The life simulation franchise The Sims will soon turn 25 years old, and as the anniversary approaches, publisher Electronic Arts and developers Maxis spoke about the future of the series. The release of The Sims 5, as it turned out, is not included in the plans.
Image Source: Steam (TheRealTristyn)
In an interview with Variety, EA Vice President and General Manager of The Sims Kate Gorman said that the franchise will go beyond the limited editions: “We are not working on replacing past projects, but expanding our universe.”
Instead of The Sims 5, they will continue to develop The Sims 4: releasing updates (one of which will add multiplayer) and paid DLC, including “Creator Kits” created by community members (they will debut in November).
The Sims 4, meanwhile, turned 10 years old in early September (image source: Electronic Arts)
According to Gorman, the main reason for the abandonment of The Sims 5 was the concern of players (according to EA, The Sims 4 has more than 80 million of them) that in the new part they would have to start all over again.
Project Rene, in which many saw The Sims 5, has not been canceled – it will be tested by invitation in the fall. The game will create “opportunities for friends to meet, communicate and share experiences while playing together.”
Image source: Electronic Arts
EA also introduced The Sims Labs program, where participants will be able to test in-development builds and “experimental ways to play The Sims.” You can sign up to volunteer on the company’s website.
Maxis emphasized that it is working on turning The Sims into an entertainment platform: as part of this initiative, a feature-length film from Amazon MGM Studios will be released on the franchise. The director will be Kate Herron.