EA Confirms No Sims 5 Development, Focus on Ongoing Sims 4 Updates

In an unexpected announcement, EA has confirmed that a sequel to the immensely popular life-simulation game, The Sims 4, is currently not in active development. With fans eagerly anticipating a sequel to the decade-old title, EA has previously suggested that a next-gen project was in the works. Kate Gorman, EA’s vice president and general manager of The Sims franchise, reiterated that The Sims 4 remains the primary focus.

“What we’re really working with our community on is this a new era of ‘The Sims,’”Gorman stated in an interview with Variety. “We are not going to be working on replacements of previous projects; we’re only going to be adding to our universe.”

When questioned directly about the absence of a future release for The Sims 5, Gorman emphasized that the intention is to keep updating the now free-to-play fourth installment, preserving players’ content and progress. As longtime fans are aware, launching a new game would necessitate starting over with expansions and features:

“What this means is that we will continue to bring an HD simulation experience and what players would desire from a ‘5′ — but it doesn’t mean that we’re going to start you over, reset all your progress, and make you feel like you’re losing all that amazing playtime you invested in ‘4.’ As we consider the future, we want you to continue all of those families and generations. Those creations are your progress, your attachment.”

While the game currently offers various expansions and smaller DLC packs featuring new content and cosmetic options developed by Maxis, a new variant known as Creator Kits is set to be launched soon. These community-driven content packs will be sold by EA as paid add-ons, with original creators receiving a share of the revenue from player purchases.

One of the key features expected in the next generation of The Sims was the incorporation of online functionalities, enabling players to join each other’s Sims worlds. This project is still very much alive, although it remains uncertain whether it will be integrated into The Sims 4 or introduced as a spin-off multiplayer experience. A playtest for Project Rene is scheduled for fall 2024, and sign ups can be found here.

Source