During this year’s Behind The Sims Summit streaming event, Maxis and EA had a few important announcements to make regarding The Sims franchise. The two biggest reveals were… The Sims 4 going free-to-play and The Sims next generation version being in development.
The base game version of Sims 4 is now available for pretty much every platform out there, and should be a good starter to get into what has been the best-supported entry of the franchise yet. And there’s still more free and paid content on the way.
The more exciting announcement though was Project Rene which was confirmed to be the next generation The Sims experience which is deep in development. It sounds like Maxis is leaning into the collaboration/cross-play aspect which will allow players to stay connected and play together, no matter the device. There will still be a solo experience as well, so don’t worry.
Have a look at the stream event below, and read on for more info.
Behind The Sims Summit Stream Event:
The Sims 4 Free Download: Official Trailer:
Today, Electronic Arts and Maxis celebrated the 22-year legacy of The Sims™ and shared details on the bright future of the iconic brand, during a special edition franchise event. The stream, titled Behind The Sims Summit, featured what?s next for the life simulation game, and how The Sims will find new ways for player experimentation, self-discovery and imaginative expression.
THE SIMS 4 FREE BASE GAME NOW AVAILABLE; MORE CONTENT ON THE WAY
Beginning today, The Sims 4 base game will be available to all new players to download for free on PC via EA app or Origin, Mac via Origin, Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One systems. The Sims has always been about celebrating new ways to play with so many possibilities for discovery, and Maxis is thrilled to continue to welcome in more players than ever to create new stories, and explore without boundaries.
The development team at Maxis also emphasized its dedication to develop new and meaningful The Sims 4 experiences for the foreseeable future. Players can expect more packs, kits, free updates, and Sims Delivery Express drops. The studio offered a glimpse at concept designs for two future expansion packs coming out next year ? and shared that infants will be arriving in early 2023.
As a thank you to players for their support, celebration rewards are available across The Sims 4, The Sims FreePlay and The Sims Mobile including a variety of tattoos to adorn your Sims and a special Plumbob Ceiling Fan – all free, and already available in the games.
THE NEXT GENERATION OF THE SIMS IN DEVELOPMENT
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.
?From the start, The Sims defined life simulation games and has continued to grow into an incredible platform for creativity and self-expression,? says Lyndsay Pearson, Vice President of Franchise Creative for The Sims. ?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.?
BUILDING ON RELATIONSHIPS WITH CREATORS
For the first time in The Sims history, the studio announced a collaboration with Overwolf to provide The Sims 4 Players with a new destination to download mods and player created content. Overwolf operates CurseForge, a mod manager and discovery platform built to support creators and hosting their content. For years, The Sims 4 community has been expanded by modders & content creators, and today marks a big step forward in recognizing and celebrating their contributions.
More information about the program and its launch will be available later this year.
EXCITING NEW UPDATES FOR THE SIMS FREEPLAY AND THE SIMS MOBILE
Lastly, new updates were unveiled for The Sims FreePlay and The Sims Mobile.
As part of the ongoing effort to improve representation of all players, The Sims FreePlay will add updated appearances of Sim?s faces for preteen, teenager, adult and elderly life stages. This visual upgrade includes all hairstyles, earrings and glasses being shared across all genders, and will be permanently available in-game for free starting today. In addition, the annual ?Christmas in the Heir? seasonal quest will be coming to the game in December with a new special narrative, and the ability to build and live in a luxury superyacht will be introduced in early 2023.
The Sims Mobile will launch balconies, a new build/buy addition, during the holidays this year. Developed for Simmers to express themselves through imaginative storytelling, the feature offers players an opportunity to recreate dream builds with balconies and the option to customize them through various barrier styles.