a new way to explore and play together within the growing Sims family of games, welcoming Simmers who want to connect directly with other players.
The team is adamant that the core of the Sims franchise is rooted – and forever will be – in single-player experiences. That has been the bread and butter of The Sims since the first game debuted almost 26 years ago.
And again, those updates won’t stop flowing right into The Sims 4:
At its core, The Sims was built on a deep, single-player life simulation, chock full of rich systems, meaningful storytelling, and player agency that puts you in control. That foundation isn’t going anywhere. We’ll continue to deliver content and updates to The Sims 4 and we are committed to improving the experience.
There’s still no indication of when the next numbered Sims title might surface, but as the live-service, free-to-play model of The Sims 4 is doing so well, it might be a long time before it does.
Do you think Project Rene sounds like your kind of thing? Let us know what you’re thinking about the game on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t coming to Switch 2
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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