The Sims 4 is the most troubled iteration of the series yet, and though it's come a long way, it's still far from being a legacy title. From the sounds of it, though, that's exactly what I think EA intends it to be.
A recent blog post from EA has confirmed that not only is there no Sims 5 in the pipeline, but Project Rene has been confirmed as a multiplayer Sims project that will exist in tandem with The Sims 4, set to exist in perpetuity as an ongoing project. Honestly? It's sounding a lot like what Fortnite is doing, offering various linked gaming permutations governed under one umbrella. It's also the complete antithesis of how The Sims has always operated as a single player, episodic experience that players enjoy watching evolve over time.
So where does that leave the future of a franchise that's made a name for itself through constant evolution if the bloodline looks to end right here? Most importantly, who is this great change meant to benefit? Because from where I'm standing, it's certainly not me.
Stranger and Strangerville
If there's one game that's been with me since I was old enough to hold a mouse, it's The Sims. Turning something as mundane as everyday life into an exciting sandbox of possibility is no simple task, and there's a reason The Sims is considered one of the biggest and best simulation games ever. But it seems the reaper has come to call time on that time-honored structure – and it has a confusing, nebulous plan for its afterlife.
I understand why EA is trying something new. I've said in the past that EA's model for The Sims, while allowing it to constantly reinvent itself, could pose problems for the series' growth as a whole. The generational aspect means EA is always chasing its own tail, relegating each new iteration to a seemingly endless cycle of building itself up only to start again fresh some years later with even grander player expectations to live up to. In a sense, removing our expectations for a Sims 5 will force players to accept the path it's trying to forge for the current generation. As EA's vice president Kate Gorman told Variety, the intention is to prevent players having to "restart your progress" with The Sims 5.
But reinvention is what The Sims has always done best. There's a shared poetry and metatextuality at work, linking the form of the series to its own formula: you make a family, put all your time and effort into constructing their home, building their relationships, planning out the grand stories of their lives. Then, they die, and you get to do it all over again. It feeds into the whole ethos of The Sims, shining a light on the cycle of life and new beginnings ahead – even if it's sad to see your favorite family perish in a house fire after forgetting to purchase a fire alarm. Guilty as charged.
I'm no Sims 4 hater, but I don't think I want another decade of it.
The funny thing about this franchise in particular is that nostalgia plays a huge role in its longevity. Ask any veteran Simmer out there what their favorite Sims generation is, and I guarantee you will hear more ardent pining for the scandalous drama of Sims 2's Pleasantview residents or the open world of Sims 3 before you hear anyone praising The Sims 4. By stopping the generational format at Sims 4, I can't help but feel robbed of the opportunity to appreciate it properly many years from now when hindsight kicks in.
That's where it becomes hard to view The Sims 4 as a legacy project, an experience worth preserving and supporting for years to come. A lot of the lack of appreciation is down to the fact that it's taken EA a decade to fix it. The litany of Sims 4 bugs has made it the most problem-rife of all eras combined, from broken launches to the infamously terrible Sims 4 incest bug that rears its head every so often. With so many expansion and game packs clogging it up, it makes sense that things won't always overlap smoothly. But it makes it an even bigger problem when, as large and unruly as The Sims 4 currently is, it runs the risk of getting simply too big to onboard new players. Not only that, it could end up burying its finest moments beneath sub-par ones. Let's not even talk about Journey to Batuu, shall we?
I'm no Sims 4 hater, but I don't think I want another decade of it. Sure, I'm sympathetic to EA's struggle to meet its own mark and understand that it's trying something new and daring, but I don't see what makes Sims 4 stand out as the ultimate Sims game other than its incredibly lengthy development cycle. That fact alone makes me wonder if EA is scrapping Sims 5 – and doing strange things like adding paid creator mods – just to make its own life easier instead of listening to what its players want. There's no telling what comes next, but now more than ever, I'm itching to redownload The Sims 3 in protest.
There are plenty of games like The Sims if you're craving more life sim antics outside EA's jurisdiction.
