Why did EA cancel ‘The Sims 5’?

The Sims fans have been waiting years for the fifth installment in the life simulation video game series, and now, it’s not happening.

The unfortunate update was confirmed by Electronic Arts (EA) Vice President Kate Gorman in an interview with Variety.

The Sims was first released in 2000, followed by The Sims 2 in 2004, The Sims 3 in 2009, and The Sims 4 in 2014. Based on the release dates of prior installments, fans were expecting The Sims 5 to be released four or five years after The Sims 4. However, years passed, and there were still no teasers or announcements about the next installment. Instead, EA continued churning out many Expansion Packs, Game Packs, Stuff Packs, and Kits to add fresh content to the base game and keep millions of players entertained.

After the announcement that The Sims 5 was not happening, fans had mixed reactions on social media. Many were fine with the recent development, as they spent a large amount of money to acquire all the DLCs (there are more than 70, as of writing, each costing anywhere from $4.99 to $39.99), while others were disappointed that a better version of the game isn’t being released.

A new era of The Sims

Gorman said one of the main reasons The Sims 5 is not happening is that they don’t want millions of players to have to start from scratch after 10 years’ worth of gameplay. EA is working on “a new era of The Sims” and will be adding more content, offering additional ways to play the game, and releasing updates and fixes to improve The Sims 4. When asked outright whether the Sims 5 has been canceled, Gorman said, “It’s not Sims 5 as a replacement for 4.”

What Gorman meant by that statement was that the team would continue to provide content for the game that players would want to see in The Sims 5 without having to start all over.

“I think as we think about the future of it, we want you to continue all of those families and generations. Those creations are your progress, your attachment. We don’t want to reset your progress.”

The future of The Sims 4

In a blog post, The Sims team shared what’s in store for the franchise. First is The Sims 4 Creator Kits — kits that are designed by community creators and officially published by the team. Next is The Sims Labs, where selected players will get the chance to experiment with new gameplay. Another update is about Project Rene, which was previously thought to be The Sims 5. The team has shed light on the secret project and revealed that it’s about a multiplayer experience for The Sims 4, and a few players would be invited in Fall 2024 to test the new gameplay.

The team also confirmed that The Sims movie is in the works and will be directed by Kate Herron. As of writing, there aren’t many details divulged about the film, but Gorman said it will include in-game lore. “You will see a lot of The Sims universe come to life and you will see a lot of the classic experiences that our players have in the games come to life in the movie,” Gorman stated.

Apart from the updates mentioned, fans are also expecting more surprises when The Sims celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025.