Electronic Arts will not be working on The Sims 5 as the video game studio plans to focus on expanding its current universe.
The company said that it plans to move "beyond linear, sequential Sims releases" to use an approach that will have players keep their progress between titles. It added that this would let you have an "ongoing experience."
The Sims 5 is Not Happening
The studio initially discussed the new strategy for its life sim series in an extensive blog post. The Sims franchise general manager Kate Gorman also shared additional context in an interview.
She said that sequels in the series have been seen as replacements for their predecessors. But Electronic Arts will now work on adding to its universe instead of a newer version of older titles, according to Eurogamer.
Gorman explained that the new approach will still provide players with HD simulation experience and what The Sims 5 would include. However, it would no longer force you to start over or rewrite your progress.
The Sims 4 was released a decade ago and is still considered a "foundational Sims experience." Electronic Arts said it was not going to focus on creating games that will touch "different categories across the simulated life genre."
The announcement was made in a blog post that also shared a "major release of fixes" as well as an "exciting base game update" for The Sims 4. These will be coming to the game on Wednesday ahead of the arrival of its next expansion pack, said Variety.
Plans Moving Forward
Electronic Arts also teased that players will soon know more about the mysterious "Project Rene" that "The Sims" team has been working on for years. This was the long-rumored codename for The Sims 5 and its shift to multiplayer.
Gorman said that they have a lot of learnings from "The Sims Online" and they know there is a massive opportunity with it. This is not something that they have been able to deliver with The Sims 4 or their other titles.
Project Rene will reportedly co-exist alongside The Sims 4 to offer a sort of multiplayer experience. Gorman noted that the first look at this will come later this year as part of its new experimental testing grounds.
She noted that it is not a linear experience and there are a lot of things that they will see in the playtest. The core piece to know about Project Rene is that Electronic Arts is trying to make The Sims playable together, according to Polygon.
