Project Rene is Not The Sims 5 After All? It's Supposed to Exist Alongside The Sims 4

Electronic Arts has shared new information about the upcoming life simulator Project Rene, perceived by many to be The Sims 5. However, we have now learned that this F2P game will be developed alongside The Sims 4 after its release.

Source: Electronic Arts

Today another episode of the Behind The Sims broadcast took place, which discusses the new features coming to some of the games in the popular life simulator series. More information was also revealed about the game codenamed Project Rene.

Will Project Rene be The Sims 5?

One of the most important news is that Project Rene will be supported simultaneously with The Sims 4. This means that the developers will not abandon the simulator, released in 2014, and will still release new DLCs or updates.

This is rather puzzling information, since the last major expansion for The Sims 3 was released long before the release of the fourth game and EA did not support the two games in parallel (at least not on such a scale as it is expected to do after the release of Rene). So isn't the new life simulator supposed to be a full-fledged sequel to The Sims 4? So far, the developers have not revealed the official title of what is known as Project Rene, although most fans assumed that it would be The Sims 5. Perhaps the upcoming game will turn out to be a spin-off of sorts - especially since it is expected to differ significantly from the previous "Sims".

The Sims different than before

Behind The Sims also revealed or recalled other facts about Project Rene.

The basic version of the game will be available for free from the beginning. It is worth noting that no main part of the series has been released in such a way - The Sims 4 switched to F2P only less than a year ago.
"The base game is expected to offer features such as seasons (all previous "Sims" games added them as part of paid expansions). Packages available for purchase for Project Rene would provide additional activities, such as ice dancing and a snowman contest.
In Project Rene there will be a multiplayer mode. The developers haven't revealed too much about it for now, but it will probably be possible to join a friend's session and play together.

The developers themselves specify Project Rene as "a new way to play The Sims".

"We decide what to keep to stay in the mood of The Sims, and what to add in the latest game [Project Rene - Editor's note], which was not possible before."

Despite the big changes that will affect Project Rene compared to previous parts of The Sims, EA will not move away from monetizing the game by releasing paid DLCs.

We still do not know Project Rene's release date.