The Sims 5 might become the first game in the series to become free-to-play at launch.
EA and Maxis were recently spotted to be looking for a person who monetizes the next The Sims game, which is referred to as a free-to-play game.
The job listing follows EA and Maxis' recent "Behind The Sims" showcase event, where they discussed the future of the hit simulation game and "Project Rene."
The Sims 5 Free-to-play Details
EA and Maxis recently discussed The Sims' future as a game series in its recent Behind the Sims event, though it didn't mention its plans for the series next game. However, a job listing could shed some light on the subject.
A report from PCGamesN mentioned that the popular video game publisher and developer announced through a recent job posting it is looking for someone to become the Head of Marketplace and Monetization role on Project Rene (The Sims 5's codename), which is described as "free-to-enter" in the advertisement.
This statement alone showed that The Sims 5 is likely to become a free-to-play game at launch, but it gets better from there. Interestingly, the potential candidate for the job will "own Project Rene's in-game marketplace of content and user-generated content (free and paid)."
The potential candidate will also "manage a data-informed player-centric player purchase journey - maximizing value to players, optimizing player spend patterns, and minimizing player churn." They are also responsible for creating optimal pricing and content architecture for the game, along with guiding content teams on in-game content needs to meet player demand.
This statement from the job posting means that the game will not only be free-to-play on launch but also that it will have optional paid content from the developer and other users. While these points suggest that The Sims 5 is likely to be a live-service game, many things about it are still unclear - the paid content stated in the advertisement could mean the game's expansion packs, making its operation similar to The Sims 4.
You may recall that EA has released paid expansion, game, and stuff packs for The Sims 4 while players create content that others can enjoy for free through the in-game Gallery. Whether EA will allow other players to monetize their creations is an idea best taken with pinches of salt.
Why Free-To-Play?
EA and Maxis aren't strangers to the idea of making their games free to play. You may recall that EA made The Sims 4's base game free to play on all platforms eight years after its initial release, per Kotaku.
While the base game of every game in The Sims series came with a price tag (at least initially for The Sims 4's case), the real money makers in the series were its expansion, game, and stuff packs that brought more life to their base games. This is evidenced by the fact that buying all of The Sims 4's additional content, up until Growing Together, would cost $1064.45.
As a result, EA and Maxis would be fine financially if they release The Sims 5 as a free-to-play game - the expansion packs will offset the cost of making it free at launch.
EA and Maxis have yet to share information about The Sims 5's release date.
