EA Confirms Future of The Sims 4 Dismissing Previous Rumors

Electronic Arts Inc. has formally reaffirmed its long-term commitment to The Sims 4 while confirming that Project Rene is being developed as a mobile-first experience. The official blog post, published on Jan 9, 2026, clarified months of speculation around the future of the franchise EA’s roadmap for The Sims brand.

Project Rene, first revealed in October 2022 as the next evolution of The Sims, has been the subject of persistent leaks and fan speculations, including assumptions about it becoming The Sims 5. In the announcement, EA and developer Maxis pushed back on that narrative and stressed that Project Rene is not a direct sequel to The Sims 4 and is being designed as a separate, mobile-first Sims experience with social and collaborative elements.

According to EA, Project Rene is a “social multiplayer play,” stepping away from Sims 4’s “single player life simulation experience.” It will provide a medium for Simmers to connect and explore the game together. The project was previously rumored as a single-player version, then that EA will publish both single-player and multi-player versions separately.

Along with the confirmed mobile-first Project Rene, the publisher also confirmed that The Sims 4 is not approaching an end-of-life phase, directly countering widespread community rumors that a final expansion pack was imminent. Instead, the company said the title will continue to receive expansions, updates, and feature improvements for the foreseeable future.

While EA did not reference the rumor directly, the new updates contradicted the rumors circulated in late 2025, and also clarified Project Rene’s position in the franchise.

EA Outlines The Sims 4’s Future

Launched in 2014, The Sims 4 has become the most commercially successful entry in the franchise, surpassing 85M players (as of March 2024) worldwide across PC and console and generating steady live-service revenue through expansions, game packs, and kits. The post also highlighted, “more than half of our [Maxis’] global development team” is dedicated to the future builds of The Sims 4.

In its latest update, EA said the Sims team is working on new expansion packs, free base-game updates, and technical improvements, including continued work on performance, customization depth, and social features. The post highlighted that EA is planning to spread the franchise across PC, Console, and Mobile, so that “everyone can play in the way that feels right to them.”

As of now, EA and Maxis have not confirmed any launch window for Project Rene, however noted that there will be “more news in the coming months!” It also stressed that players’ feedback for  “early builds and prototypes” has been incremental for The Sims franchise’s continued growth.

Looking ahead, they informed, a variety of new prototypes and early builds will be available for players “through limited market tests and The Sims Labs.” These include some potential experimental features or some “ideas in motion.”

EA’s latest update reinforces how The Sims has evolved into one of the publisher’s most durable and strategically important franchises. EA is maintaining and expanding The Sims 4 on PC and console, while experimenting with new formats and platforms through new projects like Rene.