The Sims team recently went live with Behind The Sums Summit. It was a stream event to provide updates on their titles, and to also show off The Sims Project Rene - something that could possibly be The Sims 5.
In the stream, we got confirmation of content updates to The Sims Mobile, Sims Freeplay, and much more coming to The Sims 4 over the next year. This includes two new expansion packs, an update introducing babies, and new kits. The team also confirmed that we'd get freebies and constant updates to the mainline game as well.
If you're not sure what the next move for The Sims is, check out our thoughts on The Sims 5 right here. If you're still loyally stuck into The Sims 4, see how we rank all the Kits and Expansion Packs to choose which you should get next.
When is The Sims Project Rene release date?
It may not come as a surprise, but there's nothing to report yet on a release date for The Sims Project Rene. All we do know for now is that the game is a while off, and will likely be at least a couple of years before it is anywhere near ready.
Instead of a proper announcement with a release date in mind, it appears that EA used this event to give fans a glimpse into the franchise's future, similar to the recent Skate 4 conference. Expect it be quite a while until we get a concrete release date - let alone a release itself!
It is confirmed to run across several different platforms, with mobile and PC featuring in the video. No news on a console release yet.
What is The Sims Project Rene?
So far, The Sims Project Rene is a little bit of a mystery. What we do know is that it was called a "next generation Sims game" by Lyndsay Pearson, the VP of Franchise Creative for The Sims. It is also called a 'creative platform'. This could just be referencing the fact that Sims modders and custom content creators are wildly creative and successful, or it could mean a new direction for the game.
Project Rene will 'reimagine' The Sims franchise, adding more features to the game including new modes of play and a multiplayer element.
Is Project Rene Sims 5?
The short answer is... Project Rene may be Sims 5. It is a next-generation game, but that doesn't confirm that it is the Sims 5. Project Rene could be a House Flipper-esque title that allows room and furniture customisation across platforms, either on its own or involved with a new game (such as Sims 5), or it could actually be Sims 5 itself.
The fact the game is cross-platform leads some to believe that it will put a limit on quality, and what we can actually expect in terms of performance. There was only furniture shown in the early footage, and no Sims, so the more specific gameplay details are still up in the air.
What do we know about The Sims Project Rene so far?
Project Rene was shown off in a small segment, and all that was included was furniture. There was no glimpse at the Sims themselves, or any part of a life simulator. We expect this will be shown in future.
What we did see was very interesting. The colour wheel and pattern swatches seen in Sims 3 are coming back, with new additions and likely some ease-of-use changes.
This was built upon with different elements of furniture items being changed, like the shape of footrests on a bed, and the back section of a sofa. The snippet then showed pillow items being placed on the sofa, instead of being a part of the item itself. These were freely placable with 3D rotational tools - something that has never been seen in The Sims before.
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The new Project Rene seems to have a heavy focus on sharing with others and collaborating with other players. A new gallery feature was shown where furniture sets can be uploaded, as well as saved to each player's library and buy mode catalogue.
As to how the game is multiplayer, that remains to be seen. It could well have simultaneous real-time Sim worlds to explore together, or the content creation side of things may take precedent.
When we know more about Project Rene, we'll be sure to update you right here. Until then, why not jump into Sims 4 again with some cheats or realistic mods to change up your game?