The next game in the Sims series may launch as free-to-play

“Project Rene”

Based on a job listing posted by Electronic Arts, the next game in The Sims franchise may be free to play. According to the listing, developer Maxis is looking for a Head of Marketplace & Monetization for the newest entry to The Sims franchise (code-named Project Rene). For reference, Maxis recently confirmed via a post on the Electronic Arts Blog that Project Rene is the next entry in The Sims franchise.

A couple of the responsibilities of this position indicate the game could be adopting a free-to-play model:

• Own Project Rene’s in-game marketplace of content and ugc (free and paid), and manage a data-informed player-centric player purchase journey – maximizing value to players, optimizing player spend patterns, and minimizing player churn.
• Own pricing of all content in this free-to-enter game, ensuring we have an optimal pricing and content architecture. Provide guidance to content teams on in-game content needs to meet player demand.

Plenty of paid DLC wouldn’t be new for The Sims

Anyone that has kept up with The Sims 4 should not be surprised by this news. Despite releasing almost a decade ago, The Sims 4 receives frequent updates in the form of paid DLC. In fact, The Sims 4 base game will become free-to-play at the end of last year. Existing DLC ranges from $4.99 for a collection of skins and furniture to $39.99 for a full-fledged expansion pack. However, without any sort of discount, someone wanting to experience all content will have to spend some cash. While there is plenty of content to explore, someone looking to play it all would spend well over $1,000.

Evidently releasing paid content for The Sims is working, so it’s easy to see financially why Electronic Arts would make this decision. Project Rene does not currently have a release date or window. However, Maxis recently started playtesting the game in a closed setting, so we may hear more soon.