EA has officially put a new Sims game that was in development on hold indefinitely, but it’s not entirely bad news. The Sims reveal comes amid numerous cuts and layoffs announced at EA.
EA released a memo to employees that revealed that the company had taken a “hard look” at how it operates and determined that it needed to make significant changes. One of the biggest among them was the outright closure of Bioware, the studio behind major franchises like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and more. However, that was just the beginning.
The Sims Project Lotus Gets Canceled
In the memo to its employees, EA outlined its plans for several games and categories, including The Sims. EA explained that a Sims project called Project Lotus has seen its development paused, with no information shared on when it might be continued, or if it would be shelved permanently. While it didn’t state it explicitly, previous leaks have indicated that Project Lotus and Project Rene are the same thing. Project Rene was initially thought to be The Sims 5, but it was revealed later on that it had “evolved” to be a social multiplayer game, separate from The Sims 4. While Project Rene had seen a number of leaks and a couple official images, it’s largely been kept under wraps.
Guess the games from the emojis.
However, it’s not the end for The Sims. In addition to The Sims 4 still seeing updates and releases regularly, something called Project Evergreen, another Sims project, is still underway. In fact, Project Lotus was actually paused in favor of Project Evergreen, with the memo claiming that the team needs more time in order for it to reach its “full potential and vision.” It’s not clear if there were two separate teams working on the projects, which could now be combined, or if it was one team splitting their time between them. Regardless, it sounds like there will still be something new announced for The Sims franchise in the future, providing that more cancellations don’t happen.
Unfortunately, EA hasn’t shared any details as to what Project Evergreen might be. The name of the project gives the impression that it’s something that’s intended to last a long time, but that’s not much to go on. However, it’s possible that it could be the rumored remaster of The Sims 4. Given that EA has already decided to continue supporting The Sims 4 instead of moving on to The Sims 5, and that The Sims 4 is now 12 years old, there’s some credence to the notion. However, nothing official has been stated by EA at this time.
While the news that an upcoming Sims project has been put on the back burner is likely to disappoint the community, the series is getting out rather unscathed compared to some other EA franchises, and its employees. While calling itself the “number one publisher in Western HD gaming,” EA has chosen to downsize the Skate development team, canceled the upcoming Mass Effect game that players have been waiting for over half a decade for, and announced plans to slash around 400 jobs. It’s ultimately another dark day for the video game industry.
- Released
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September 2, 2014
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Publisher(s)
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Electronic Arts
