EA recently announced that the social simulation game would be free-to-play starting today. The move has fueled speculation that Maxis is expanding its player base in preparation for the next entry into the franchise. During the recently concluded Behind The Sims Summit, EA and Maxis announced that they are developing the “next-generation Sims game and creative platform.” It is not quite The Sims 5 that everyone was hoping for, but rather a sneak peek into the next generation of the social sim. Lyndsay Pearson, VP of franchise creative, revealed the new game which is currently called “Project Rene.” Pearsons describes the new game as “reimagining The Sims you know and love with new ways to play. This is the future of The Sims, built on a foundation of charming Sims, powerful tools, and meaningful stories.” The new sim game will allow gamers to play solo or cooperatively. The gameplay experience will be the same on every platform including mobile. “We start with our creative tools, a key part of our Sims DNA. We’re experimenting with what’s worked and where we can push further to offer more flexibility than ever before,” Pearsons announced. Gameplay footage was shown for the creative tools. Players will have “the ability to change not only patterns and colors but also the shapes of the objects that you’ll be using when you build and decorate in-game.” “With Project Rene, we want to make it easier to work together and share. You can choose to play or create by yourself or with your close friends. It’s entirely your choice,” Pearsons adds. “No matter who you may want to play with, we want you to be able to play wherever you want. So, this is demonstrating an early technology test of how you can play this game across supported devices of your choosing. Same experience, different screens.” Pearsons also shared that EA will continue updating fans about the progress of the new Sims game. EA will be giving early access to Project Rene for small groups over time. The Behind The Sims Summit and announcement of Project Rene coincides with The Sims 4 base game being free for everyone to download and play on all platforms. During the event, EA also announced that they have partnered with Overwolf to bring mods and custom content from the community into the game. The Sims 4 is available on PC, Mac, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One.
