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Electronic Arts announced that there are currently no plans to work on or release a Sims 5. Instead, it will continue to release updates for The Sims 4. [Thanks, Variety, Wario64!]

While fans have been spreading rumors that Electronic Arts’ Project Rene was a codename for The Sims 5, it turns out that Project Rene will be a separate project. Based on past information, it will be free-to-play and while you can play it by yourself like a normal Sims game, it will also have a multiplayer function. Electronic Arts has confirmed the multiplayer aspect of Project Rene. While it will be possible to play with friends, it will not be an MMO like The Sims Online was.

As for why Electronic Arts will not be releasing The Sims 5, this is so that players who have spent the past decade on their The Sims 4 save files or game will be able to continue doing so. For reference, the base The Sims 3 game came out in 2009. The final pack for it was Into the Future, which came out in 2013, meaning that players received new content (excluding Store content) for four years. The Sims 2 is in the same boat, as the base game came out in 2004 and the final entry was Mansion & Garden Stuff in November 2008. The Sims 4 players will continue to see new updates, including paid expansions and packs.

Incidentally, Electronic Arts will introduce "Creator Kits." This is a way for Sims players to sell their own custom content through the EA store. Some CC creators are already making money through Patreon or, in the past, ADfly. But Creator Kits will be a way for them to do so in an official capacity.

Code for The Sims series can be difficult to add onto with packs, as there are so many different things to for. New updates tend to bring huge bugs and glitches. For example, Wedding Stories introduced a huge wealth of issues that still persist in the game. While starting over might be difficult for players who wants to keep up with the franchise’s instalments, continuing to add onto the code may mean more issues down the line.

As well, a live-action The Sims movie will come out in theaters. There’s not a lot of information on it yet apart from the fact that Kate Herron will be the director and co-writer, and Margot Robbie will be the producer. Herron previously worked as a director on Loki, Sex Education, and The Last of Us. Meanwhile, Margot Robbie has worked on Barbie, The Suicide Squad, and Babylon.

The Sims 4 is readily available on the Windows PC, macOS, PS4, and Xbox One.

The post There Won’t Be Sims 5, But There Will Be a Sims Movie appeared first on Siliconera.

The Sims developer Maxis is working on what it's calling "the next-generation Sims game and creative platform". Its working title is Project Rene. Based on the details released during EA's "Behind the Sims Summit" stream event on October 18, 2022, the game is likely to be the next entry in the mainline Sims series. However, rather than being called The Sims 5 (or something similar), it being in the early stages of development precludes official confirmation beyond "Project Rene". It's a similar situation to when The Sims 4 was first being teased. At the time, EA only referred to that game as Project Olympus before formally confirming that it was The Sims 4 later on.

Speaking of The Sims 4, that game is now officially a free-to-play title. Players can the base game free of charge on Windows PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Mac. Expansions and DLC are still sold separately, though. of the EA Play and EA Play Pro subscription services are entitled to special -only bundles of the game. The EA Play Edition of The Sims 4 includes the Get To Work expansion pack, while the EA Play Pro Edition includes that and the Toddler Stuff pack. Players who previously bought the base game receive the Desert Luxe Kit DLC as a gift. Maxis assured fans that while the game is going free-to-play, it is not the end of further content plans for The Sims 4. Further additions will debut in the future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIBBm7tWs_U

For more on Project Rene, check out Vice-President of Franchise Creative for The Sims Lyndsay Pearson's presentation on the stream archive below. It kicks off at about the 26-minute mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmm6h6bHD3o

The name Project Rene is said to represent Maxis' renewed commitment to The Sims. Showing off some in-development footage, Pearson demonstrated some detailed furniture placement and modification tools. Players can, for example, change the shapes of in-game objects, deciding the placement of individual pillows on a couch. Players can also group together items and designs and publish them as a set for sharing. Cross-device functionality was also teased, with a player decorating the same room in real-time across both a PC and a smartphone. Pearson called the experience "Same Experience, Different Screen". Pearson said that Project Rene is "years away" from release and cautioned fans not to hold their breath, as the game is still very early in development. However, she promised more updates over time, along with behind-the-scenes looks as development progressed.

Maxis closed out the presentation by teasing the implementation of infant sims in the game, coming in a The Sims 4 expansion slated for release in 2023.

The Sims 4 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Mac. Project Rene is in development.

The post The Sims 4 Goes Free-to-Play, New Project Rene Title Teased appeared first on Siliconera.

People have a new place to visit to manage characters’ lives. The Sims 4 Steam debut has arrived. EA added the life simulation and 35 of its add-ons and expansions to the service on June 18, 2020. To celebrate, it also kicked off the debut with a sale.

To start, The Sims 4 Steam listing has the base game for 50% off until July 9, 2020. People can get the basic version for $19.99 instead of $39.99. If they go with the Digital Deluxe Edition, which includes Life of the Party and Up All Night content and the soundtrack.

The Sims 4 Steam listing is now available Keep in mind that it does require an EA , which can be linked to your Steam , uses EA online activation and Origin client software, and has an EULA.

The Sims 4 is available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

The post The Sims 4 Steam Debut Celebrated With a Sale appeared first on Siliconera.

The PlayStation Plus February 2020 games have been announced, and they seem geared toward specific audiences. Both North America and Europe are getting the same three games this time around. BioShock: The Collection and The Sims 4 are here for general PlayStation 4 owners. If someone also happens to have a PlayStation VR, then they can take advantage of free Firewall Zero Hour.

BioShock: The Collection is a compilation that gives people BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite. This only has the simple player basic and add-on content. It originally came out in September 2016 and normally costs $59.99.

The Sims 4 is the base version of the life sim where you create characters and families, build them homes, and manage their lives. It first appeared on the system in November 2017. Normally, it costs $39.99.

Firewall Zero Hour is the 4v4 first-person shooter that launched on the PlayStation VR back in August 2018. It’s regularly updated, with a new season starting February 4, 2020, and it normally costs people $19.99.

The January 2020 PlayStation Plus games can be claimed until February 3, 2020. They are Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Goat Simulator in North America and Europe. If someone is in Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qata, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, or the United Arab Emirates, Goat Simulator was replaced with Frantics.

<< January 2020 PlayStation Plus freebies

The post PlayStation Plus February 2020 Games Include BioShock: The Collection and The Sims 4 appeared first on Siliconera.

Half-Life attire is not the only cross-over costume that will be available in Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition. There will also be The Sims 4 outfits for people who purchase it through Origin. Early adopters of the game who buy it from EA’s distribution service before May 1, 2018 will get Llama Suits and Plumbobs. This is in addition to a special Noctis outfit for people who own The Sims 4and a Final Fantasy XV Decal Selection for the Regalia in Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition.

The Sims 4 Llama Suit is a superhero outfit that can be worn by Noctis in the single player portion of the game or by a male or female avatar in the Comrades expansion. Likewise, the green Plumbob is the iconic symbol that allows people to know which Sim they are controlling in The Sims series and will be able to be used as an accessory with either Noctis or a Comrades character.

The Noctis outfit for The Sims 4 is available starting March 8, 2018. Those who purchase Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition will get a crowned prince Noctis Lucis Caelum outfit for the PC version of The Sims 4. No end date was offered for this promotion.

Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition will come to PCs on March 6, 2018. Final Fantasy XV is available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition is available for Android and Apple iOS devices.

The post Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition Gets The Sims 4 Costumes appeared first on Siliconera.

Period: The week of November 13 – November 19 (2017)

Top-seller: Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon – 915,221 (3DS)

Nintendo Switch sales: 86,999 (Last week – 79,958)

Nintendo 2DS sales: 3,113 (1,484)

New Nintendo 2DS LL sales: 29,013 (10,323)

New Nintendo 3DS sales: 289 (266)

New Nintendo 3DS LL sales: 11,074 (7,296)

Wii U sales: 43 (36)

PlayStation 4 sales: 18,126 (20,021)

PlayStation 4 Pro sales: 8,176 (6,037)

PlayStation 3 sales: 46 (41)

PlayStation Vita sales: 3,090 (3,210)

Xbox One sales: 104 (121)

Xbox One X sales: 143 (1,344)

<< Last week’s software sales chart

<< How to read and understand sales

Last week, Japan had a big week in sales, particularly for the Nintendo 3DS family, with the release of Pokémon Ultra Sun & Pokémon Ultra Moon. Dragon Quest X’s latest expansion, Star Wars Battlefront II, and The Sims 4 on PS4 also released.

#1 of the week goes to Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon with 667,439 units sold on the Nintendo 3DS. #2 of the week also goes to Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon for the “Double Pack” version that contains both versions in one pack, and it sold 247,782 units on 3DS. Since a lot of people tend to buy the Double Packs to collect both versions, we’ll just take it as an additional SKU rather than “double the sales,” since the Double Pack isn’t necessarily reaching twice the people.

Now, let’s look at some further juicy numbers and charts to get a better idea on how Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon performed as an entry in the Pokémon series as well as a “third version” title:

First, here’s an updated look at the opening sales of Pokémon titles going back to Ruby & Sapphire back in 2002:

• (2002) Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire – 1,093,299 [GBA]
• (2004) Pokémon Fire Red & Leaf Green – 1,013,119 [GBA]
• (2004) Pokémon Emerald – 790,527 [GBA]
• (2006) Pokémon Diamond & Pearl – 1,588,734 [DS]
• (2008) Pokémon Platinum – 963,273 [DS]
• (2009) Pokémon Heart Gold & Soul Silver – 1,442,990 [DS]
• (2010) Pokémon Black & White – 2,557,779 [DS]
• (2012) Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 – 1,561,738 [DS]
• (2013) Pokémon X & Y – 1,866,570 [3DS]
• (2014) Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire – 1,327,671 [3DS]
• (2016) Pokémon Sun & Moon – 1,742,008 [3DS]
• (2017) Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon – 915,221 [3DS]

The 915,221 units sold is in its debut is about 53% of the opening of Pokémon Sun & Moon. The above chart gives us a look at the opening week performances of previous “third version” games from the series.

Next, here’s a look at how previous third version titles’ lifetime sales in comparison to their original pairs:

• Emerald (1,916,505) vs. Ruby & Sapphire (5,160,765) – 37%
• Platinum (2,626,618) vs. Diamond & Pearl (5,814,251) – 45%
• Black 2 & White 2 (3,076,701) vs. Black & White (5,516,542) – 56%
• Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon (915,221*) vs. Sun & Moon (3,317,852) – ??

It will be a while until we get the lifetime sales figure for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, but you can get an idea on the sales performances from the third versions we’ve seen thus far.

Lastly, here’s a look at how the third versions have sold on a global level:

• Emerald (6,320,000) vs. Ruby & Sapphire (16,220,000) – 39%
• Platinum (7,060,000) vs. Diamond & Pearl (17,670,000) – 40%
• Black 2 & White 2 (8,520,000) vs. Black & White (15,640,000) – 54%
• Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon (???) vs. Sun & Moon (15,910,000) – ??

It should be interesting to see how Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon continues to sell in Japan and around the world. We can expect to see sales continue stretching through the holiday seasons and the new year.

[Credit for the wonderful charts and sales numbers goes to our good friend Ishaan. Hit him up on Twitter @ishaansahdev to talk about all-things video game sales, comics, Monster Hunter, and more.]

Moving on to other new titles of the week, we have Star Wars Battle Front II at 38,769 units sold on PS4. This is a major drop from the previous 2015 entry, Star Wars Battlefront, which sold 123,908 units in Japan for its debut, but it was enough for the sequel to chart at #4 in Japan.

At #7, #8, and #10 we have Dragon Quest X’s latest expansion, The 5,000 Year Journey to the Distant Homeland Online. The biggest take from here is that the Wii U version was the top of the three at #7 with 24,836 units sold [Didn’t see that coming, eh?]. Following at #8 is the Switch version with 18,444 units and the PS4 version at #10 with 13,657 units. Combined, the three versions sold 56,937 units total in its debut. That said, this is most likely the last Wii U title we’ll ever see make it in the top-20.

Lastly, The Sims 4 released its PS4 version in Japan and it barely made it into the chart at #20 with 3,428 units sold.

Hardware sales were pretty big last week with a boost in sales across the Nintendo 3DS family thanks to the release of Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, with the most coming from the 2DS LL going from 10,323 units sold the week prior to 29,013. The Nintendo Switch sold a whopping 86,999 units, which now puts the total at 2,251,327 units sold in Japan since its March launch, going by Media Create’s numbers.

The top-20 chart of the week is as follows:

Sales data acquired from 4Gamer and Media Create.

The post This Week In Sales: Ultra Sales For Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon appeared first on Siliconera.