As The Sims 4 approaches its seventh year, rumors of a Sims 5 release have taken on a new level of intensity. This is the longest gap between major titles in the history of The Sims series, and Simmers has been heavily speculating about a sequel since jobs for a “AAA title in early development at Maxis” were posted in September 2018. When longtime Sims 4 senior producer Grant Rodiek reportedly left The Sims 4 team in April 2019 to do other “awesome Maxis stuff,” that added fuel to a fire that hasn’t been put out since.
After years of speculation, on October 18, 2022, the existence of a new main Sims title, currently known as Project Rene, was published. This article includes everything that has been revealed about the game so far.
Updated June 28, 2023 by Helen Ashcroft: Behind The Sims Episode Two gave us another sneak peek into Project Rene, as well as discussing the development team’s focus and their priorities for the game. We have updated this article with new screenshots and information.
The Sims 5 is currently known as Project Rene
During The Sims Summit on October 18, 2022, Lyndsay Pearson announced Project Rene, the working title for what is described as “the next generation of the Sims game and platform.” The game is currently in very early development, but more information will be revealed over time as it begins to take shape.
Current name it draws inspiration from the words renewal, renaissance and rebirthconcepts that are said to be key to game development.
Will Project Rene (Sims 5) be on PS5, Xbox Series X or Mobile?
The Sims 4 is currently available for PC, Mac, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, and mobile is covered in a separate title, The Sims Mobile. However, it is stated that the vision of the Rene project is that it will “a true cross-platform experience.”
A short test clip of the clip shown in the screenshot above will appear the same game interface accessible on PC and mobilea sign of things to come.
Will Project Rene (Sims 5) be on Steam?
While The Sims 4 is currently on Steam, it is a recent addition that has remained exclusive to the EA Origin platform until June 2020. It is highly unlikely that any sequel would go directly to a competitive market. However, this has not yet been confirmed.
Project Rene (Sims 5) Confirmed Features
The gallery below shows features shown in the live streamwith more details added below.
now Project Rene (The Sims 5) has finally been revealed, or at least the fact that it exists has been confirmed, we know a few things. Here’s a quick one summary of confirmed features more in detail.
- Multiplayer game – The game will allow you to play alone or cooperate with friends.
- Multiple platforms – The goal of the game is portability between devices with the same interface displayed on the screen of a PC and a mobile phone.
- Color wheel – The screenshots show that the much-loved color wheel is back and even includes the addition of RGB values.
- Pattern selection on patterns – A huge number of samples for samples were visible.
- Removable cover and accessories – They showed us independently moving pillows.
- Changes to individual item elements – The headboard has been changed with the pattern, as has the size of the bed. Options for different combinations of cushions on the sofa were also shown.
These features are just the beginning, as the team promises a true evolution of the series, aiming to take The Sims and push them as far as possible across the board.
Grant Rodiek talks about Rene’s Multi-Platform Experience project
Grant Rodeik, a frequent face on social media in the early days of The Sims 4, has been revealed as the game director for Project Rene. He told Behind The Sims viewers that while the game is “several years old,” early-stage playtesting is underway for small parts of the game. This includes testing mobile accessibility, user interface and distribution of content created by players such as Sims and lots.
The cross-platform game will be the same basic title on all platforms, but the mobile device may have some limitations. Says Rodeik, “The thing we’re so excited about is that we can basically remove the barriers to playing The Sims. By that, we mean you can have this deep dive at home on your computer, play for 4 hours, and change every piece of furniture , that you can imagine…” After describing how this involves changing colors using RGB values, he continues: “Then you can grab your phone and maybe it’s a different experience, maybe you’re grabbing archetypes, pre-selecting templates or using things you’ve already created. But it means you can now play The Sims wherever you are, without barriers or restrictions.”
Rodeik also tells us that you can still play the same game across all platforms, access the same households, etc., but the experience will be tailored to the specific platform.
Features of the Rene project
Gina, Creative Director of Project Rene, spoke at The Sims Summit about how the team is building much of the game in parallel, working on multiple features at once. We also looked at the following features.
Lighting
Stu, director of art and visual effects, talks about how the team is “exploring some new lighting technologies” and wants to create an experience that allows for highly flexible spaces between fixtures.
Animation
Nawwaf, the animation director, tells us that the animation is “driven by the phrase read the room.” This includes a focus on Sims who can show their thoughts and feelings through body language and behavior.
Neighborhoods and households
It looks like the Sims in the neighborhood will be more sophisticated, speaking of schedules and routines. Manu, the CTO, also discusses how the team is slowly bringing the basics back to life and working on how Sims will navigate the world.
Create a Sim
Azure, the producer, tells us how important hairstyles are to the creation of Sims and that this new version of Sims aims to create a wide variety of styles and include customizable coloring.
Socialization
Jill, another producer, gives us insight into the importance of socialization. He talks about how there is a lot of information out there right now with animations, thought bubbles, user interface and pop-up moodlets. He then tells us that the team is working on simplifying things, allowing you to tell what your Sims are thinking through clearer images.
A timeline of Sims 5 rumors and news ahead of The Sims Summit
Much of what we know about pre-publication Rene project development cycle was based on speculation and hearsay, but some key events, quotes and job postings allow us to piece together the puzzle. They are here the most important information we found showing the game’s journey so far.
September 2018 – Maxis announces jobs for concept artists, software engineers and others
Concept artists are typically used early in development, and these job listings have sparked development rumors. These announcements were followed by several requests for software engineers, an executive producer, and a character designer
April 2019 – Grant Rodiek changes role
As previously mentioned, Grant Rodiek left The Sims 4 in April 2019 to work on another Maxis project. At first glance, this might not seem like much until Rodiek’s work history is considered. In September 2005, he began working at EA as lead and associate producer for The Sims 3. He remained there until November 2010, when he moved on to The Sims 4, which was still firmly in development at the time.
This history of going from just one game to working on its sequel has led many to speculate that Rodiek has become a senior producer on The Sims 5.
January 2020 – Andrew Wilson Hints at Multiplayer Sims
In its Q3 2020 earnings call, the Sims 5 news was expected, with EA CEO Andrew Wilson stating that “this notion of social interactions and competition is similar to what was actually present in The Sims Online many years ago – they will start to become part of The Sims experience in the coming years.”
This has led many to speculate that The Sims Online may be returning, or that The Sims 5 may feature multiplayer.
January 2021 – More job listings
Several levels of software engineer, animator and UI/UX engineer jobs have been posted online. This means that production is increasing.
March 2021 – Announced specialist jobs
These job descriptions specify the development of “globally available online services that support millions of players,” as well as the requirement to “Creatively combine security best practices and original techniques to protect user data and prevent cheating.”
There are also additional listings advertised for narrative-driven roles, suggesting that the title may have more story-driven content than The Sims 4.
Project Rene / The Sims 5 Wish List
Many Simmers have already started creating a The Sims 5 wish list. Here are some things we’d like to see:
- Better periods of life – The promise of free kids in The Sims 4 gives us hope that next time all life stages will be more refined from the start.
- Cars – We miss cars, especially the ones we could play with.
- More narrative-driven features – While The Sims franchise is a sandbox at heart, we’d like to see more storytelling, something The Sims 4 is starting to experiment with as we see DLC like Strangerville and the introduction of neighborhood stories and scenarios.
- Deeper emotions – Many still criticize The Sims 4 for having a shallow personality system, will this be the case for The Sims 5? We hope not.
There are also some features that vary widely within the community. These include:
- The return of the open world – While the Sims 3 open world created an immersive experience that many players miss, it also caused lag issues and prevented Sims from moving from world to world.
- Multiplayer game – This is a single wishlist feature that has been confirmed, but multiplayer doesn’t seem to be at the expense of single player, hopefully everyone will like it.
For many people, whatever comes next is exciting. It looks like Project Rene will take the franchise in new and exciting directions based on the sneak peek we’ve seen, and we can’t wait to see where it leads.