Fans have believed for a while now thatProject Renewas the codename forThe Sims 5while it is in development, making them excited any time it was mentioned or leaks dropped. Considering it has been over a decade sinceThe Sims 4launched, it’s no surprise that fans are desperate for any morsels of information about a newSimsgame, even despite all the new content coming toThe Sims 4. As there have been four sequential games in the series, it was just expected that there would be aSims 5eventually to take its predecessors' place.
However, despite a lot ofinformation leaking aboutProject Rene, there has been some clarification surrounding it and what it means aboutThe Sims 5. Crucially,this new information has outlined the future ofThe Simsfranchiseand what players can expect to see in the coming years. It’s been a wild ride for Sims fans worldwide, but fortunately, this much-needed clarification is sure to make people happy.
Project Rene Is Not The Sims 5
It Is A Different Game Within The Sims Franchise
Project Reneis not a codename forThe Sims 5,as it turns out to be a completely different game within theSimsfranchise. Rather than being the next entry intoThe Sims series, it will be a spin-off title of sorts that has a greater focus on multiplayer. It is more akin to the original, and failed,The Sims Online, which launched all the way back in 2002.
Project Renewill allow fans to play with one another while sharing the same game worldwith their various Sims. It isn’t a multiplayer expansion forThe Sims 4, but rather its own game that will have a brand-new world and features for players to get stuck into. This confirmed thatThe Sims 5is canceled, with a PR representative forThe Simsclarifying this to Screen Rant and stating thatProject Reneis its own game:
While there is no game currently in development titled ‘The Sims 5', Project Rene is continuing its development alongside other exciting new projects within The Sims franchise. Project Rene is a standalone experience focused on building ways for friends to meet, connect, and share while playing together in an all-new world.
In an interview withVariety, Kate Gorman, the vice president and general manager ofThe Simsat EA, spoke about the various projects in development, includingProject Rene.
She clarified thatthe company has learned a lot fromThe Sims Onlineand is attempting to revamp it and improve upon its foundations for a new audience. Gorman told Variety that they “know simulation is at the core of everything we do, and we want to make sure our players still have that experience they want, but in a world with real players and NPCs.”
There Will Not Be A Sims 5
Several Projects In Development For The Sims
EA has confirmed thatThe Sims 5is not in development and thatit has no plans to create another mainline entry toThe Simsfranchise like it did with the previous four games. Instead, it wants to release spin-off titles, including the aforementionedProject Rene, and continue to supportThe Sims 4well into the future. Fans are already seeing this in action with the impressivefeatures coming in the newSims 4roadmap.
Gorman spoke about this transition from numbered mainline entries into a wider universe ofSimsgames and referred to it as “a new era of The Sims.” She explained thatEA no longer wants to see the futureSimsgames as “replacements for the previous products,” but rather create more ways for players to enjoy it on various platformsand through other forms of media, including the upcoming movie.
Fortunately, she clarified in that Variety interview that EA will “still continu[e] to support ‘TS4’ more than ever. Still continue to deliver expansion packs and updates and fixes.”
Every Secret World In The Sims 4, Ranked
The Sims 4 includes several secret worlds that players can discover, some of which offer a lot of benefits, while others are somewhat underwhelming.
Crucially, this doesn’t mean that aSims 5-esque experience won’t happen, asEA still wants to make experiences that incorporate everything that madeThe Sims 4one of thebest life sims ever made. Gorman explained that EA didn’t want to reset player progress and make fans “feel like you’re going to lose all of that amazing play you put into 4.” Instead, it wanted the future of the franchise to be more about “keeping your progress, keeping things across titles, and really having an ongoing experience.”
Project Rene Will Be A Multiplayer Sims
There Aren’t Currently Many Details About It
There aren’t many details about whatProject Renewill actually be outside of it being a multiplayer-focused title. As aforementioned,Project Reneis all about bringing players together and sharing theirSimsexperience, although it also appears that NPCs will still play a huge role as well, ensuring fans can still interact with the likes of the Goths and Landgraabs. However, thanks to a playtest in 2022, whichEAhas documented on its official website, there are a few extra details that help explain what kind of experienceProject Renewill offer.
Firstly, Game Director Grant Rodiek explained that"Project Rene supports both mobile and PC experiences," although didn’t mention whether it would be coming to consoles. Additionally, the initial playtest was all about apartment customization, which included giving players access to interior design tools, the ability to customize furniture, and work collaboratively on interior design.
Furthermore, in the EA post about theProject Reneplaytest, Rodiek mentioned the kind of features it will support, stating that it “supports a wide variety of experiences: simulation, socialization, creative tools for furniture and interior design, creative tools for clothing and characters—plus new social experiences.”
EA has implied that fans can expect something soon fromProject Rene, and stated that more playtests are to come covering the other aspects of the game as well as the apartment customization that was covered in the last one.
While it’s all a little ambiguous, it sounds like its shaping up to be essentiallyThe Sims 4but with multiplayer, which sounds like it will be a lot of fun, especially with the “new social experiences” that Rodiek teased.Project Renehas been in development for quite some time, so it’s likely that something a little more concrete will be shared with fans soon. However, until then, fans can rest assured that whileProject Reneis notThe Sims 5, it is shaping up to be something hopefully just as interesting.
