The Behind The Sims Summit livestream brought with it news that The Sims players had been longing for: developers are working on a new Sims game codenamed Project Rene, though it likely isn't actually the Sims 5 reveal that many wanted. The stream premiered on the series' official YouTube channel in mid-October to help keep players up to speed on The Sims' latest roadmap. Updates for The Sims Mobile and The Sims FreePlay were also announced, meaning that there's no shortage of things to look forward to in the future. Hopefully Sims fans can still find plenty to be excited about even if Project Rene turns out not to be The Sims 5.
Despite updates from developers claiming otherwise, rumors that a Sims 5 announcement is imminent have been circulating throughout the fall of 2022. Even then, however, it's been made clear that players wouldn't be seeing any real gameplay - let alone a release - for quite some time. New mainline Sims games are typically announced just a year or so out from their launch date, which would make it unusual for The Sims 5 to be revealed so far in advance. Still, that hasn't stopped the rampant speculation.
One prominent point of discussion is the fact that The Sims 5 will likely be a multiplayer game. This is largely due to the fact that The Sims 4 was initially developed with multiplayer features which were scrapped later on in the development process. The response to this prospect has been mixed, with many Sims players feeling that multiplayer could make or break The Sims 5 if added. Project Rene will offer optional multiplayer functionality, which may play a large role in why so many fans believe the project is simply a codename for The Sims 5.
The Sims Team Should Just Call Project Rene The Sims 5
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Still, it seems odd that The Sims team wouldn't at least mention that Project Rene is a mainline game if that's truly the case. While codenames aren't anything new in the world of game development, there's usually at least some indication that a title is a sequel or a spin-off. For example, CD Projekt Red's upcoming title, Project Orion, was revealed to be a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 despite being many years out and currently unnamed. The fact that Project Rene wasn't simply called The Sims 5 seems to add validity to the team's stance that The Sims 5 isn't happening anytime soon.
Instead, Project Rene could be a spin-off meant to test the multiplayer functionality in build and live mode before it's incorporated into the next mainline Sims game. Other new features include crossplay that allows players to decorate the same build on multiple platforms such as mobile and PC. Easier methods of sharing creations were also revealed. In light of that, perhaps the project is simply an expansive building tool. Regardless, with so many big evolutions to test out, it seems probable that Project Rene is merely setting the stage for the future of The Sims franchise. The Sims 5 could still be a long way out.
Source: The Sims/YouTube