The next installment in The Sims series, codenamed “Project Rene,” has been announced. The Sims 4 is indeed getting a sequel, putting an end to months of rumors.
EA’s Sims 4 franchise, now in its ninth year, continues to be a massive commercial success. In spite of a shaky introduction in 2014, the game has endured because to a steady supply of expansion packs, frequent free updates to the core game, and a dedicated following.
On October 18, 2022, however, EA and Maxis gave fans their first look at the series’ future. Learn the ins and outs of The Sims 5 right here!
When will it come out?
Although Project Rene has been revealed, the fifth main Sims game may not be out until as late as 2025.
In her announcement of The Sims 5, Lyndsay Pearson, Vice President of Franchise Creative for The Sims, acknowledged that work had barely begun and hinted that it would be “a few years” until the game was released. That’s a novel idea, and it could help the new game avoid the polarizing reception its predecessor received at launch. Moreover, Pearson assured fans that the team would maintain support and release updates for The Sims 4 in the future.
Platforms for The Sims 5
While no formal announcements have been made, it seems likely that The Sims 5 will be playable on PC and Mac via the Origin store (and maybe Steam). Pearson has disclosed an intriguing tidbit: the development team is looking towards making it possible to play the game simultaneously across various supported devices. In a sneak peek, a player was customizing the same build on both a desktop and a mobile device.
The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of The Sims 4 did not come out until more than three years after the PC version, but in recent years, the console versions have been given more attention, with feature parity (excluding mods) and packs being published simultaneously for all platforms. Therefore, it is unlikely that console players will have to wait an additional three years for The Sims 5.
Will The Sims 5 be released for the Nintendo Switch?
There has been a lot of demand for The Sims 5 on Nintendo Switch. Given EA’s rather weak support for the system, unfortunately, this cannot be guaranteed. You won’t be able to play The Sims 4 on the Switch. However, an early, potentially unfinished version of Project Rene was spotted being run on a mobile device, but it’s unclear if this was a local install or a stream.
Has EA finally confirmed that The Sims 5 will have multiplayer?
The inclusion of multiplayer in The Sims 5 has been a hot topic of speculation. To put it mildly, this is an extremely divisive topic. The Sims 4 was originally intended to be a multiplayer title, but after negative fan reaction, the developers reversed course and made the game single-player only. The short answer is that Project Rene will feature multiplayer options. However, how far this goes is currently unknown.
As far as user-generated material goes, we know that EA and Maxis intend to provide Simmers more tools than ever to cooperate with others, most likely an expansion on The Sims 4’s famous gallery function. You’ll be able to establish various levels of anonymity if you prefer to play by yourself or with a small group of friends.
The fact that players of The Sims can ignore the game’s multiplayer options for a more traditional single-player experience was confirmed in an official FAQ.
Modifications and new additions
While there has been speculation that open worlds could return to The Sims franchise for The Sims 5, nobody can say for sure if or how this would work with the game’s overall architecture.
EA and Maxis showed off some early designs for The Sims 5 on October 18 during a special live, demonstrating expanded building customization options. Products can be personalized to your specifications. The bed’s headboard and footboard, as well as the sofa’s cushions and their arrangement, serve as illustrative examples. We also saw a color selector, which means that players aren’t tied to a small palette and may give various surfaces and components their own unique hues and designs.
In addition, the preview demonstrated a player adjusting and repositioning sofa cushions for optimal comfort. That’s all we’ve been told about The Sims 5’s features thus far, but we may speculate based on the game’s past successes. Over time, more culturally-specific things like clothes, construction materials, and food have been included, and the Socially Awkward attribute represents neurodiversity in the High School Years extension.
The Sims 5 is expected to maintain the franchise’s emphasis on the ‘Play with Life’ slogan, making the game more welcoming to players of all backgrounds right from the start. The developers have previously been open about the fact that they are unable to implement “mechanically” non-binary Sims due to technical constraints. When making the next game from scratch, this is definitely something that will be taken into account.
The Sims 4 does not adequately portray those with disabilities. In response to a petition in October 2021, the team stated that mobility aids were a priority. Since then, there hasn’t been much discussion of them, but we remain hopeful that we will eventually see something.
Player-requested features for The Sims 4 include autos as well as increased diversity and inclusivity. However, the high demand will have trickled down to the developers working on The Sims 5, so it’s impossible to say for sure whether or not automobiles will be added to The Sims 4. So there is yet a chance.
