Though Sims 4 is still going forceful 10 years after its release, developer Maxis and publisher Electronic Arts are actively working on Project Rene, the codename for the next version of The Sims. Maxis is in “very early stages of development,” but is slowly starting to share information about the project. Perhaps most notably, Project Rene is not Sims 5.
However, the game is already far enough along that Maxis was able to hold compact playtests focused on interior design and furniture as early as 2022—the same year the company announced it was developing the game. Maxis and Electronic Arts intend to continue this by hosting compact playtests throughout the game’s development. The next playtest, part of what Maxis is calling The Sims Labs, will focus on Project Rene’s multiplayer components later this year.
“This is how the best games are created – in cooperation with players” Game director Grant Rodiek wrote in 2023:“This is an incredibly valuable tool that will help us make Projekt Rene truly unique. But! —it’s a long, complicated process.”
So far the developer four separate videos were released that discuss the latest information about Project Rene. The streams are an unexpected and transparent way for Maxis to keep players engaged in the next generation of The Sims. There’s still a lot to learn about Project Rene, including the all-important release date, but we already know a lot. Recently, Electronic Arts’ vice president of The Sims franchise Kate Gorman Revelli told Polygon that it won’t necessarily be Sims 5 — Maxis and Electronic Arts are moving away from linear games.
Why is it called Project Rene?
Project Rene is the codename for the next Sims game. Whatever it’s called, it won’t be Project Rene; codenames are standard in the industry. But the team chose this codename specifically because it reflects words like “renewal, renaissance, rebirth,” said Lyndsay Pearson, who runs The Sims series, in the Behind the Sims broadcast“It’s a symbol of our renewed commitment to The Sims,” she added.
When will Project Rene be released?
Maxis and Electronic Arts haven’t given a release window for Project Rene — they’ve only said it’s in very early development. The game isn’t expected to release for a few years yet, but there could be early access opportunities, the last of which is planned for this year.
“There is still a lot of work left in Project Rene” Grant said in a 2023 blog post.“We still haven’t shared our simulation experience or character and clothing customization — not to mention recent versions of housing customization and additional social game experiences. All of this will be slowly introduced, shared, tested, modified, improved, reduced. And we intend to develop it hand in hand with our players.”
Is Project Rene free to play?
Maxis did Sims 4 Free to play in 2022, during the game’s life cycle; Sims 4 was released in 2014. Project Rene will be available as a free download from the start, Pearson said in Behind The Sims episode from September 2023
“This means that when it is ready and fully open to our players, you will be able to join, play, and explore Project Rene without a subscription, without purchasing the base game or energy mechanics,” Pearson said. Project Rene, like Sims 4will have paid content, but Pearson said the distribution of content for the new game will be slightly different. Her example was the weather — in Sims 4you needed that 40 dollars Seasons expansion pass to have any weather. But the next iteration of the game would include base weather, and paid content would expand on that — so if snow was in the base game, the expansion would let you go ice skating or build a snowman, she said.
Pearson said Maxis wants to “lower those barriers to play” to give players access to the broadest shared systems. Gorman Revelli told Polygon in September that the linear model is key to allowing players to keep everything they’ve already purchased Sims 4. This is one of the reasons why the Rene Project is not Sims 5 — Maxis does not want to erase progress like it has done in the past.
Does Project Rene have multiplayer?
Project Rene will have a multiplayer mode, but Rodiek has tempered expectations in the episode Behind The Sims from January 2023. “One thing to keep in mind is that Project Rene is not an MMO,” Rodiek said. “It’s not a public, shared space where everything you do is always with other people. You can play by yourself, on your terms, and then when you want, on your terms, you can invite others to come and play with you.”
We’ll likely learn more about what the game’s multiplayer will look like after upcoming tests.
Where can I play Project Rene?
Maxis and Electronic Arts haven’t confirmed exactly where you’ll be able to play Project Rene, but that the game will be coming to Windows PC and mobile devices. Not only that, but there’ll also be the ability to save your game between the two options: “With Project Rene, you’ll be able to play on your PC, put your game down, and pick up right where you left off on your mobile device.” reads a blog post on the Electronic Arts websiteThe developer is still working on how to “tailor the experience to the platform,” meaning the game will change between PC and mobile devices, if at all, due to performance on those platforms.
How will the gameplay change compared to Sims 4?
Maxis and Electronic Arts said in the third Behind The Sims movie from September 2022, that Project Rene will have a “Sims-like” feel where players will manage what their Sims do while “presenting gameplay choices in a different way.” There wasn’t much information on what that actually means, but some areas where you can expect to see changes include animation, visuals, socialization, and Sim routines.
“The vision for animation is based on the motto ‘read the mood,’ meaning we want players to know what our Sims are feeling and what they’re thinking based on their behavior” Maxis wrote on his blog“This means we support a variety of attitudes, emotions, and demeanors that need to work across objects and socialization features.” The developer expects to extend this to routines, improving the way Sims “live at home and in the wider neighborhood.”
When it comes to customization options, you can expect more details everywhere. The first playtest focused on customization and furniture design, and the first episode of Behind The Sims shows a little bit how it works. There’s a ton of flexibility when it comes to color and design, as well as how objects are placed in the world. For example, the clip shows a Sim tinkering with a couch: The player could change the colors and patterns on the couch, but also adjust various details, such as the shape or number of pillows. They could also place and move the pillows that were on the couch.
Sims 4 won’t die when Project Rene is released. Maxis said Rene’s Project and Sims 4 they will coexist“We will continue to support both areas at the same time and plan to introduce more exciting content Sims 4 communities for the foreseeable future.”
Sims 4 is also the future of franchising. “We also know that we will not go to a linear model because we have so many Sims 4” said Gorman Revelli. “We’re really thinking about how can we continue to engage with our community, with our players, and not have a moment where you reset all your progress and potentially lose these amazing memories and characters and things that you’ve built over these 10 years of playing?”
Sims 4 will continue to be improved – not replaced.