EA's New Sims Concept Leaks Online, Fans Unhappy

A video purportedly taken from the next iteration of The Sims has surfaced online, sparking concern among fans about the future direction of the beloved series.

Project Rene - often referred to as The Sims 5, though EA insists it's a separate spin-off - has been in development for several years. Recent early access footage from a game titled "City Life Game With Friends" has led many to speculate that this could be the next installment in The Sims franchise.

The video itself, lasting a full 20 minutes, shows a player navigating through text prompts to customize their character's outfit, hair, watch, and activities. The player then enters a sunlit Plaza de Poupon, where they purchase food and interact with other characters. Later, the player works at an outdoor café.

Throughout the playtest, characters are referred to as Sims, communicate in Simlish, and feature the iconic Plumbob, further fueling speculation about its connection to The Sims series.

"I am terribly disappointed with Project Rene. Yes, I know, according to EA, 'this is not the final game.' Is this a joke or what?" expressed one disappointed player on The Sims' subreddit in a post titled "I think Project Rene is a red flag (I hope not)," which has garnered hundreds of upvotes.

"EA clearly wants to kill off normal Sims games and push people toward the mobile-style experience. So in their mind, a reboot literally means this — at least that’s what I THINK."

"This is not going to be for me, I can tell already," another fan remarked. "It just seems so basic and I don't want to play The Sims on my phone."

"The funny thing is, making a PC/mobile cross-compatible Sims game isn't a bad idea," suggested a fan. "EA just believes that mobile games HAVE to be ugly for some reason. They're chasing all of the design trends of the past decade, but it means that this thing already looks dated and it's not even out yet."

"The way The Sims was a literally [sic] satire about capitalist suburban consumption-as-happiness... And this is where the Sims ended up. Endless consumption-as-happiness," another fan pointed out.

Project Rene, initially rumored to be The Sims 5 until EA clarified otherwise, was first teased in 2022 during a Behind the Sims Summit. It's a free-to-play game that incorporates multiplayer elements inspired by Animal Crossing and Among Us. Although it hasn't been officially revealed or given a release date, EA has been conducting small, invite-only playtests since its announcement, with the latest playtest likely being the source of these recent leaks.

The name "Rene" was chosen to symbolize "renewal, renaissance, and rebirth," reflecting the developers' commitment to a bright future for The Sims.

Last October, images of Project Rene leaked from a closed online test, leading to criticism regarding the art style, limited features, and the inclusion of microtransactions. The addition of a café drew particular skepticism due to its similarities to 2018's The Sims Mobile. At that time, EA clarified that Project Rene is not The Sims 5 but a different "cosy, social game" under The Sims franchise.

In other news, The Burglar, a familiar character from older Sims games, has made a return in the latest update for The Sims 4.