The Sims 5 Reveal Isn't What You Think It Is
Like Grand Theft Auto 6, Fallout 5, and Borderlands 4, some games were always presumed to be in the works before the developers have even made them official. It's much the same with The Sims 5, and although Maxis has kept us distracted with the many expansions for The Sims 4, fans are impatiently looking to the future.
The Sims 5 was always a given, and with Maxis promoting its October Behind the Sims showcase as unveiling the future of the franchise, we were right to assume we're getting an overhaul of the IP. While it's all well and good saving your Simoleons for The Sims 5, can we even call it that?
What's Going On With The Sims 5?
Alongside the already confirmed news that The Sims 4 is going free-to-play forever (wahoo), we also got a first look at "Project Rene." Although it's not given the official title of The Sims 5, that's basically what everyone is calling it. Lyndsay Pearson is the VP of Franchise Creative for The Sims and confirmed that the next game is officially in development. "We have a growing team focused on this game, working alongside The Sims 4," said Pearson.
Simmers got their first look at some concepts from Project Rene, showing off the most advanced customisation options yet. More than just picking the type of furniture and rotating it, you can completely change the likes of headboards and where you place cushions. There's the ability to share your builds with others, while there's a multiplayer element that everyone has been asking for.
As for the cryptic title, she added, "We chose 'Project Rene' because it's reminiscent of words like 'renewal', 'renaissance', 'rebirth', and it represents our renewed commitment to The Sims." Hyping a bright future, Pearson said Maxis is "ushering in a new future for The Sims with a new game experience and more." It's clear that the team wants fans involved from the very start, but by letting us through the door so early has turned up a potential problem.
Is The Sims 5 A Mobile Game?
Another point of the presentation showed a player customising their build on a computer and then a mobile phone. It might sound like a great idea to take The Sims 5 on the move, but it didn't take long for critics to claim the whole thing will be built as a mobile title. On the game's subreddit, someone wrote, "The cross compatibility with mobile has me extremely concerned for the graphics and content." Another added, "I'm scared that will mean it's loaded with microtransactions. More similar to a mobile game than TS and expansion packs, etc."
A third concluded, "It's 100% gonna be a mobile game made for mobile then made to work for pc, the market is there, so IMO we can prepare for an even more underwhelming sims game." Rounding off about The Sims 5, Pearson says that this is just the start of the journey "over the next few years," suggesting that we're still a long way out from The Sims 5. She said it's "super early for us" and the devs aren't used to sharing info at this stage, but promised to keep us updated throughout development. We can't wait for years of haters crapping on The Sims 5 from afar.