The Sims Project Rene is planned to be free from Day One!

New information about The Sims 5 Free release have popped up behind the scenes. Just moments after the latest Behind The Sims livestream which already revealed so much about Maxis’ development progress for Project Rene.

The latest Sims 5 Free to Play news come from EA directly on their Maxis Careers page. Revealing monetization and content plans for the game in the long run. Down below we’ll be explaining everything from this new finding and what it means for players and consumers.

The Sims 5 Free on Launch: What We Know

The development team behind Project Rene / The Sims 5 is expanding every day. As you’ve seen in the latest Developer Showcase, there are different building blocks being created for the game by different teams all around the world.

While the development team is crafting prototypes and ensuring the game is going towards a familiar direction, EA is already planning how to monetize the next installment. Including talks about the Free-to-Enter method for The Sims 5!

Check out the official Careers Listing for Head of Monetization and Marketplace for Project Rene. We had included the link to the Job Opportunity, but just hours after writing this article EA decided to pull it back from their website.

The first two bullet points are the most important here, which talk about in-game content purchases and Sims 5 Free to Play game system:

• Own Project Rene’s in-game marketplace of content and UGC (free and paid), and manage a data-informed player-centric player purchase journey. Maximizing value to players, optimizing player spend patterns, and minimizing player churn.
  • This part signifies that The Sims 5 will have its own in-game store. For both Official Content and User Generated Content. According to this statement, there will be both free and paid content.
  • We don’t know for certain yet (and don’t take our word for it), but this could mean that Custom Content, CC and general UGC could be downloaded straight from the game!
• Own pricing of all content in this free-to-enter game, ensuring we have an optimal pricing and content architecture. Provide guidance to content teams on in-game content needs to meet player demand.
  • It seems that EA is already firm on The Sims 5 Free to Play method for the game. The first sentence is formed like the publisher already made a decision that it would be free from launch.
  • We’re not sure yet if there are any differences between Free to Play and Free to Enter terms. Either way, a new way of releasing Sims content seems almost definite for The Sims 5.

What this could mean for Players

The Sims 5 Free to Play wouldn’t be the first time EA practiced a new monetization method. Video game Apex Legends saw massive success at launch, and it also released for free on day one. Still, it’s very early to tell how this could translate into The Sims marketplace.

The Sims Franchise had already made a big move last year when they made The Sims 4 Base Game entirely free. Considering that the move saw massive rise in active player base it’s a no-brainer that a similar method is being used for the next generation Sims game.

The community is sceptical that we could be slowly moving on from the Packs release system that’s been present in The Sims Franchise since the beginning. And move on to a more microtransaction, subscription-driven service. Emphasis on could, considering that the Base Game isn’t even halfway done yet.

This definitely wouldn’t be the first time that EA considered a Subscription Service for a Sims game. The Sims 4 planned to have a “Premium Membership” before the concept was scrapped shortly before the game’s launch.

The Sims 4’s Membership Concept sounds familiar with what EA is planning to do for The Sims 5 Free to Play in terms of in-game content releases. Still, it’s best that you:

Keep your expectations set!

Remember, The Sims 5 is still years away from the full worldwide release. The development team is still deep into creating the game’s prototypes, and we still have to go through many Beta Tests, Feedback Sessions and more until the game is ready.

We’ll keep you posted on all the latest news about The Sims 5 / Project Rene right here on Sims Community!

Tip: @TheHenfordHen