EA is trying something new for The Sims 5. Instead of a premium purchase with expensive DLC, the next entry in Maxis’ beloved life simulation series will be free-to-play on every single platform.
Planned to launch on PC, console and even mobile, The Sims 5 will be an entirely cross-platform free-to-play title on launch. While new Sims 4 DLC will still be releasing, The Sims 5 will be the next big platform for EA.
Lyndsay Pearson, VP of franchise creative for The Sims confirmed that the next Sims game, codenamed Project Rene, the upcoming title will be “free to enter”. This means there will be no initial payment and no subscription, but the game will likely be kept alive by myriad expansion packs.
“We intend for Project Rene to be free to download, and that means that when it’s ready and fully open to our players, you’ll be able to join and play and explore Project Rene without a subscription, without core game purchase or energy mechanics,” Pearson said.
“We want it to be easy for you to invite or join with a friend, and that means extending an open invitation for everyone to play. We’re developing this game in a different way, and we’re bringing everyone along with us, and that means a lot of different phases of development, which can include everything from closed invites and small public tests to large-scale early access options. And yes, when Project Rene is ready, it’ll be available to download for free.”
At the time of writing The Sims 4 is also a free-to-play title, and an incredibly successful one. After almost ten years of development, The Sims 4 is finally in a place that fans are mostly happy with, and EA is curiously not abandoning the title as soon as its sequel releases. Instead, the two games will coexist side-by-side, at least for a while.
“Project Rene and The Sims 4 are going to continue to exist side by side. We plan to support both at the same time, and we’re going to continue to bring even more exciting content to The Sims 4 for the foreseeable future,” they explained.
Pearson confirmed that The Sims 5 will launch without all the features that are currently in its predecessor. However, major updates will be added over time with some kept for expansion packs and stuff packs, just like previous incarnations of the series.
“Beyond regular updates to the core game, we will sell content and packs, but we want to change that mix a little bit,” the VP said. “In The Sims 4, the only way to experience any weather was if you purchased seasons. Now, in Project Rene, we might introduce basic weather to the core game for free for everybody. And then a pack for purchase might be focused on winter sports and could include activities like ice dancing or a snowman-building competition.”
There is currently no scheduled release date for The Sims 5 at the time of writing.