It has been another difficult year for the video game industry, marked by countless studio closures, widespread layoffs, and numerous projects being unceremoniously scrapped before they could even get off the ground. But EA’s move—effectively signaling the end for BioWare—has dealt a devastating blow to two of the company’s most beloved franchises, Mass Effect and Dragon Age; it feels nothing short of a public execution.
This is particularly painful for fans of the Mass Effect series, who have been eagerly awaiting the next installment—a game we now know was tentatively titled Mass Effect: Universe. Yet, it isn’t just BioWare fans who are feeling disheartened. Followers of other EA-published titles are growing increasingly anxious about the future of their favorite franchises—or whether they even have a future at all. My colleague Levi Winslow recently wrote about his concerns regarding the Skate series, following layoffs at the studio developing it. Meanwhile, I find myself deeply worried about the fate of The Sims.
While announcing the cancellation of certain BioWare projects, EA also reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to the Apex Legends, Skate, and The Sims franchises. However, it is well known that, in terms of profitability, EA’s sports titles far outperform its other intellectual properties. If EA is willing to abandon iconic series like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, what does that mean for the future of other franchises, such as The Sims 4?
According to EA, The Sims fans need not worry, as the company remains committed to “focusing on the long-term growth potential of The Sims.” In practice, this focus on long-term growth means shelving a project that a The Sims team has been developing for years: Project Rene—also known as Project Lotus—the mysterious next installment in the franchise, which appeared to be a peculiar The Sims MMO designed for mobile devices. In its place, EA will shift its focus to Project Evergreen, rumored to be a sort of remaster of The Sims 4 that includes all (or most) of its DLC and addresses several persistent bugs.
The claim that they are “pausing development on the next installment in the franchise to support the franchise itself” rings rather hollow—especially given EA’s track record of abruptly killing off other beloved game series. Yet, I suspect this might actually be the right move.
The The Sims franchise has had a rocky few years. Many players were unenthusiastic about Project Rene/Lotus, as it seemed like yet another attempt to recreate The Sims Online—a concept EA has repeatedly tried to revive. In fact, The Sims 4 launched in such a poor state largely because it was originally conceived as an MMO playable on mobile devices. Less than a year before its release, EA pivoted toward a more traditional The Sims gameplay model—but by then, much of the game’s content had already been built around online play and mobile platforms, leaving it beyond repair. Despite the release of over 100 DLC packs and a concerted effort to squash countless bugs, long-time fans remain disappointed with the current state of The Sims 4, frequently pointing out that it falls short of its predecessor, The Sims 3, in many respects.
The Sims 4 has effectively reached its end; there are no further expansion packs planned. As for the future of the franchise, most players have no desire to see the next The Sims title force-fit online or mobile-centric mechanics into the experience—after all, the core of The Sims lies in building and playing with a digital dollhouse. Consequently, I find the decision to pause development on Project Rene/Lotus to be no great loss. In fact, I believe this is the first truly sensible decision EA has made regarding The Sims series in recent years—provided that EA genuinely intends to support the “Evergreen” project for the long term (as the name “Evergreen” itself implies).
The Sims 4 players don’t want “Project Rene”; what they want is The Sims 5—or, at the very least, a fully playable version of The Sims 4 that doesn’t require $1,600 worth of DLC to achieve a “complete” gaming experience. Given the current state of EA and The Sims franchise, the best decision EA could make would be to halt these odd, experimental projects and instead focus on keeping The Sims 4 stable, playable, and “evergreen.” At this juncture, pouring resources into a concept that has failed before—specifically, an online, MMO-style take on The Sims—rather than leaning into the proven, successful model (a digital dollhouse) will only serve to damage the franchise.
Of course, it is impossible to predict what form “Project Evergreen” will ultimately take—assuming it even makes it to release. It seems the development team is working against a firm deadline—which explains why resources were diverted from the “Rene/Lotus” project—but even with these additional resources, there is no guarantee that “Project Evergreen” will be a hit with players.
Even if development proceeds smoothly and the title is well-received, it may still fall short of EA’s financial expectations. Over the last decade, EA has squeezed every possible cent of profit out of The Sims 4. Unlike EA’s highly lucrative sports franchises, The Sims 4 is primarily a single-player, offline experience. In the eras of The Sims 1, 2, and 3, players could simply purchase the base game, a few expansion packs, and perhaps a handful of “stuff packs” for extra decor to get the full experience.
The Sims 4, however, ushered in an seemingly endless era of DLC—expansion packs, game packs, stuff packs, and kits—totaling over 100 individual releases. Priced anywhere from $5 to $40 each, the total cost for all of them (excluding sales or bundles) comes to roughly $1,600. Beyond this constant stream of DLC, EA has introduced daily login rewards, various events and challenges, and even a paid mod marketplace that nobody asked for—all designed to keep players spending more time and money on The Sims 4. At one point, I genuinely thought EA might even introduce a “battle pass” for the game.
While we cannot yet foresee what sort of objectionable monetization model Project Evergreen might employ, it at least sounds like an attempt to preserve the essence of the series—unlike Project Lotus, which appears to be heading down a Roblox-style mobile MMO path. Even more promising is the possibility that Evergreen could finally be the game The Sims community has been longing for since the 2014 release of The Sims 4: a feature-rich title free from any fundamental flaws.
The real question is whether Project Evergreen can be successful enough to keep The Sims franchise alive. Given that EA’s new leadership has shown a willingness to kill off a Mass Effect title that had the potential to be a great game, it’s not hard to imagine that—regardless of whether players love or hate Project Evergreen—The Sims series might ultimately be doomed. After all, sentiment doesn’t translate into cold, hard cash, and EA’s new bosses have made it clear: if axing an iconic franchise saves the company a few “Simoleons,” then it’s considered “worth it.”