Today, Maxis dropped a ton of Sims-related info, covering the games, upcoming movie, content creators, and more. While some fans may have been scouring the updates for news about Project Rene coming to next-gen Sims, there wasn’t much to say… other than that there will be another invite-only playtest in the fall.
According to Maxis, Project Rene will be running a “small, invite-only playtest” in the fall, “providing an early look at the multiplayer experience, which involves joining friends and other players in a shared location.” Interested parties can sign up here to take part in the playtest.
This is the second public test of Project Rene that has taken place since its announcement, with similar tests having taken place before compact, closed playtest focused on furniture personalization already in 2022.
Project Rene was first announced in October 2022 as the “next generation” of The Sims. Maxis held off on calling it The Sims 5, stating that it expects the game to coexist with The Sims 4 rather than replace it. We’ve seen very, very little of the game since then, though we do know that it allows for furniture customization at a level of detail previously impossible in the series and that it will support co-op multiplayer.
In the same update, Maxis announced a number of other news related to The Sims. These included confirmation of a previously reported The Sims movie directed by Kate Herron and the introduction of The Sims 4 Creator Kits, which allow content creators to create and publish in-game assets in collaboration with the studio.
We recently updated our review of The Sims 4 to reflect the state of the game in 2024. We gave the currently free-to-play game a rating of 8/10 thanks to its robust community and habitual updates.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Have a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
