Electronic Arts has announced that eight-year-old The Sims 4 is now free-to-play. While the base game is free on Steam, Origin, and other platforms, fans would still have to pay for the expansion packs.
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Even though the game was officially released back in 2014, there are still hardcore fans who enjoy the game thoroughly. The Sims 4 received a myriad of updates and new content via expansion packs, keeping the game fresh during its eight-year run. According to The Sims’ official Twitter page, the fan-favorite title is now free.
The company shared more announcements and details about the game during Behind The Sims Summit Stream on October 18. A new Sims game has been revealed in development under the name Project Rene, although The Sims’ VP of Franchise Creative, Lyndsay Pearson, has stated that the planned launch date is years away:
“Today marks the start of our journey over the next few years. Over the next couple of years, we will continue sharing updates with all of you on Project Rene. We’ll share in-progress work, explorations, sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes content, as well as start to open up early access to Project Rene software to small groups over time.
“This is super early for us, and we’ve never shared information about our games years before they launch to the world, but we’re so excited to take you on this journey with us.”
Pearson has also confirmed that The Sims 4 will still be updated with patches, along with new content. There is currently no information as to which platforms The Sims 5 will be launched on, although the fans are eager for the game to return to its open-world setting, just like in The Sims 3.