Longtime MMORPG vets have… let’s call it history with The Sims franchise thanks to The Sims Online, which wasn’t so much an MMO as an online human psychology experiment gone deeply awry that EA nuked well over a decade ago. And over the last couple of years – as far back as 2020 – EA has been hinting (and leaking) some sort of return to the horrors of a multiplayer Sims game with the next installment of the franchise.
Well, apparently that’s more than just a hint; at today’s Sims Summit, EA announced the “next generation” of The Sims is in development, and it looks like you’ll be able to play with other gamers. The company is calling it Project Rene right now, rather than The Sims 5.
“Maxis gave fans a glimpse of the very early stages of the next generation The Sims game and creative platform, with a working title of Project Rene. The title Project Rene was chosen to be reminiscent of words like renewal, renaissance and rebirth to represent the developer’s renewed commitment for The Sims’ bright future. The game will stay true to what The Sims has always been while pushing to evolve how those Sims think and behave. It will reimagine The Sims with even more ways to play, tools to encourage creativity, and the ability to tell meaningful stories. With Project Rene, players will have the choice to play solo or collaborate with others, and will have the ability to play their game across supported devices.”
Want to stroll down memory lane? Our own Game Archaeologist has a piece chronicling the game’s short life.
