“The Sims” series has our generation on a chokehold, and one of the reasons behind it is the simulation game’s constant stream of mysteries. Can you be friends with the Grim Reaper? Is giving birth to 100 babies possible? How can you be abducted by aliens? (For legal reasons, the last one is a joke.)
But the latest burning question points to the much-anticipated (in both the excited and scrutinized way) release of The Sims 5. Aside from learning about the upcoming installation’s multiplayer feature early this year, do we have enough clues to conclude that it’s going to be a “free-to-enter” game?
As reported by various gaming and entertainment websites, the Sims Community noticed details of a now-deleted Maxis job posting which shows that “The Sims 5”—dubbed “Project Rene”—will go the free-to-enter route. Under the position of head of marketplace & monetization, the position’s job description reveals that the project is a “free-to-enter” game. Plus, the chosen candidate will have to “own pricing of all content,” make sure that there’s an “optimal pricing and content architecture,” and “provide guidance to content teams on in-game content needs to meet player demand.”
Another responsibility involves owning Project Rene’s marketplace of content, including free and paid user-generated ones. Based on this information, it’s highly likely that players can access the base game for free, but would need to spend for some upgrades in their experience.
IGN Southeast Asia mentions Fortnite’s monetization model as a close example, where users can create in-game content for others that may come with a price or not. The Sims Community also brings up the success of Apex Legends, which was launched on its first day as a free-to-play game.
“We’re not sure yet if there are any differences between Free to Play and Free to Enter terms. Either way, a new way of releasing Sims content seems almost definite for The Sims 5,” says the Sims Community.
In October last year, the fourth installment of The Sims became free-to-play. How different will the gameplay be for The Sims 5? Will it offer more opportunities for players to explore, or will they be bombarded by paywalls? Let’s wait for further details—for now, we’ll enjoy these bizarre mods in peace.
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Still from “The Sims 4: Vampires” official trailer