A brand-new rumor has suggested that the upcoming Maxis title, The Sims 5, could be free-to-play upon its release. The Sims 4 went free-to-play last year, and it seems that it has been successful enough to see a change in the business model for the sequel.
Little is known about The Sims 5 at present, other than the codename: Project Rene. Maxis has been dropping hints about the sequel in a series of videos, usually teasing it alongside expansion packs for The Sims 4. Project Rene was first revealed in late-2022, around the time The Sims 4 went free-to-play, and updates have been sporadic at best. Maxis has given players a very brief look at gameplay of the new title, but it seems to be extremely early days at the moment.
As first reported by PCGamesN, a job listing posted online seems to hint toward The Sims 5 being a free-to-play title. The role, Head of Monetization and Marketplace on Project Rene, refers to the game as "free-to-enter," which also hints toward the possibility of expansion packs. This won't be a shock to anyone who has ever played a Sims game before. The Sims games have a long history of expansion packs dating back to the original game, and they remain a key part of the business model to this day. However, The Sims 5 being free-to-play at launch would be brand-new territory for the franchise, and it'll be interesting to see if this rumor comes to fruition.
In this day and age of gaming, live service titles are becoming more common and the primary concern for fans of The Sims franchise is that many high-profile live service games have often shut down rather quick after launch. However, The Sims is a special case, and this is why players shouldn't worry. With the constant DLC for every game in the franchise, The Sims titles essentially wrote the blueprint for the live service business model. In a way, it has already been doing live service for years, but that hasn't stopped Maxis from supporting each title for many years. There shouldn't be any deviation from that with The Sims 5. On the surface, the only difference for players will be the price at launch, and that's a good thing.
While every piece of news about The Sims 5 is exciting, it's important to remember that The Sims 4 is not quite done yet. Just recently, The Sims 4 revealed the Horse Ranch expansion pack, bringing one of the most-requested features by fans into the game. Maxis hasn't confirmed when development on The Sims 4 content will finally wind down, but with a sequel still seemingly some way away and the DLC continuing to sell well, it almost certainly won't be any time soon. Players on the fence about trying The Sims 4 should certainly pick it up, given it's free-to-play and has plenty of gas left in the tank yet.
The Sims 5 is in development.
Source: PCGamesN