There Won’t Be Sims 5, But There Will Be a Sims Movie

Electronic Arts announced that there are currently no plans to work on or release a Sims 5. Instead, it will continue to release updates for The Sims 4. [Thanks, Variety, Wario64!]

While fans have been spreading rumors that Electronic Arts’ Project Rene was a codename for The Sims 5, it turns out that Project Rene will be a separate project. Based on past information, it will be free-to-play and while you can play it by yourself like a normal Sims game, it will also have a multiplayer function. Electronic Arts has confirmed the multiplayer aspect of Project Rene. While it will be possible to play with friends, it will not be an MMO like The Sims Online was.

As for why Electronic Arts will not be releasing The Sims 5, this is so that players who have spent the past decade on their The Sims 4 save files or game will be able to continue doing so. For reference, the base The Sims 3 game came out in 2009. The final pack for it was Into the Future, which came out in 2013, meaning that players received new content (excluding Store content) for four years. The Sims 2 is in the same boat, as the base game came out in 2004 and the final entry was Mansion & Garden Stuff in November 2008. The Sims 4 players will continue to see new updates, including paid expansions and packs.

Incidentally, Electronic Arts will introduce “Creator Kits.” This is a way for Sims players to sell their own custom content through the EA store. Some CC creators are already making money through Patreon or, in the past, ADfly. But Creator Kits will be a way for them to do so in an official capacity.

Code for The Sims series can be difficult to add onto with packs, as there are so many different things to account for. New updates tend to bring huge bugs and glitches. For example, Wedding Stories introduced a huge wealth of issues that still persist in the game. While starting over might be difficult for players who wants to keep up with the franchise’s instalments, continuing to add onto the code may mean more issues down the line.

As well, a live-action The Sims movie will come out in theaters. There’s not a lot of information on it yet apart from the fact that Kate Herron will be the director and co-writer, and Margot Robbie will be the producer. Herron previously worked as a director on Loki, Sex Education, and The Last of Us. Meanwhile, Margot Robbie has worked on Barbie, The Suicide Squad, and Babylon.

The Sims 4 is readily available on the Windows PC, macOS, PS4, and Xbox One.