EA gives “super early” look at “next generation” Sims game, Project Rene

As part of its first ever Behind the Sims Summit Stream event, EA has given a “super early” look at its next Sims game, codenamed Project Rene, as well as offered a few teases of its future plans for The Sims 4.

Project Rene – a name EA says it chose to reflect words like “renewal, renaissance, rebirth” – is described as a “next generation Sims game and creative platform” that will “[reimagine] the Sims you know and love with new ways to play”.

It’s said to be built on a foundation of “charming sims, powerful tools, and meaningful stories” that will stay true to previous Sims games while also “pushing to evolve how those Sims think and behave, [pushing] tools even further when creating and customising, and [exploring] innovative ways to not only tell stories but to collaborate on those stories or creations with your closest friends across your favourite devices.”

EA says it currently has a “growing team” working on Project Rene, with development on The Sims 4 and Sims mobile continuing in tandem.

While EA repeatedly stressed that Project Rene is still early in development, it did share some initial footage highlighting some of the concepts the team is currently playing with.

These include expanded creative tools seemingly building on The Sims 3’s extensive Create a Style customisation options. EA’s Project Rene footage demonstrated a player choosing the colour of a sofa from a colour wheel before independently selecting a pattern, as well as switching out individual elements of a furniture item – for instance, individually picking different headboards and footboards on a bed.

Perhaps more notably, EA explained that while Project Rene can still be played solo, one of its goals with the new game is to “make it easier to work together and share”, with players able to collaborate on a build simultaneously, seeing the other players’ changes happening in real-time.

All this will be supported across a range of devices, so that players can, say, use a mobile device to continue building with their friends on PC.

As to when Project Rene might finally arrive, it sounds like the game is still some considerable way out. EA says it’ll continue sharing updates “over the next couple of years” as development continues, with the goal being to offer small groups of players early access to Project Rene over time.

In the meantime, development of The Sims 4 (which goes free-to-play today) and The Sims mobile will continue, with a new baby focused expansion being teased for The Sims 4. Currently, babies exist in-game as little more than barely interactive cots, but EA’s brief teaser – showing a baby crawling across the floor – suggested babies will getting the same kind of autonomy treatment as other Sims when the feature arrives some time next year.