During the Behind The Sims Summit on Tuesday, October 18, which is entirely devoted to all games in the series, Maxi It gave a little insight into what the future of The Sims would be like. Nothing The Sims 5, but a more mysterious Project Rene is the name chosen by the American developer to remember words like renovation, renaissance and rebirth. Even though the project is still in its infancy, it’s a remarkable mission statement that Maxis still wants to share with the public. in this Exclusive by Project Rene By analyzing all available information and other details about The Sims, we try to create some plausible scenarios for the future.
What is Project Rene?
Talking about Project Rene Lyndsay Pearson, vice president of The Sims Creative Franchise Division. Pearson began his journey with the company as a tester on the first The Sims over 20 years ago and now has the daunting task of bringing the franchise to a new generation. Talking about someone new creative platformis based on the solid pillars that make The Sims the product it is today and also open up to new playstyles. In detail, Pearson said, “We’re working on it. next generation The Sims and on its creative platform, it reimagines The Sims we all love, but with new ways to play. That’s the future of The Sims, built on beautiful Sims, powerful gadgets, and meaningful stories.
This vision asks us to stay true to what Sims have always been as we seek to push the evolution of the way Sims think and act, strengthen building and customization tools, and explore more innovative ways to tell new stories. Let everyone collaborate with friends through their favorite platforms and devices”.
Those who are more careful can read a lot between the lines of this short sentence, although it is worded in a way that is far from specific. Maxis is fully aware that the Create A Sim / Build / Live formula is the DNA that has guided and supported the series for all these years. However, within twenty years Maxis had a generation change In its community, and inevitably, The Sims must follow the new trend without abandoning tradition.
We’re seeing an awareness on the developer side to get a little mischievous in the snippet about sims behavior. The fourth part of the series tied everything to the promotion of the game. emotional system However, the Sims that never worked very well, or rather, never lived up to the expectations of the public. A dissatisfaction that the players never concealed and that Maxis knew all too well. Going back to Pearson’s words in this light, it seems that the developer is aware of the problem and is open, but at the same time does not want to back down, committing to improving the look rather than eliminating it.
Sims cross-platform and cross-progression
It’s the last part of the sentence that clearly puts Plumbob on our heads, as Pearson talks about shared experiences among players. cross platform, underlining the concept a few seconds later, announcing that the teams working on Project Rene were both The Sims 4 and mobile games, without specifying PC or console. To dispel other doubts, in the short video you see the first version of the game on PC, with the mouse cursor straight, and then the same program on a tablet and smartphone.
The preview shared by the developer also shows the sharing of a series of living rooms via a publishing tool similar to The Sims 4 Gallery. Specifically, “Publish your creation – Who do you want to share it with?” two different options: “Everyone – everyone at Maxis Labs” and “Only for me – for you”. The presence of two touch devices and the general sharing option leaves little room for interpretation: Whatever the exact name of Project Rene, the next iteration of the Maxis simulation will be a shared universe with strong social connotations.
It was already the author’s idea that the next title would be a more general title, not The Sims 5. sims without enumeration and yesterday’s presentation strengthens this vision for us. “Same experience, different screens“Pearson is a statement that suggests that merging platforms is only part of the experience, and that cross-platform also entails a shared bailout progression. A different account associated with it, and the progress is not shared.
This issue electronic arts He knows this well because the crown jewel Apex Legends is focusing on exactly that situation right now. Console players can currently compete with PC users, but profile progress is not shared… and that means not only having two or more separate profiles between PC and different consoles, but having to pay for different season passes. The mobile version, on the other hand, is an autonomous ecosystem that has no contact with the PC and console version.
The importance of the community
The presentation of Project Rene was made after a long series of trailers and interventions with a strong focus on value. society and the importance of giving a voice to The Sims players, because “Simmers Makes Sims“This answers a question that arises itself: why are you now sharing so little and ad hoc information about the project? Wouldn’t it be better to wait for something more structured? For Maxis, the answer is no, because Pearson explains how important community feedback is. The Sims Actually this shouldn’t come as a surprise, since most of the free updates and content released over the years, community requests. We’re talking about some pretty complex changes to the game code, like all actions that become gender neutral over time, or customization options that are active by genre. As such, Maxis will not only share development progress on Project Rene over time, but will also open beta testing to small groups of players in the future.
The VP has clearly said “in a few years”, so we also have a timeline: Ahead of The Sims 4, Free Play and Mobile, we also have a few more months ahead of which Maxis is committed to releasing free and paid content. It’s time that highlights the development of Project Rene. This is the first time Maxis has been waiting for the announcement of The Sims, which is usually shown when they’re available for sale, but we’re sure the spirit of sharing fits perfectly with the philosophy and the relationship they’ve built. developer and audience.
Making money for everyone
We’re not exaggerating when we say that Project Rene can really bring it out. real potential Despite its tremendous success over the past two decades, The Sims perhaps never reached its peak. There have been many contenders over time trying to dethrone The Sims and we sincerely admit that, we always had an eye for the final suitor, and he paralivs It came out during a Wholesome Direct that stole everyone’s heart. We’re talking about a standalone game with all the features (on paper) that can compete with The Sims 4, at least in terms of construction vehicles. An alternative for all players who prefer to build and furnish houses rather than play with Sims. But Project Rene has a notable battle plan: large, specialized development teams made up of professionals, if not veterans, of the series combined with EA’s investment and monetization plans.
Another piece added to the reflection is another important announcement made during Behind the Sims Summit or Collaboration with OverwolfCurseForge administrators. Let’s talk about a dedicated platform. mode It will be the nerve center for all global content creators for The Sims. The Overwolf program allows modders to create objects, monetize them, and promote them through the platform: with Maxis’ collaboration, content will receive more validation from the developer than can be downloaded from third-party sites. On the CurseForge website, the launch is scheduled for November 14. You can find all the details at this address.
We also add the probability of the equation free download Starting October 18, the basic version of The Sims 4: Anyone who wants to start playing The Sims will be able to try the seamless version for free, complete with all free updates, and then decide how to enrich the experience by choosing one of the options below. Numerous expansions available for a fee.
For us, this pick tastes like a rehearsal dinner before the wedding: Maxis and EA are clearly testing the ground to see how to get the free version, while also accustoming the public to what The Sims can become a free experience. There is already enough element for us to make a prediction about the future of the saga. With Project Rene, The Sims can embrace a formula free to play unifying all available platforms: a single account to unlock any purchase in the app or season pass, available on any platform and connected almost like a social network with community members.
Of course, this beautiful project fully embraced by the author problems. If there’s one thing The Sims shows in every episode, it’s that the console versions never really embraced the potential of the PC versions. From early PlayStation episodes to smaller Game Boy and Nintendo DS experiences, The Sims on console has always worked, especially when rethought for those platforms. To date, it’s possible to play The Sims 4 on PlayStation or Xbox, but it’s far from the comfortable and enjoyable experience that exists on PC. This is clearly a limitation of the entire simulation genre that we hope Maxis will take seriously during these years of Project Rene development.
Source: Multiplayer
