EA confirms Sims’ Project Rene is free-to-start & won’t replace Sims 4

Electronic Arts has confirmed Project Rene as a free-to-download experience that will co-exist with The Sims 4.

EA unveiled the next Sims title, codenamed Project Rene, in October 2022, though the reveal didn’t offer much in the way of specifics.

Despite the secrecy, EA and developer Maxis Studios promised to keep fans informed through the occasional work-in-progress update. Interestingly enough, one noteworthy detail made the rounds in June 2023, courtesy of a Maxis job listing.

The posting for a Head of Marketplace and Monetization role referred to Project Rene as a “free-to-enter game.” EA and Maxis’ latest update notes the next Sims adventure is indeed exploring the free-to-play route.

Project Rene Sims game described as “free-to-download”

Details featured in Behind The Sims Community Stream Episode 3 offer a bit more insight about the future of The Sims brand. The Project Rene update is especially an intriguing read, given it states that the new title and Sims 4 will co-exist once the former finally launches.

“We will continue to support both at the same time and will plan to bring more exciting content to The Sims 4 community for the foreseeable future,” the update reads in part.

The message goes on to verify details featured in the aforementioned job posting, namely that Project Rene will launch as a free-to-download title. According to the companies, “this means that when Project Rene is ready and fully open to players, you will be able to join, play and explore it without a subscription, core game purchase or energy mechanics.”

EA

The write-up further explains that while Project Rene players won’t start the game with all the content they have in Sims 4, fresh experiences will gradually be added in over time. Such additions will include regular updates, as well as paid DLC.

Finally, fans can also expect Maxis to involve the community more during various stages of production, which may translate to closed invites, public playtest, and even early access possibilities.

Project Rene isn’t launching anytime soon, so not everything is in stone as of yet.