Is The Sims 5 Cancelled? Project Rene Updates Explained

The team behind The Sims released a massive update about several projects in the leadup to the franchise’s 25th birthday next year. The blog post includes updates that seem to clarify the nature of Project Rene, long assumed by fans to be The Sims 5.

Is The Sims 5 Cancelled?

The latest update from EA makes one thing abundantly clear: “The Sims 4… will continue to be a foundational Sims experience.” Reading between the lines, many fans want to know if this means The Sims 5 isn’t happening.

Technically, it never was. Simmers have long speculated that Project Rene was a code name for the next major installment in the Sims franchise, presumably The Sims 4. However, EA has always referred to it by the codename Project Rene.

So, while the blog post does seem to indicate that The Sims 4 will remain the core game within the franchise, it doesn’t mean that Project Rene isn’t moving forward. It’s just looking less likely that Project Rene was ever The Sims 5.

At least for now, The Sims 4 has plenty of new updates and improvements in the works. It will continue to be supported while the team behind The Sims works on “new and innovative experiences.” Whatever’s coming next, it doesn’t look like we can count on it being a straightforward sequel to The Sims 4.

What the Project Rene Update May Mean

In the same blog post, the Sims team directly addresses Project Rene. The headline for this section says “Expanding the ways to play in The Sims.” They also note that playtesting for Project Rene will continue.

This new installment to The Sims is still happening – it just might not be quite what we thought. The blog doesn’t share much new information, save that the project is still in development “alongside other exciting new projects.” The Sims team also reiterates that Rene is focused on building connections between friends in “an all-new world.”

Past updates have shared that there’s at least some mobile and multiplayer components planned for Rene. The more we learn, Rene is starting to sound like something along the lines of a Pokemon GO-style game that encourages player connections in a way The Sims 4 doesn’t.

For now, all we really know right now is that Project Rene is not cancelled. It’s just almost definitely not The Sims 5.

Simmers who want an inside look at Rene in Fall 2024 can sign up for a multiplayer playtest by joining The Sims Labs. Players selected will be “among the first to play in the new world.”