The Future of Project Rene
If you’ve spent time on X or scrolling through EA’s announcements, you’ve probably seen mention of Project Rene. Since 2022, the game has attracted a lot of attention, half-formed claims, and rumors that spread quickly. But what do we actually know about the future of Project Rene?
Source: EA
On the 9th of January, the Sims team published a post that reaffirms players of The Sims core, the direction of The Sims, and offers a brief update on Project Rene. The post makes one point very clear: Project Rene is not a successor to The Sims 4.
It appears that Project Rene will be focused on multiplayer gameplay, bringing Simmers together, regardless of device. For some, this is an exciting new feature, but others worry that it will lead to “cash-grabbing” tendencies that many cross-platforms have. The fear is very valid! We all love The Sims 4 and what we can do with it, but to say money is not the sole focus of the game for EA is inaccurate.
If anyone has played Sims FreePlay and Sims Mobile, then you’ll especially understand how hungry a game like that can be! Micro-transactions can get old very quickly, taking a cute new game to “I’m never touching this again”. We can only hope that they decide against taking that route with a mobile game. Focusing on the social aspect for players would be much more beneficial for all parties!
What Will The Gameplay Look Like?
The Sims team did not release much on the actual gameplay that we will be looking at, so we can only assume it’ll be similar to Sims Mobile or FreePlay. As someone who remembers Sims Castaway and Sims Supernatural on mobile, gameplay similar to that could be fresh and exciting.
With the progression of 2026, we should be hearing more from Electronic Arts about the content of Project Rene. As they have stated, “we continue playtesting new ideas and experiences.” Will we see the release this year, or will it be prolonged? We remain unsure, but are eager to hear more of the direction the team takes with the game.
