The creators of The Sims, Electronic Arts (EA), have announced that the upcoming addition to the series, The Sims 5, will be available for free. Additionally, The Sims 4 will not be replaced by the new release.
What’s being referred to as Project Rene as of now, the next generation of The Sims game, likely to be called The Sims 5, will be free on all the platforms it launches on. “Project Rene will be a new way to play The Sims – it will feel “Simsy” as players will still manage what their Sims do throughout their day while also presenting gameplay choices differently”, said EA in a blog post.
Furthermore, the upcoming title in The Sims series will coexist with ‘The Sims 4’. “We will continue to support both at the same time and will plan to bring more exciting content to The Sims 4 community for the foreseeable future”, confirmed EA.
As for ‘The Sims 5’ being free to play, EA notes, “Project Rene is ready and fully open to players, you will be able to join, play and explore it without a subscription, core game purchase or energy mechanics”.
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However, this doesn’t mean that players shouldn’t expect any in-game purchases, which will definitely be a part of the game. Beyond regular updates to the core game, EA will sell content and packs. For instance, the Winter weather would be available for everyone to experience, but a separate pack with Winter sports will be sold at an additional cost.
“We are still in the early stages of development for Project Rene”, the blog post read. “It’s important that with Project Rene, we lower barriers to play and give all players the broadest shared systems because that feels like the strongest foundation for us to grow from”, it added.
EA is known for its blockbuster franchises, such as FIFA, Madden NFL, Battlefield, Star Wars, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and The Sims. EA also owns several game development studios, such as BioWare, DICE, Respawn Entertainment, Maxis, Criterion Games, PopCap Games, and EA Sports.
