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The Sims 5 confirmed to be ‘free to download’

After spending many years as a premium experience, EA made the decision to reintroduce The Sims 4 as a free-to-play title. Now, with The Sims 5 announced to be in development, the team have officially confirmed that the upcoming management game will be ‘free to download’ from launch.

In a video published to YouTube offering a behind-the-scenes look at The Sims and its development, the team announced that the upcoming Sims 5 (known as Project Rene) will be free-to-play from the get-go, saying:

“We intend for Project Rene to be free to download, and that means that when it's ready and fully open to our players, you'll be able to join and play and explore Project Rene without a subscription, without core game purchase or energy mechanics. We want it to be easy for you to invite or join with a friend, and that means extending an open invitation for everyone to play.”

Despite originally launching as a paid title, The Sims 4 was plagued by a whole host of expansion packs and DLC, making for a rather costly investment. It will be interesting to see how the team is balancing The Sims 5 considering the fact that it will be free-to-play from the off.

At the very least it is good to know that gameplay will not be time-limited like some other free-to-play experiences.

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KitGuru says: Are you excited for The Sims 5? What do you think about it going free-to-play? Will this be good or bad for the franchise in the long-run? Let us know down below.

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