Maxis Studios, the developer behind The Sims franchise, has unveiled that it is working on a new game, currently named Project Rene. Maxis teased the new project that is said to be the next generation of The Sims at Behind the Sims Summit today. The upcoming game will include better furniture customization and collaborative play.
The Sims is one of the world's best-selling and longest-standing simulation games. Maxis Studios released the current iteration of the franchise, Sims 4, in 2014, and has since released twelve expansion packs that add new features, like pets with The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs, seasonal celebrations with Seasons, and career expansions with Get To Work. The series started with The Sims in 2004, which was a continuation of the studio's previous work with SimCity, a city simulation game.
While Sims 4 with its plethora of expansions has been a massive success for Electronics Arts, there often comes a time when even the most lucrative titles have to be left behind. EA and Maxis are now in the process to make the transition from Sims 4 to a new game. However, the project is still in a very early stage, evident from the fact that it doesn't even have a proper, final name yet. While the name hasn't yet been decided or at least revealed, the announcement assured that it is going to be a real Sims experience.
Details about the game are limited at this point, but Maxis revealed that the project name has been chosen to be reminiscent of words like renaissance and rebirth, and the "renewed commitment for The Sims' bright future." Changes will be made to how Sims behave and how players interact with the game. According to Maxis, in addition to solo play, there's a major emphasis on making The Sims into a multiplayer and cross-platform game.
During the developer's stream, it was revealed that the next generation of The Sims includes better customization options - a new type of furniture customization that isn't currently available. This included interacting with parts of the furniture separately, like a footboard of a bed or cushions on a sofa. This allows the changing of properties, like colors, individually for different parts of the furniture.
At this point, there's no release date for Project Rene, or the rumored Sims 5 - if that's going to be the title. The game is likely not going to be out for at least another year or two. Maxis and EA are still dedicated to making The Sims 4 better for the time being as the new generation of The Sims is under development. The companies also announced updates for The Sims FreePlay and The Sims Mobile at the Behind the Sims Summit.
Project Rene is currently in development.
Source: The Sims