This individual Sims game release will strongly focus on storytelling and multiplayer experiences.

After the announcement of The Sims 5 not becoming a thing with the development of Project Rene, The Sims Team explained further their plans for making their next Sims game its own standalone experience. Making it known that the series installment end with The Sims 4, bringing something entirely different for players across PC, Consoles and Mobile with Project Rene. The next project in development at Maxis seperately from The Sims 4 and other teams.

It seems that some goals revolving the development of Project Rene have shifted since its initial announcement in October 2022. Wording around Project Rene and what it is as a game was defined as both a singleplayer and multiplayer video game. However, the current testings and talks about the video game rely heavily around using the word multiplayer and not explaining much what the single player aspect of Project Rene would be.

Instead, the shift that defined the statement in Variety’s article is that The Sims Team is still not ready to abandon the current catalogue of Sims 4 releases. Instead, they’re trying to incorporate more of multiplayer features into Project Rene.

So much so that the general manager for The Sims Franchise has stated that they’re learning on their past success (and mistakes) of The Sims Online. Which first came out in 2002 and held its live service for PC devices up until 2008. Allowing players to message each other directly, build skills together, go out to a Sims nightclub and more.

Text source: Variety

The video game publisher also teased that “Sims” players will soon find out more about the elusive “Project Rene” that “The Sims” team has been working on for years — which was long rumored to be a code name for “The Sims 5” — including how it will incorporate multiplayer into “The Sims” world. The franchise has tried and failed at that effort before with “The Sims Online,” which launched in 2002.

“We have a lot of learnings from ‘The Sims Online.’ We know that there is an opportunity to play in a very social, real time, multiplayer environment within our gamespace,” Gorman said. “We haven’t delivered that experience with ‘The Sims 4’ or any of our other titles yet so we’re looking at what that means and could look like. We know simulation is at the core of everything we do and we want to make sure our players still have that experience they want, but in a world with real players and NPCs. We’re still gathering learnings and working on it but stay tuned.”

Upcoming Project Rene Reveal and Playtest

Maxis studio is getting ready for its first playtest under The Sims Labs name. The first one being a multiplayer meetup with select players where you’ll be able to perform and interact new features.

The team also shared some first image looks from Project Rene so far:

Continuing its development alongside other exciting new projects within The Sims franchise, Project Rene is focused on building ways for friends to meet, connect, and share while playing together in an all-new world.

There will be a small invite-only playtest for Rene this Fall 2024, giving an early look at a multiplayer experience that explores joining friends and other players at a shared location.

You can be the first to playtest the new multiplayer aspect of Project Rene by signing up through The Sims Labs / EA Playtesting website.

So that’s it, it’s just multiplayer?

Most probably not. Project Rene flexed improved features such as detailed hair customization, object physics, pattern customization and editing features that simply can’t exist in the world of The Sims 4. Putting that to good use with new gameplay in a singleplayer scenario would be ideal. Considering that Project Rene has been announced as a free-to-play game, we wouldn’t be surprised to see unlocking single player gameplay through multiplayer challenges and scenarios within this game.

Project Rene: Gallery of Early Previews

Behind The Sims PROJECT RENE INFANTS MORE 5 44 screenshot

Some processes of a free-to-play game like Project Rene must have monetized corners somewhere in longer to make the game sustainable. Lyndsay Pearson revealed that experiences like Seasons could be free in the game, but events like winter sports and ice dancing could be charged within a pack.

Project Rene DLC Plans

Statement from September 2023

Well, beyond regular updates to the core game, we will sell content and packs, but we want to change that mix a little bit. Let me give you a theoretical example. In The Sims™ 4, the only way to experience any weather was if you purchased Seasons. Now, in Project Rene, we might introduce basic weather to the core game for free for everybody. And then a pack for purchase might be focused on winter sports and could include activities like ice dancing or a snowman-building competition.

Building this way means that down the line, we could use wind or rain or clouds for other pack themes as well. Now, it’s a little early to know exactly where we’ll draw the lines, but it’s important for us to lower those barriers to play and give everyone the broadest shared systems because that feels like the best foundation to grow from.