EA's New Sims Concept Leaks Online, Fans Unhappy

A video purportedly taken from the next iteration of The Sims has surfaced online, sparking concern among fans about the future direction of the beloved series. Known as Project Rene - a codename that some believe to be synonymous with The Sims 5, though EA insists it's a separate spin-off - this project has been in the works for several years. The recent leak, showcasing gameplay from a title called "City Life Game With Friends," has led many to speculate that this could be the next installment in The Sims franchise.

The video, spanning a full 20 minutes, features a player navigating through text prompts to customize their character's appearance and activities. The gameplay then transitions to a sunlit Plaza de Poupon, where the player purchases food and interacts with other characters. The session continues as the player heads to work at an outdoor café. Throughout the video, characters are referred to as Sims, speak in Simlish, and are marked with the iconic Plumbob, further fueling speculation about its connection to The Sims series.

"I am terribly disappointed with Project Rene. Yes, I know, according to EA, 'this is not the final game.' Is this a joke or what?" said one unhappy player on The Sims' subreddit in a highly upvoted post titled "I think Project Rene is a red flag (I hope not)."

"EA clearly wants to kill off normal Sims games and push people toward the mobile-style experience. So in their mind, a reboot literally means this — at least that’s what I THINK."

"This is not going to be for me, I can tell already," another player commented. "It just seems so basic and I don't want to play The Sims on my phone."

"The funny thing is, making a PC/mobile cross-compatible Sims game isn't a bad idea," a fan suggested. "EA just believes that mobile games HAVE to be ugly for some reason. They're chasing all of the design trends of the past decade, but it means that this thing already looks dated and it's not even out yet."

"The way The Sims was literally a satire about capitalist suburban consumption-as-happiness... And this is where the Sims ended up. Endless consumption-as-happiness," another fan remarked.

Project Rene, initially rumored to be The Sims 5 but later clarified by EA as a distinct project, was first teased in 2022 during a Behind the Sims Summit. This free-to-play game, inspired by multiplayer elements from titles like Animal Crossing and Among Us, has yet to be officially revealed or given a release date. EA has been conducting invite-only playtests since the game's announcement, with the latest presumably leading to these leaks.

The name "Rene" is chosen to evoke notions of "renewal, renaissance, and rebirth," symbolizing the developers' commitment to a vibrant future for The Sims franchise.

Last October, images from Project Rene leaked during a closed online test, prompting criticism regarding the game's art style, limited features, and the use of microtransactions. The inclusion of a café drew particular skepticism due to its similarities to 2018's The Sims Mobile. It was at this point that EA clarified that Project Rene is not The Sims 5 but rather a different "cozy, social game" under The Sims brand.

Meanwhile, fans of the series were delighted to see The Burglar, a nostalgic character from earlier Sims games, make a return in the latest update for The Sims 4.