If Project Rene turns out to be a concentrate of thoughts and initiatives around the franchise The Simsit will nevertheless allow some players to test the highly anticipated multiplayer mode in a few weeks.
It’s been almost 25 years since The Sims have revolutionized video games with their innocent looks, their daily lives so similar to ours and their incomprehensible language. Four versions later, they are about to take on a new dimension. Or to extend their successful adventure that has lasted for 10 years and the advent of Sims 4an episode with over 85 million players and over 2.4 billion hours of play.
However, a future is emerging for the franchise. On the occasion of its “Investor Day” on Tuesday, Electronic Arts unveiled the roadmap for Sims for years to come. With multiple expansions, creation kits, mobile versions and even an official movie, there’s another project that players are eagerly awaiting: Project Rene.
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Project Rene, a laboratory for The Sims
Announced in 2020 as the future of Simsinducted in late 2022 under the name Project Rene, EA presents this more as an experience than a real game, or even as the next The Sims 5.It is a set of initiatives to explore new ways of playing Sims“, Kate Gorman, general manager of the franchise, explains to Tech&Co. “The game has to continue to evolve with technology and our times, with phones and everything that has happened since the very first one came out. The Sims.”
Project Rene would therefore be for the moment only a platform to bring everything together, to experiment on different media. “A lot of these experiences have been tried by early players. We try and test a lot, because we want to make Project Rene something even bigger. We have a lot of ideas”, emphasizes Kate Gorman.
While we thought Project Rene was the code name of the Sims 5, it would actually be just a tool for testing future possibilities for The Sims in all their forms, console, PC or mobile games. “We want to bring them to different platforms, different business models and put the emphasis in different ways. Project Rene is a bit of a rallying point for our different tests, a laboratory,” she explains.
Tests open to players
And the next advances of the Sims can already be tried. All you have to do is sign up for Sims Labs, a “learning lab for current products,” which will offer individual tests on portions of the future game. This has already started with a few private tests to get feedback from players on the interior decoration tools, customization, or customization possibilities carried out by several people on mobile and PC. Tiny parts of the upcoming game that call for others and allow the following ones to evolve, assures us at Maxis, the studio behind the hit game.
Project Rene could even have already served as a sandbox for extensions and reflections already launched for The Sims 4. “It’s a vehicle that allows us to test small portions of the game, and also to have a bigger vision of what we want to do. We continue to explore and experiment,” acknowledges Kate Gorman. “It’s not a standalone product, it’s what’s going to change the future of the franchise and push us to think beyond what we envisioned. A foundation for the future.”
In-person testing at locations across North America, as well as online by invitation starting this fall, will include a look at the multiplayer experience (joining friends and players in a shared location), as well as ways for Sims to meet, connect, and share in a new environment.
“We have had an impact on the lives of our players”
A new milestone for a franchise that “created the life simulation almost 25 years ago,” recalls the early player who became responsible for her favorite game. “The game has become an important part of our lives. We love seeing it grow and develop. There are so many different players who have learned about adult life through what they did in the game. This game has evolved so much in 25 years and we have had an impact on the lives of our players. We are proud of that.”
And when it comes to competition, EA isn’t looking to compare or really worry. We know that the foundations of the franchise are solid, as is its community, the basis of everything and success. “Our players are passionate, know what they want and love their gaming experience. We’ve created a world of possibilities and opportunities,” she enthuses. More than ever, players are their allies in taking their favorite game to new heights.
“We love their passion and their energy is so important to us,” the manager insists. “We love that the community wants to be a part of our story. And it’s an important part of our future of incredible experiences for them. There’s no better way to do it than to do it alongside them.”
To participate in the Project René tests, you must register on the dedicated EA website.
