EA has outlined the future of The Sims franchise, which includes no more numbered sequels and a feature film adaptation.
There’s been a great deal of confusion around the future of The Sims in recent years, especially when it comes to whether Project Rene, which was announced in 2022, is actually the next numbered sequel following The Sims 4.
After years without any clarity on the situation, EA has now explained its vision for The Sims moving forward in detail. In short, The Sims 5 is now officially off the table, as the company pivots away from numbered sequels and instead continues to support The Sims 4, while offering other spin-off experiences in what’s described as The Sims ‘universe’.
The reason behind the pivot, which was originally announced in EA’s Investor Day on Tuesday, is over concerns The Sims 4 player-base, which is now over 80 million worldwide, would have to start all over again after playing for 10 years.
EA’s vice president and general manager of The Sims franchise, Kate Gorman, said: ‘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.
‘What we’re really working with our community on is this new era of The Sims,’ she told Variety. ‘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.’
For clarity, when asked specifically if there will not be a Sims 5, Gorman replied: ‘It’s not Sims 5 as a replacement for 4,’ which suggests any features planned for a sequel will be released as updates for The Sims 4.
Gorman added: ‘What this means is that we will continue to bring HD simulation experience and what people would want from a 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.’
What is happening with Project Rene?
EA further detailed the future of The Sims in a blog post, where it reaffirmed that it is moving ‘beyond linear, sequential Sims releases’ and described The Sims 4 as still being the ‘foundational Sims experience’.
In the blog post, the company also confirmed the previously announced Project Rene still exists and will receive an invite-only playtest in autumn 2024. It’s unclear how this will be different from The Sims 4, but it’s described as being ‘focused on building ways for friends to meet, connect, and share while playing together in an all-new world’.
Beyond Project Rene, the company has two other Sims projects in the works: remasters of Wii games MySims and MySims Kingdom which are coming out for Nintendo Switch on November 19, alongside a mobile spin-off codenamed My Sims: Project Stories.
Will The Sims movie be like Barbie?
A feature film adaptation of The Sims is also in development, in partnership with Amazon MGM Studios. No release date is given, but it’s being directed by Kate Herron (Sex Education, Loki), who has co-written the script with Briony Redman under Margot Robbie’s production company, LuckyChap.
Speaking about the film, Gorman explained that, with Robbie’s production company attached, they are hoping to the land the same levels of ‘impact’ as the Barbie movie.
‘What I will tell you is it’s very much rooted in The Sims universe,’ Gorman told Variety. ‘And what we want is to have a truly authentic Sims experience brought to a theatrical release. So what you’ll see from us is that we have been wanting to get this right. We wanted the right partners and to make an impact the size of something like a Barbie movie is exactly what we want.’
While plot details are being kept under wraps, Gorman confirmed game in-jokes, like Freezer Bunnies and pools without ladders, will feature in some capacity.
‘There will be Freezer Bunnies,’ she added. ‘I’m sure a pool without a ladder is somewhere in there, but we haven’t finalised any of those details. But that’s the idea, is to say that it lives within this space. It’s a nod to all of the amazing play and creation and fun that people have had over the last 25 years within The Sims.’
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While there’s every chance EA could pivot from this new vision for The Sims in the years to come, if it doesn’t work out, for the time being at least, it seems like The Sims 4 is here to stay.
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