If you were waiting for The Sims 5, you might want to hold your horses for a bit.
In its latest update, EA confirmed that The Sims 5 was not in development and, instead, they would be expanding The Sims 4, which has been on the shelves for over 10 years, unlike these five games like The Sims PC. This keeps the progress made by players intact, without having to start from scratch.
Fans expect this, as with each new Sims game comes the replacement of the previous one. However, The Sims 4 has a huge community with more than 80 million players. EA thinks there is still a lot to play out in the game and they want to see it grow.
Why No Sims 5?
The fundamental reason to skip The Sims 5 is that it won’t have players start from scratch. People have devoted years to planning out their virtual families, homes, and neighborhoods. Release the new game without regard for that work and it’s all thrown down the drain. EA wants to save that effort and allows the player to move right along in The Sims 4 instead.
According to Kate Gorman, EA’s Vice President and General Manager of The Sims franchise: “A new era for the game.” Instead of replacing The Sims 4, they will continue to add new features and expansions. And this approach keeps the game fresh and allows players to keep everything they’ve built.
The Sims: Project Rene
Announced last year, EA did something called Project Rene, hinting at a multiplayer-packed affair and, thus, utilizing this integrated functionality within the world of The Sims. This new technology will revolutionize the mode in which players interact with the world along with its inhabitants, both NPC and other players.
Project Rene will vary from all the other multiplayer attempts, since The Sims 5 was cancelled. Instead, it will provide a much more immersive and social experience. The players can play it in real-time from various platforms-PC, console, and even mobile devices. EA hasn’t worked out all the details, but they have confirmed that this is going to be a cross-platform experience.
Expansion of The Sims 4 through New Content
Although there won’t be a The Sims 5, development of The Sims 4 is still continuous, technically making it one of the old games worth playing out there. EA recently announced a new expansion pack called Life & Death, which should come soon. It will increase gameplay and make it deeper and more exciting.
EA is also releasing “Creator Kits,” a new way for players to buy and sell custom in-game content. While people have been sharing their custom content with each other on the game’s gallery and other platforms for ages, with Creator Kits, EA is now supporting that creativity and compensating creators.
It lets creators really unleash the diversity even further in the game. Keeping community-created content alive, the company continues ensuring freshness and interest in The Sims 4. Changes made in recent expansions and community-driven content updates continue to keep it right at the heart of EA’s plans for The Sims.
What’s Next for The Sims Franchise?
While EA’s approach with The Sims 4 materializes through their efforts to keep it thriving, one thing is obvious: the firm sees no need to replace it with The Sims 5. The core focus of EA is on developing new contents and solving the problems in the game to make it relevant for its users.
Project Rene will bring multiplayer experiences to The Sims universe, and you can eagerly look forward to updates and expansions through The Sims 4. This will be available on platforms such as PC, consoles, and mobile devices. According to EA’s September 17 blog post, we can expect a small invitation only playtest this coming Fall 2024. You can sign up to the playtest here if you’re interested.
Is It Safe for Fans to Expect The Sims 5 Game to Ever Come True?
A senior business executive claims that Electronic Arts has no plans to create The Sims 5. Unlike the Concord cancellation that didn’t stop Concord from being in Amazon Prime’s Secret Level, The Sims 5 seems to be in the gutter. Rather, the massive game developer is still totally committed to working on the enigmatic Project Rene and adding more features to The Sims 4.
EA may not currently have plans to introduce a fifth-numbered entry into the franchise, but that doesn’t mean the studio hasn’t thought about or even tried. Conversely, a former character artist for EA reportedly asserted that The Sims 5 was originally in production. However, it was ultimately terminated, which occurred as early as early 2024.
What are your thoughts on this news? Do you think it’s a good player-centric decision, or a classic EA move? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments down below!
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