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.”
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