‘Please Tell Me This Isn’t Real:’ Fans React to Leaked The Sims Project Rene Gameplay Footage

When the Sims roadmap update confirmed once and for all that the mysterious Project Rene was not The Sims 5, fans were eager to know what it would be. Then, Simmers got a peek at leaked playtest images and sneak previews shared by EA, and they were less than thrilled.

Project Rene Is Basically Just Sims Mobile 2.0

Gameplay screenshots from a playtest of Project Rene leaked and spread quickly across X, where Simmers shared their thoughts. And the thoughts are… not positive.

As @InnovativeSims points out, the early gameplay footage has some striking similarities to The Sims Mobile, including the do-list at the side and the pop-ups along the bottom of the screen. This is interesting news given that The Sims Mobile stopped receiving new in-game events in January 2024, perhaps an indication that EA was shifting energy to a new mobile experience.

While The Sims Mobile is popular with some, many Simmers dislike the energy costs and integrated paywalls that make the game difficult to play for any length of time without spending money. For those who hoped Project Rene would be The Sims 5, a mobile game instead is no doubt disappointing. But the criticisms of the so-called future of The Sims don’t stop there.

Related: How To Fix The Sims 4 Grim Reaper Event Not Working

Please Tell Me This Isn’t Real

Cash grab pay-to-play mobile mechanics aside, players are also less than pleased with the graphics shared in the recent leaks. At least one of the images making the rounds is actually from EA itself, showing two characters sitting on a bench in a park. As one Simmer puts it, players are hoping the leaked images aren’t real – or at least aren’t a final product.

The avatars certainly don’t look like The Sims 4 Sims we’ve come to know and love over the years. They have a blocky vibe that some are calling “Fornification,” suggesting EA is trying to grab an audience that loves games like Fortnite and Roblox.

The graphics and the apparently paywalled outfits certainly don’t have players feeling optimistic about Project Rene, but some are quick to point out that many mobile games operate this way. Since we learned Rene would have a mobile component, many fans expected a direction like this one – not that it means they’re happy about it.

While these initial images certainly haven’t left Simmers feeling excited for Rene, it is important to keep context in mind. These are early playtests of only a portion of the full game, and the images come from the mobile port of a game that’s ultimately supposed to be available across platforms.

And those blocky, sad-looking Sims? According to the folks at Sims Community, they’re from presets, not a full Create a Sim build, which wasn’t present yet in this playtest.

In other words, this early look at Project Rene is just that – an early look. There’s still time for the developers to change course and improve some of these elements based on playtest feedback.