Will Project Rene come to PC? It may have quietly been canceled

Project Rene, formerly assumed to be The Sims 5, has become a spinoff, but what does that mean for its PC port?

EA canceled The Sims 5 with little fanfare, leaving many fans disappointed. With The Sims 4 past its 10th anniversary, fans had hoped the milestone moment meant a new Sims game to celebrate with. Instead, EA reinforced its plans to stick with The Sims 4 for years.

However, while The Sims 5 perished, Project Rene persisted. EA Vice President Kate Gorman confirmed that the mystery Sims project was still in active development. Although an EA blog post in 2023 teased a PC port, recent news may have changed those plans.

Will Project Rene come out on PC?

EA Games may have canceled the PC version of Project Rene in favor of a mobile approach.

A Redditor who claims to be a playtester for Project Rene posted an AMA on the /r/GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit. The user provided images of the playtest confirmation email, the Project Rene app on their phone, and The Sims Labs Discord server.

According to the individual, they only had a mobile version of Project Rene to play with, which was markedly different from the PC ports available in previous playtests. The leaker stated that Project Rene will be mobile only, with EA seemingly having no plans for a simultaneous PC release. They did not provide any footage of any iteration of the game.

However, PC ports for Project Rene reportedly still exist as playtest builds. While EA remains silent on the details, many fans believe the franchise will opt for a more mobile-centric future. 

Given The Sims 4’s presence on PC, it’s possible EA doesn’t want to divide fan attention between two games on the same platform. EA could secure The Sims’ presence on two platforms by making Project Rene a mobile-exclusive or mobile-focused game. On the other hand, a simultaneous release would mean more players overall for the spin-off title.

Since EA heavily emphasized the importance of multiplayer, a cross-platform release would make the most sense for bigger player counts. Simultaneous mobile and PC releases aren’t uncommon for microtransaction-focused games, as seen with the likes of everything from Zenless Zone Zero to Diablo Immortal.

Even so, with how many delays Project Rene has faced, perhaps a mobile-only port is the most practical plan for the iconic franchise.