Why The Sims 5 is Called Project Rene

The Sims has made a significant impact to the life simulation genre in gaming. Since the release of the first game in 2000, it has evolved from simply taking care of virtual families to utilizing the newer titles' unique features to craft stories. The Sims franchise has also inspired many fans to create custom Sims content, ranging from home pieces, clothing, and beauty elements to diversify the experience further.

With over two decades of releases, The Sims has shown no signs of stopping. Revealed during the Behind The Sims Summit almost a year ago, Maxis Studios revealed that it was working on what seemed to be a fifth Sims game, which it called Project Rene. Since the announcement, the developer has continued to refer to this new game as Project Rene, raising suspicions that it might be a spin-off and not exactly The Sims 5. This has also raised the question of why the game is called Project Rene in the first place.

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The Meaning Behind the "Project Rene" Name

It's common practice in the gaming world to use placeholder names for games in early development. Project L, for example, is the name of Riot Games' upcoming fighting game inspired by its hit MOBA game League of Legends. Maxis' Project Rene is no different. During last year's Behind The Sims Summit, Lyndsay Pearson, the vice president of franchise creative for The Sims team, said that the Project Rene name was meant to signify a renaissance and rebirth. These represented the dev team's renewed commitment for The Sims' bright future. It's safe to assume that "Rene" could be a short version of "renaissance" or "renewal."

It's an apt name for a game that's described as the next generation of The Sims. It's been confirmed that Project Rene will a highly detailed customization tool for object design called Workshop, which will give players a wide array of options for colors, textures, patterns, and more. The game will also allow players to choose apartments, so it's possible that this feature will be available in the base game and not included in a DLC. There'd been discussions online on whether Project Rene would be an open-world game or not. What is certain though is that it will allow multiplayer gameplay that opens up collaborations among players.

Probably the most important feature that Project Rene will have is cross-platform support. Maxis detailed that Project Rene will be free-to-play on PC and mobile, and that players will be able to access their virtual homes via mobile. It's a cool feature that will allow them to check on their Sims and redesign their homes while they're on the go. Since it will be free-to-play, it's possible that players would only have to pay for expansion pack, using the same model The Sims 4 adopted since the base game officially became free to download last year.

These are just some of the Project Rene features that have been revealed so far, and The Sims fans can expect more in the coming months as development and playtesting continue. The latter has been important in gathering constructive feedback from avid players to make Project Rene's gameplay experience as seamless as possible. The next reveals should detail changes in character creation, confirmation on its open-world mechanic, and possible new features exclusive to Project Rene. If expectant fans are lucky, perhaps an official release date or window will be shared.

Considering the innovations being made with Project Rene, it might take a couple more years before it can officially launch. But based on what people know now, it's already clear that Maxis is sticking to its promise of bringing a refreshing change befitting of a The Sims renaissance. Whether it surpasses the legacy of previous The Sims titles remains to be seen.

The Sims 5 is currently in development.

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