The Sims 5 Allegedly Canceled On PS5, According To Rumors

The future of The Sims remains ever-uncertain, as an expected sequel to The Sims 4 has reportedly been canceled. The rumor comes via a developer update, where a former Maxis employee that had been working as a lead character artist at the studio for over three years, where they contributed to what they claim to be the now canceled PS5 version of The Sims 5. 

The information was uncovered by Twitter user SimmerBerkay, who spotted a post by the former Maxis employee on LinkedIn. The post also mentions that the project was being made in Unreal Engine 5, the same as EA & Maxis' other Sims-related venture, Project Rene.

It's unclear whether The Sims 5 and Project Rene are one and the same. Neither EA or Maxis have offered an update on the latter since last year. One thing that hints that the two projects are separate is how Project Rene is expected to support both mobile and PC. with no mentions of a console version. 

“Project Rene supports both mobile and PC experiences,” said Game Director Grant Rodiek in an EA blog post. “We need to support a wide variety of experiences: simulation, socialization, creative tools for furniture and interior design, creative tools for clothing and characters—plus new social experiences.”

Rodiek left EA and Maxis back in January 2024, and was a key figure in the upcoming Sims projects. As such, the current state of Project Rene remains unclear.