After eight long years of waiting, publisher EA and developer Maxis have unveiled early first footage of what will likely be The Sims 5, which is currently being worked on under the codename Project Rene. This evolution of The Sims franchise is still years away judging by the presentation shown during today’s Behind The Sims Summit Stream Event. The curtain was pulled back by Lyndsay Pearson, the vice president of franchise creative for The Sims, who promised that the next generation of EA’s popular simulation series will provide a meaningful addition to the franchise after The Sims 4 launched back in 2014.
“From the start, The Sims defined life simulation games and has continued to grow into an incredible platform for creativity and self-expression,” Pearson added in a statement. “Today marks the start of our journey over the next few years as we work on this next game and creative platform, currently titled Project Rene. We are building on the same foundation that has made The Sims compelling for generations of players and pushing the boundaries to create new experiences. We’ll have much more to share as we continue to progress on the game’s development and milestones along the way.”
Pearson says that the name Project Rene was chosen because it is “reminiscent of words like renewal, renaissance, and rebirth” and represents a “renewed commitment to The Sims.” That renewed commitment will bring improved customization tools to make building your ideal Sims utopia that much easier, such as being able to customize individual pieces of a bed or change the shape and pattern of objects. With that comes the added freedom to play with friends or by yourself if you choose, and for those with supported mobile devices, you’ll be able to continue your Project Rene game from PC to your phone and vice versa. It’s a small taste of The Sims 5, but it’s a strong start. EA shared more about what this next iteration will bring to the table in a statement:
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.
More on Project Rene will be shared over the next few years as Maxim and EA continue to slowly feed fans information. Until then, you can catch your first look at early footage of The Sims 5 cued up at 26:48 in the video below.
