We still don’t have a release date for The Sims 5 – or Project Rene, whichever you prefer – but EA said today it’s still in the “early stages” of development. And while The Sims 4 wasn’t free to play at its 2014 launch, it has been since October 2022, which is also when EA first teased the next generation of Sims. The news doesn’t come as a huge shocker, as EA previously posted a job listing that called Project Rene “free-to-enter.” Still, it is the company’s first official confirmation that it’ll be free at launch, along with the fact that it won’t replace The Sims 4. “And in the future, a pack for purchase may be focused on winter sports with activities like ice dancing or a snowman building competition.” “For example, basic weather may be added to the core game for free, for everybody,” EA continued. Once the patch is downloaded, opening the file will begin the installation process required to patch the games software.
EA further clarified that Project Rene “won’t begin with everything you have in The Sims 4,' but they 'plan to add new experiences and content to Project Rene over time.” Unsurprisingly, EA still plans to sell DLC for Project Rene, but promises to switch it up a bit.
