Today, Maxis dropped a ton of The Sims-related information spanning the games, the upcoming film, content creators, and more. While some fans may have been scouring the updates for news on next-gen Sims release Project Rene, there wasn't much to go on...except that there will be another invite-only playtest of the game coming this fall.
Per Maxis, Project Rene will hold a "small, invite-only playtest" in the fall, "giving an early look at a multiplayer experience that explores joining friends and other players at a shared location." Interested individuals can sign up to participate in the playtest here.
This is the second publicized public playtest Project Rene has held since its announcement, having previously had a similar small, closed playtest focused on furniture customization way back in 2022.
Project Rene was first announced in October of 2022 as the "next generation" of The Sims. Maxis has held off on referring to it as The Sims 5, and has said it expects the game to continue co-existing alongside The Sims 4 rather than replacing it. We've seen very, very little of the game since, though we know it allows for furniture customization on a level of detail previously impossible in the franchise, and that it will support cooperative multiplayer.
In the same update, Maxis announced a number of other The Sims-related news bits. These included confirmation of a previously-reported The Sims film directed by Kate Herron, and the introduction of The Sims 4 Creator Kits allowing content creators to craft and publish in-game assets in partnership with the studio.
We recently updated our review of The Sims 4 to reflect the state of the game in 2024, and gave the now free-to-play game an 8/10 thanks to its strong community and frequent updates.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
