'The Sims' is one of the most influential gaming franchises in history with the games credited for getting millions of people into the medium, and now a new entry in the beloved series is in the early stages of development.
'The Sims 5' is in the very early stages of development per developers Maxis, who shared an early look at the game, which is going by the codename "Project Rene."
A presentation by Maxis, which can be viewed below, didn't go into specifics about the game beyond the revamped building mode, which looks a lot different than the current system from 'The Sims 4'.
'The Sims 4' itself has been made free-to-play, which means that Maxis are going to begin winding down support for the hit 2014 game as it turns its attentions to the next game in the franchise.
Two more expansions for the blockbuster game will be released in 2023, but after that, Maxis will turn their attention elsewhere.
In the example shown, the game was shown deconstructing a bed to manually adjust the shape of the headboard as well as the texture of the blankets.
In another example, the player was able to decorate a couch by picking a throw pillow and then adjusting it carefully so it lands on the couch in the exact position the player wants.
With these features and the asymmetrical room layouts on display, it looks like the house-building feature is getting a complete overhaul, and will get us ever closer to the dream of being to replicate our favourite Nancy Meyers-style houses.
The big innovation with 'The Sims 5' is the emphasis on multiplayer, with players able to design rooms with their friends and family.
Readers with a long memory may recall that 2013's 'SimCity' reboot was a disaster at launch as the EA servers were unprepared for the deluge of players, and we're hoping in the 10 years since Maxis and EA have upgraded their servers to handle what is sure to be a best-selling game.
There is no timeframe for the release of 'The Sims 5', with the gap between 'The Sims 4' and a new entry in the series the largest in series history, but Maxis have assured fans that they are hard at work on the game.
Maxis have stressed that the game won't be available to play anytime soon, and indeed they look to share details on the game "over the coming years," but like how 'Grand Theft Auto 6' was announced earlier this year, this announcement is more a message of "yes, we're working on a new game."
