The Future is Plumbob Green is a post from EA about the future of The Sims, its lifestyle simulation series. There's word on plans to test the upcoming multiplayer play, saying: "There will be a small invite-only playtest for Rene this Fall 2024, giving an early look at a multiplayer experience that explores joining friends and other players at a shared location." Amid discussion of new content, a new creator program, and plans for a film based on the games (which better be entirely in Simlish with subtitles), there's word that rather than make The Sims 5, it's time to settle in and concentrate on iterating and improving The Sims 4, while making it sound like this will still head in new directions and onto new platforms:

When we talk about The Sims as an entertainment platform driven by our community, it’s because we see the future of The Sims as more than any one title. We’re expanding the franchise to better serve the diverse needs of the growing number of Simmers around the world. The Sims will move beyond linear, sequential Sims releases and offer more options for players than ever before. We’re focused on creating a variety of games and experiences that will touch different categories across the simulated life genre including cozy games, social and collaborative based gameplay, mobile narrative games and continued depth, improvements, and modernization of The Sims 4, which will continue to be a foundational Sims experience.

We’re creating new and innovative experiences that connect with players on their terms, wherever they are and however they choose to play. These explorations are being tested via The Sims Labs including individual features from Project Rene, a story driven mobile test, enhancements to The Sims 4 with discovery and search tools, creator tools, and more.