“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 video showcased prototype scenes, and developers spoke about making use of various tools and techniques, such as lighting and animations, to help make the world of The Sims 5 come alive. The studio is working on new lighting technologies that will bring more customisation options to the game.

The video also talks about the new socialisation systems in The Sims 5, with a complete overhaul planned for the game to help players better understand what their sims are talking about.

The Sims 5 was first unveiled as Project Rene back in 2022. While not too many details on the game were announced at the time, the studio did tease us about some of the customisation features that players wi ll have access to in the new title.

The game is currently still early in development, and we will likely see more details revealed as its development cycle continues.

It looks like Project Rene will allow players to not only change the colour and patterns on objects, but also the object’s shape as well. Another feature in the works is the ability for players to be able to customise their Sims’ houses through a different device. The demo shown off had a player place furniture on their smartphone, with the changes appearing live on the PC.

It is worth pointing out that all of the features for Project Rene shown off have been in an incredibly early stage of development, and we could see many changes down the line as development on Project Rene moves forward.

Pearson also stated that more details on Project Rene will be revealed as development moves ahead, and the studio will also start providing access to some of the early software to a small group of players.