The next-gen Sims game, known behind the scenes as Project Rene, will be a free download. Publisher EA recently confirmed this. The game features single-player and multiplayer gameplay, but will provide the same experience on all supported platforms, including mobile devices.
The new Sims game was revealed in October, though its “free download” status was only recently announced through a job posting. For example, Renee’s project was described as a “free-to-enter” game. This means that the game will actually have a free-to-play base model. This was confirmed by Lindsay Pearson from Maxis Studios.
Project Rene will be a “free-to-download experience, where players can explore and play the game without a subscription, purchase, or gacha mechanics.” This makes it easy for players to join their friends or send an open invitation to anyone to play together.
This formula means that Project Rene will not initially have as many options as The Sims 4 in its current form. Although the next-gen game will also eventually receive several additional experiences and expansions, albeit in paid form.
However, the approach taken in Rene’s project is a bit different, because Persson wants to make the core game as solid and cohesive as possible. The title receives regular updates, but all the so-called additions are only available through expansions.
As an example, Pearson cites weather phenomena in The Sims 4. They can only be accessed via the Season Pack. On the other hand, in Project Rene, it becomes part of the base game again, although activities such as winter sports and winter fun will only be possible through a paid addon.
It’s not yet clear where the line is drawn between free and paid content. Although Pearson wants to make the core game’s gameplay systems as broad as possible. These in turn become the basis for optional and paid add-ons.
However, players who prefer to stick with The Sims 4 are not being left out in the cold. After all, Rene and The Sims 4 will coexist as two separate projects. Maxis Studios also has a lot of additional expansions planned for The Sims 4. Therefore, Project Rene will not be a replacement for The Sims 4 at the moment.
