A new job announcement released by EA has provided us with detailed plans for monetization methods for the upcoming Project Rene.
Two days ago there was another episode of the Behind The Sims series, which included a sizable segment on Maxis' progress on Project Rene. Just a day later, the community discovered new information about the project, which the developers decided not to include in the presentation.
Project Renea presented as a follow-up to the main The Sims series has been a big unknown since its announcement in late 2022. For now, the biggest surprise, and thus a departure from the brand's familiar format, is the tight integration of cloud gaming aspects.
Now, based on the job posting for the position of Head of Monetization and Market, found by user The Henford Hen, we can deduce that with the new gameplay systems will also come an entirely new business model.
Two points of the job announcement in particular are worth noting:
This primarily means that the basic version of The Sims 5 will be a free-to-play game, based on microtransactions for additional content.
This turn of events was predicted by fans of the game since the first announcements of Project Rene, but clear confirmation from an official source (the announcement has been removed, but is well documented online) could put an end to the speculation.
Admittedly, The Sims 4 also switched to free-to-play model, this happened only 8 years after the game's release, and not at launch - as is expected to happen with its sequel.
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Author: Sonia Selerska
Began her professional writing adventure for Gamepressure.com in 2022, but she has always been interested in all forms of the written word. A student of Film and Multimedia with a specialization in Game Design and Development, deeply follows the blurring boundary between these two worlds. Sometimes, embarrassingly, appreciates style over substance. In the case of media, more often than not, goes to extremes; she can never choose between documentaries and horror films, and cozy games, life simulators, and animations. You will find her playing old-school consoles and indie gems rather than AAA titles. Devotes her free time to her love of fashion and art in a broader sense. Believes that the plot is the most crucial element of a game, and the most compelling stories are the ones inspired by everyday life.