It looks like the next big Sims game will be a free-to-play (or “free-to-enter”) title, according to a job listing spotted by social media users that calls for a “Head of Monetisation & Marketplace” for Project Rene, which is the current codename for the game.
The job asks for all of the expected experience and skill in managing a freemium-style game bolstered by both free and paid content, including user-generated marketplace content, and specifically calls the title out as the next Sims game, and as a free-to-enter product, so although EA hasn’t officially made an announcement it seems like a sure thing at this stage.
The Sims 4 went free-to-play last October, and has seemingly had a heap of success with that model, still bolstered by plenty of paid extra content and UGC marketplace, likely enough success that EA has seen fit to continue the model with the next big title.
“We chose Project Rene because it’s reminiscent of words like renewal, renaissance, rebirth, and it represents our renewed commitment to The Sims,” the VP of creative for the franchise, Lyndsay Pearson, said when Project Rene was revealed last year. “That’s what we’re doing, we’re ushering in a new future for The Sims, with a new game experience and more. This new future requires us to stay true to what The Sims has always been while pushing to evolve how those Sims think and behave, to push tools further when creating and customising, and to explore innovative ways not only to tell stories but to collaborate on those stories and creations with your closest friends across your favourite devices.”
The full job listing described can be seen below:
?BREAKING: A career listing for @TheSims Project Rene has revealed details that the next generation of The Sims will be taking a free-to-play route!? pic.twitter.com/N2ciPKAjnq
— The Henford Hen ?? (@TheHenfordHen) June 28, 2023
Recently, the Sims team also did a dive into the development of The Sims 5/Project Rene during an episode of Behind The Sims that you can watch just below:
