Intensive photos of EA’s fresh The Sims “game theory” surfaces on-line

The Sims 4 might be moving along smoothly, but it has now been over a decade, and fans are becoming increasingly restless for updates on what lies ahead for the series – especially considering EA’s somewhat perplexing communications on the matter. Amid all this, various images of EA’s new The Sims “game concept” have emerged online, igniting various frustrations as fans contemplate a reality where the direction taken for The Sims is, in fact, merely a superficial attempt at a mobile game.

To recap, EA first began discussing its “next generation” Sims game, codenamed Project Rene, back in 2022. Many speculated that this would be The Sims 5 – until, of course, EA announced that Project Rene was not The Sims 5, that The Sims 5 was not happening, and that whatever Project Rene was would instead exist alongside The Sims 4. It also hinted at a variety of “cozy games, social and cooperative gameplay, [and] mobile narrative games” arriving under The Sims umbrella, before revealing that Project Rene (whatever it was) would soon begin playtesting.

In the six months that have passed since then, playtest images have occasionally leaked online, leaving fans generally unimpressed. And it seems unlikely that the recent influx of new gameplay images (as noted by PC Gamer) will shift this sentiment, given that the uninspiring visuals, endless reward-driven task lists, and prominent currency focus feel more aligned with a free-to-play mobile cash grab than a genuine “next-generation” The Sims title.

EA characterizes the playtest – officially titled City Life Game With Friends on Google Play – as “small segments of a broader game concept”. The newly shared images highlight the same multiplayer-enabled plaza system we’ve seen in numerous leaks before, now adorned with even more garish free-to-play-style embellishments as players wander around, engage in conversations, and distribute treats. It’s not particularly compelling stuff – and given EA’s unwillingness to clarify the project’s nature, it’s unclear how concerned fans should actually be.

All of this, of course, coincides with the launch of developer Krafton’s highly anticipated The Sims competitor InZoi on Steam early access. And while I wasn’t particularly impressed with it