Recently, a fair chunk of information has been made available regarding the ongoing development of The Sims 5. It has been almost a decade since the release of The Sims 4, and while fans are perfectly happy with that latest instalment in this legendary franchise, there’s always the desire to see what’s coming next.
On Twitter, one eagle-eyed user stumbled across a job listing for a ‘Head of Monetization & Marketplace’ on ‘Project Rene’, which is the interchangeable name for The Sims 5. In this listing, it was stated quite clearly that The Sims 5 will be ‘free-to-enter’, boasting a ‘free and paid’ in-game marketplace and paid-for content – which is essentially the model that The Sims 4 is working with as we speak.
Free From The Get-Go?
The Sims 4 started off life as a paid-for title, and then over time, expansions were added to the line-up that also went hand-in-hand with their own price tags. However, following a drastic change made by EA towards the end of 2022, The Sims 4 went free-to-play – and it was a dramatic, staggering success.
It makes complete sense that The Sims 5 would follow suit, given the growth seen within The Sims 4’s community brought on by that game pivoting to a free-to-play model.
In the job listing, it was stated that the successful applicant would:
Own pricing of all content in this free-to-enter game, ensuring we have an optimal pricing and content architecture.
There was a reference made to fostering a ‘nimble live service culture’ and the need to ‘maximize long-term revenue’ by analysing spending habits and tracking purchases, and so on.
So, The Sims 5 could be free to own, but it’s safe to assume that a lot of content will be stuffed away behind paywalls. Is that a win or not?
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our coverage of the claim that DayZ 2 is in development by Bohemia
