Although the upcoming Sims 5 is expected to be free-to-play, fans of the series shouldn't get too excited by this news. This is because this game, like all EA titles, will reportedly have a lot of in-game microtransactions alongside paid downloadable content.
Maxis and Electronic Arts, the Sims series’ developers and publishers, recently asked a Twitter user to post a job listing. They were looking for someone to fill the position of “Head of Monetization & Marketplace” for a title known as “Project Rene,” a codename for Sims 5.
The listing clearly specifies that Sims 5 will adopt a “free to enter” model emphasizing monetization and microtransactions from the player’s side.
Sims 5 - How Would It Reportedly Use DLC And Microtransactions?
According to the job listing, the applicant should have experience in major areas, like management in the game’s marketplace. This will help maximize the long-term revenue and enhance player spending patterns, among other requirements.
As per the listing, Sims 5 will adopt a live service model for its development, which means that it’ll be the target of occasional updates and paid DLC content to maximize the game’s pre-existing free range, similar to the previous entry, i.e., Sims 4.
In the gaming world, free-to-play titles are pretty standard, with many of them featuring a lot of monetization features, for example, Fortnite’s Item Shop. But its paid content is downgraded to cosmetic items only.
However, unlike most of its free-to-play competitors, it has been reported that EA intends to paywall crucial content updates in an attempt to maintain a stable flow of revenue from the players of the game.
In the past, EA has published titles like The Sims 4 and Star Wars Battlefront II, because of which they faced scrutiny for their aggressive strategies. Many players also boycotted Star Wars Battlefront II upon its initial release, due to which the company had to withdraw some of its monetization.
Sims 4 is currently available for the Xbox Series, PlayStation 4/5, PC, and Xbox One. The release date for Sims 5 is sometime in late 2024 or early 2025, and it will release on PCs and current-gen consoles. This means there is some time before we start worrying about saving money for this exciting game!
