The Fall of The Sims: Sims 4, Project X, Project Rene
Posted on February 17, 2026 by Aywren
As a life-long Sims player – I began playing back when Sims 1 first launched in the year 2000 – I’ve grown increasingly discouraged with the direction that the Sims franchise is going. I wanted to take a moment to write a post about where I stand with The Sims going forward, which is something I’ve meant to do since we first got news of the notorious EA Buyout last year. The bad news has kept on coming, and now it’s finally piled up to a point where I’m going to tackle it all in one post.
I will note that much of this is based on leaks and rumors, but that the source of said rumors is supposably reliable. I somehow don’t doubt much of what we’re hearing, to be honest. Still, once the EA buyout moves forward (I’ve heard there’s been pushback), I’m determined to not spend any more money on this once-beloved franchise for many reasons.
Project Rene and Project X
Back in 2023, we first heard about what’s still called Project Rene. This was originally thought to be the predecessor to Sims 4, what would eventually become Sims 5.
But then, it was been confirmed that Sims 5 is not going to happen. Even more than that, we now know that there’s yet another project in the works which Simmers have been calling Project X. There’s still a lot we don’t know about Project X, but I’ve heard it will be the next mainline Sims, and is meant to be an evolution of Sims 4.
Not sure what that actually means, however.
In the meantime, Project Rene has been pushed into a mobile exclusive bin. Meaning I’ll probably never touch it since I don’t do phone game cash grabs.
Project Rene being scaled down to an online only game and now to a mobile title exclusively was simply because there was no need for its original purpose now that X exists.
Source
This new article also told us that EA doesn’t seem confident in developing a follow-up game that can match the kind of cash cow Sims 4 was. Therefore, we’ll be seeing several Sims projects milking our cash developing at the same time.
EA do not have faith a singular product will be able to replicate The Sims 4’s success, and hopes multiple revenue streams will aid in a shortfall.
Source
The End of Sims 4?
The future of Sims 4 seems pretty bleak. There’s been rumors that the newest released expansion pack – Royalty & Legacy – is the final expansion for Sims 4. That isn’t to say they won’t still churn out the lower price packs, which I rarely even give a second glance anyhow.
But no more expansions mean they’re going to let Sims 4 fade out in the shadow of these new projects. The development of this last pack, and future content, doesn’t sound good. We’re now hearing about a new restructured framework in which EA itself will control everything about the game’s creative development going forward.
Following the release of Royalty & Legacy, The Sims franchise will be shuffled into a new major framework for the first time since 2000. The new framework will restructure the franchise to heavily involve EA into the day to day operations, and rather than Maxis coming up with ideas to meet the targets set by EA, sections of EA will now be more involved in the game from how content is created, distributed and monetised. Plans include subscription models, digital storefronts with paid and virtual reward currency, deeper engagement events, creative direction and more. This will include creative control on execution of ideas to minimise development costs, with EA being more involved in working with game designers.
Source
Emphasis mine.
Yeah, I’m not paying a subscription for a Sims game, thanks.
Other articles recently have talked about uncovering a new virtual currency called Mooca, that supposably uses the image of the cow plant. When I told Syn about it, she laughed and said something like, “Cash cow? How much more obvious could they make it?”
True. Sad but true.
My Stance on The Sims Going Forward
I know this post has been a disjointed crash course in The Sims news for the past half year, but all that leads up to where I will stand with the franchise going forward. Naturally, I’m not happy with what I’m hearing. If the EA buyout wasn’t enough to turn me away, the rest of it is just adding fuel to the fire.
I have no interest in giving Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund and other such folks my money. Should the buyout go through this summer, I will likely finish my collection of expansion packs (I’m only missing two), and I will not be purchasing any of the new Sims content beyond that.
That’s not to say I won’t be playing what I’ve paid for, however. In fact, I’ve thought long and hard about how I’ve barely scratched the surface of the Sims 4 expansions I own (despite having put over 500 hours into the game). Some expansions I’ve spent many hours with while others I’ve hardly explored.
Going forward, I want to make a more concentrated effort on playing the Sims 4 content I paid my hard earned money for over the past 12 years. If this is the end of Sims 4, and likely the end of my relationship with future Sims titles, it’s fair enough for me to get what enjoyment out of the game I still can. And I know I will. I do still love The Sims even if I don't agree with the vision of those whom own it.
Whether I’ll write about any of those experiences here, I don’t know yet. I’m not sure that I want to publicize EA games any more than I already have. I guess that all just depends on what actually happens going forward.
It’s been a dark time for Simmers lately. I suppose we still have Paralives to hope for, however.