Images have surfaced online reportedly showing a playtest build of Project Rene, the codename for The Sims 5. In the images, we see a rough, top-down map of a large city-style area with a river running through it, and then in follow-up images, there are in-game snapshots of areas that correspond to that top-down map.
These images, which are apparently the results of a datamining effort, were posted on Reddit earlier today by DzXAnt22. In ‘the files’, the user explained that they’d found reference images aligning the map and its aesthetics to Paris.
The Sims, But Bigger
At first blush, it appears that The Sims 5 will feature quite a sizeable open-world environment if the recent leak is to be believed. Following the post containing the images on Reddit, the dataminer had a few more details to share.
Firstly, they confirmed that the playtest build runs smoothly – even on a mobile device. The game makes use of asset streaming and LODs to ensure a stable framerate, and the dataminer stressed that ‘performance is rock solid even when fully zoomed out’.
It was then confirmed that there are no ‘travel’ icons to be found in the game’s files, and there are also no references to ‘travelling’ to other lots or locations, which suggests an open-world, real-time operating model will be at play in The Sims 5. Unfortunately, it was then mentioned that the build is more than a year old, so things will have certainly changed by now.
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