In an update published on its official website, the company has revealed that rather than focusing on “linear, sequential Sims releases”, it instead intends to offer players a wide variety of experiences, the centerpiece of which will continue to be The Sims 4. Also included will be Project Rene, previously rumoured to be The Sims 5, but described now by EA as “a story driven mobile test”.

“When we talk about The Sims as an entertainment platform driven by our community, it’s because we see the future of The Sims as more than any one title,” the update reads. “We’re expanding the franchise to better serve the diverse needs of the growing number of Simmers around the world. The Sims will move beyond linear, sequential Sims releases and offer more options for players than ever before. We’re focused on creating a variety of games and experiences that will touch different categories across the simulated life genre including cozy games, social and collaborative based gameplay, mobile narrative games and continued depth, improvements, and modernization of The Sims 4, which will continue to be a foundational Sims experience.

“We’re creating new and innovative experiences that connect with players on their terms, wherever they are and however they choose to play. These explorations are being tested via The Sims Labs including individual features from Project Rene, a story driven mobile test, enhancements to The Sims 4 with discovery and search tools, creator tools, and more.”

Interestingly, franchise boss Kate Gorman has also confirmed in an interview with Variety that there are no plans to make The Sims 5 and use it to replace The Sims 4, with the plan instead being to continue supporting, enhancing, and expanding on The Sims 4.

“The way to think about it is, historically, The Sims franchise started with Sims 1 and then Sims 2, 3, and 4. And they were seen as replacements for the previous products,” she said. “What we’re really working with our community on is this a new era of The Sims. We are not going to be working on replacements of previous projects; we’re only going to be adding to our universe. With that, you’ll see there are more ways to experience The Sims on different platforms, different ways to play, transmedia, and lots of great offerings within this universe. So absolutely, we’re still continuing to support The Sims 4 more than ever. Still continue to deliver expansion packs and updates and fixes. But what this is to say is, the way we’re going to do things going forward is a little different. And it’s really exciting and it’s really the most expansive iteration of The Sims yet.”

“What this means is that we will continue to bring HD simulation experience and what people would want from a [Sims] 5 — but it doesn’t mean that we’re going to start you over, reset all your progress, and really feel like you’re going to lose all of that amazing play you put into 4,” she added. “I think as we think about the future of it, we want you to continue all of those families and generations. Those creations are your progress, your attachment. We don’t want to reset your progress. And so it’s not about as much of what the numbers are in the games, but know that the future of the franchise looks more like keeping your progress, keeping things across titles, and really having an ongoing experience, and not a start-and-stop experience between products.”

“We intend for Project Rene to be free to download, and that means that when it’s ready and fully open to our players, you’ll be able to join and play and explore Project Rene without a subscription, without core game purchase or energy mechanics,” said vice president of franchise creative at Maxis Lyndsay Pearson.

“We want it to be easy for you to invite or join with a friend, and that means extending an open invitation for everyone to play.”

Pearson goes on to warn players that, at launch, Project Rene won’t be as feature rich as The Sims 4 eventually became thanks to the release of several updates and expansions since the title’s original release. However, Pearson reaffirms that the game will be worked on, and over time, will also get new content and experiences. Project Rene will also make features that older games in the franchise have featured as expansions as core features of the game.

“Well, beyond regular updates to the core game, we will sell content and packs, but we want to change that mix a little bit,” says Pearson. “So, let me give you a theoretical example. In The Sims 4, the only way to experience any weather was if you purchased seasons. Now, in Project Rene, we might introduce basic weather to the core game for free for everybody. And then a pack for purchase might be focused on winter sports and could include activities like ice dancing or a snowman-building competition.”

Pearson also goes on to reveal that Project Rene and The Sims 4 will exist side by side even once the in-development project is released as The Sims 5.

“Project Rene and The Sims 4 are going to continue to exist side by side,” explains Pearson. “We plan to support both at the same time, and we’re going to continue to bring even more exciting content to The Sims 4 for the foreseeable future.”

The Sims 5 doesn’t yet have a solid release date, but more details for the game are slated to be revealed in 2024. EA and Maxis have also previously stated that they want to release The Sims 5 on as many platforms as possible.

The listing, for the open position of Head of Monetization and Marketplace for Project Rene, was spotted by Sims Community, and has since been taken down. Under the responsibilities section, the listing described the title as a “free-to-enter” game, which means the game could be free-to-play at the outset, while also offering purchasable additional content.

Meanwhile, the job listing also made mention of “Project Rene’s in-game marketplace”, which will seemingly include content both user-generated and otherwise, with both free and paid options being available to players.

Given the sort of ongoing live service model The Sims tends to follow, it wouldn’t be surprising in the slightest to see it switching to a free-to-play mode (or free-to-enter, as EA calls it), though as is the case with any such game, how monetization is balanced will be crucial. That is, of course, if these plans are solidified, which they don’t necessarily have to be at this stage.

Recently, EA and Maxis also released details on some of the new customization options and lighting features that will be included in The Sims 5. Head on over here to find out more.

The Sims has always been a big franchise with a dedicated fanbase, but the latest entry in the series, The Sims 4, has taken that to a new level. As of last year, the game had surpassed 30 million players as announced by publisher EA. Because of that the game has continued to get lots of support, including some goofy DLC packs as Sims fans expect. Now it’s time to get spooky.

A new DLC has been revealed called the Paranormal Stuff Pack. Now your Sims can summon ghosts to be their roommates. The pack includes all kinds of ghostly additions such as seances to commune with the dead, a skeleton maid, Paranormal Investigators licenses and the ability to perform cleansing to send your ghostly pals on their way.

The Sims 4 is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The Paranormal Stuff Pack will launch across all platforms on January 26th.

The Sims has always been a series that thrives on its many, many, many expansion packs. All entries have had near-endless amounts of DLC aimed towards whatever lifestyles or other facet of life you can imagine. Since it’s sold over 20 million copies at this point, The Sims 4 is obviously no exception here, as it’s already gotten a lot of continuations, with an new one coming next month that’s all about saving the world.

The Eco Lifestyle expansion was announced with a trailer, which you can see below. Like most expansions, it will add a variety of mechanics and new things to make, with a particular focus on environmentally friendly activities. Your sims can now make their own food and energy, build a variety of new machines to clean up pollution, as well as organize your community to clean up the new city of map of Evergreen Harbour. You’ll be able to see the transformation of the map from fog-ridden wasteland to a bright and green living area.

The Sims 4 is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The Eco Lifestyle expansion will launch across all versions on June 5th.

The Sims 4 has enjoyed the kind of long-term enduring success that very few games ever do, having maintained a strong and dedicated playerbase that has continually grown since the game first came out in 2014. During their recent quarterly financial meeting, EA confirmed that the simulation game recently crossed yet another notable milestone, having now amassed over 20 million unique players over the course of its life.

In a Q&A during the meeting, EA CEO Andrew Wilson also discussed the future of The Sims, and how it will integrate social elements a lot more going forward. “Typically what The Sims has done is really focus on fulfilling the motivations of inspiration, escape, creation, self-improvement, and not necessarily focus as much as on social interaction and competition,” Wilson said.

He went on to say that as Maxis “continues to think about The Sims for a new generation”, it will put a greater focus on “social interactions and competition” similar to what The Sims Online attempted when it first launched years ago, and that this will “start to become a part of The Sims experience in the years to come”. Wilson went on to say that, owing to the fact that The Sims as a series doesn’t really have a real competitor in its genre, EA sees “tremendous growth opportunities” for it for the years to come.

The Sims 4 is currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One (and will be free on PS4 via PS Plus in February). Meanwhile, Maxis are reportedly working on a new unannounced IP as well.

With the exception of 2008’s Spore, Maxis has largely been focused on The Sims and SimCity for as long as it’s been around, while in recent years, with The Sims 4’s post-launch support being a priority of the studio, they haven’t really put out any major new games. However, that might be about to change soon.

Several job listings for various positions at Maxis have gone up at EA’s careers website, and several of them make it abundantly clear that the studio is working on something new. “We are gearing up for our next big production and we need some passionate teammates to collaborate with to bring our new project to life,” reads the listing for VFX Artist.

“Maxis Texas, EA’s newest Maxis studio, is looking for a visionary Art Director to lead our art team in the creation of a new, unannounced title,” the ad for Art Director reads. “We’re looking for candidates with a unique vision and the ability to promote that vision, providing stunning visuals at the highest levels of execution.”

Meanwhile, listings for both, Senior Character Artist and Senior Server Software Engineer also make mention of a new unannounced IP.

Of course, there’s no telling what this project is. Looking at Maxis’ track record, it would be easy to assume that they’re working on another new simulation IP, but there’s every chance that they’re doing something completely different this time. Here’s hoping we hear more about whatever this project is in the near future.

Ever wanted to bring some magic to your Sims town? The latest DLC for The Sims 4, Realm of Magic, allows for that. Available now on PC for $19.99, it will also be coming to Xbox One and PS4. Check out the official gameplay trailer to see exactly what kind of magic is in store, both good and evil.

A new town called Glimmerbrook is introduced along with a realm to learn spells. Players can become a Spellcaster, mixing potions, bringing forth familiars like dragons and much more. You’ll need to train though especially with so many different schools of magic. Even Harry Potter didn’t start out a genius.

Realm of Magic does offer all kinds of interesting possibilities, from zapping Sims, teleporting, taking flight and even making Sims fall in love. If that sounds like fun, then pick up the expansion on Origin today. For those new to The Sims 4, it might be worth reading up on its recent new look and revamp.

The latest entry in the long running simulation series, The Sims 4, has been a huge success for EA and Maxis. EA also has a lot of great ambitions for it, hoping that it will rival their ongoing battle royale Apex Legends in revenue and popularity. The series has always been about adding various content and the newest update, one for the fifth anniversary, is this week and adds an extra level of diversity and building options.

In a monthly video that details some of the new options for your player characters, we see clothing that’s Muslim-themed with hijab and kufi headwear. Along with those new clothing options, it also will have several new architectural options with pointed arch windows and doors. You can also place stairs by splitting and turning them, so you can add more than just straight stairs.

The Sims 4 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. You can see a full breakdown of the update below.

Maxis’s The Sims 4 is doing pretty well, having received a significant revamp and a new expansion, Realm of Magic, on the way. However, it seems there are other things in the works at the company’s Austin studio. A recent listing revealed that Maxis wants to hire a creative director for a new IP.

While specifics weren’t provided, the listing said it wanted someone with experience “designing a game with a long-term live service.” Working on PC and mobiles was also stated as a requirement. Another interesting note was how the creative director should “understand how user-generated content and experiences are shaping products in the market.” The necessary experience for “designing, launching, monitoring and evolving a live service title” along with working with “licensing partners” were also stated.

Whatever this new IP ends up being, it could likely have licensed content, if not based on a licensed property altogether. With EA’s mobile strategy including a new Plants vs. Zombies (currently in pre-alpha for Android) and an upcoming mobile version of Apex Legends, it’s not all that strange to see Maxis involved with something. Stay tuned for more details – it could be some time before this project is revealed.