Sul Sul! Welcome to It’s a Sims Thing. If you know me, I love all things The Sims. I’ve been an avid player and fan of the Sims franchise for most of my life, from MySims to The Sims 2: Pets to The Sims 2: Castaway to The Sims 3 to The Sims 4 and even The Sims Medieval!
In October 2022, Maxis Studio announced Project Rene, the next game-changing generation of The Sims franchise. Fans believed this to be the code name for the next franchise iteration, The Sims 5. Maxis has debunked this, revealing that it is not a new and improved version of the game. In actuality, there was never a The Sims 5, but a continuation and improvement upon the pre-existing, 10-year-old successful game The Sims 4.
But what does this mean for the game itself? And what plans does Maxis have for the future of the game franchise? Well, from The Sims movie, yes just like Barbie (2023), they are “getting the Hollywood treatment”. As well as, the addition of The Sims 4 Creator Kits, the launch of The Sims Creator Program, The Sims Labs, and even a multiplayer experience, dubbed Project Rene! It’s safe to say there are plenty of things to discuss, so let’s dive in!
Project Rene & Other ‘The Sims’ Franchise Developments
Project Rene
When Project Rene was first announced, it stirred a new interest among fans like myself, hoping for a multiplayer, open-world style game. It also fueled my desire for a brand-new game, The Sims 5, with more creative and customizable freedoms The Sims 4 lacks, such as color swatches and color wheels. And while we may not be getting a new game, we will get an extension of the current platform in the future! This will allow players to interact with friends in the new world. The Sims Team is currently “building ways for friends to meet, connect, and share while playing together.” So while it may not be an entirely new game, it is an exciting possibility for Simmers and more chaotically fun gameplay.
Project Rene is just one of the many projects occurring at Maxis. Their team is experimenting with various player experiences within the simulated life genre, such as, “cozy games, social and collaborative based gameplay, mobile narrative games and continued depth, improvements, and modernization of The Sims 4.” Maxis conducts these tests through The Sims Labs. To learn more about The Sims Labs and how you can get involved, click here.
‘The Sims’ is Coming to Hollywood!
Yes, you heard that right! Not only will you be able to play in the Sims world, but you’ll also have the chance to experience it on the big screen with The Sims movie! While there hasn’t been much information made available regarding the film, EA has revealed their partnership with Amazon MGM studios. The film is set to be directed by Kate Herron (Loki, Sex Education), screenplay and Executive Produced by Kate Herron and Briony Redman. EA also revealed, in addition to The Sims team, the film is set to be produced by The SimsLuckyChap (founded by Margot Robbie in 2014) and Vertigo Entertainment. All of this is exciting news! Fingers crossed, I hope this movie does a great job bringing this beloved 25-year-long, fan-favorite franchise to life.
The Sims Creator Kits
Another new development within the franchise community is the launch of The Sims 4 Kits. Since January 2018, EA has released 31 kits and counting. Now, if you’re an active Sims player, you’ve probably dabbled at least once in custom content for The Sims. Be it skin presets, hair designs/swatches, gameplay features, or custom-designed backgrounds for Create-A-Sim. Now, creators from all around the world will have the chance to apply for the ability to create official in-game assets, known as Creator Kits, for The Sims 4 platform. This is an exciting and big first for the franchise. Creator Kits will begin to launch, starting November 2024. If you’re a creator interested in learning more about The Creator Program, find out more about how you can get involved here.
‘The Sims 4’ 2024 Roadmap Sep-Dec
While there is plenty to come in the distant future for The Sims 4, in the near future players will have plenty of exciting new additions from the newly released The Sims 4: Artist Studio and The Sims 4: Storybook Nursery Kits to a Reaper’s Rewards Event (September 24th), to Free updates, and even a brand new Expansion pack The Sims 4: Life and Death (First look coming October 3rd).
On September 24th, Simmers will”have the chance to play alongside Grim himself and earn exclusive new rewards.” This event is just one example of the Sims team’s experimentation with new “surprise and delight” within the game and design features.
While the free updates are hopefully a well-needed cleanse for the game platform, the new Expansion pack sounds intriguing. Life and Death… What does this entail? Reaper careers, Psychics, scenarios that influence a Sim’s fate, playable ghosts in households? Perhaps even an Afterlife world?! All questions will be answered by October 31st when the pack is released.
Game Remaster Extravaganza
With the recent MySims Remaster, the MySims: Cozy Bundle, the Sims community was related. MySims was my first favorite cozy game growing up, and now as an adult, I’ll be able to once again escape to these familiar worlds. The game pack is set to release for the Nintendo Switch and will feature “controls and touch screen support, upgraded graphics, as well as much-requested special content from the original PC release…” If you haven’t seen the trailer, here it is.
So, now that MySims has been remastered, what other games could they re-release in the future? While there are no plans to remaster other games, I do hope games like The Sims Medieval and The Sims 2: Castaway could receive a similar treatment in the future.
With so many exciting new additions to the beloved franchise, The Sims has plenty of lovable packs and gameplay features to love. The franchise is celebrating 25 years, and the best is yet to come! What do you think of the latest announcements? Let us know in the comments. We would love to hear your thoughts.
