For over two decades now, The Sims franchise has led the charge in the life-sim market, giving players the tools to create their own homes and families to live out their wildest dreams. And with each new generation of Sims, those dreams get even wilder. Every new Sims game comes with its own set of improvements and additions, and then further down the road, that game is continually added to via expansions. But as fans approach a new generation of Sims, that iterative formula might receive some big changes.
Back in September of last year, rumors surrounding The Sims 5 started circulating the internet, with the vast majority claiming that the game would be adopting a free-to-play, live-service model. While EA hasn't commented on these rumors, The Sims 5 - know currently as Project Rene - will apparently be reimagining the series and introducing "new ways to play." And if The Sims 5 does go live-service, then a Battle Pass-like system can't be too far behind, and Overwatch 2 has some great foundations to build on.
The Sims 5 Might Want to Borrow Overwatch 2's Battle Pass Approach
The Sims 5 making the switch to a free-to-play, live-service model would make complete sense for the long-running franchise. Since day-one, The Sims has continued to support its games long after their initial launch. Back during the days of Sims 1 and 2, this meant post-launch expansion packs that could be bought as physical discs. With the rise of downloadable content, The Sims 3 transitioned away from physical expansion packs, and instead started to release online DLC for the game. The Sims 4 continued this trend, and ran away with it, releasing over 60 DLC packs since its release in 2014.
The writing has been on the wall for The Sims for quite some time, with things really starting to ramp up at the end of last year. In October 2022, The Sims 4 went free-to-play, opting to only earn revenue through DLC purchases. Moving The Sims 5 to a fully-fledged live-service model seems like a natural next step for the franchise, ensuring that revenue can be earned consistently over long periods of time. One of the best ways to achieve this with a live-service title is by introducing some kind of Battle Pass, a tiered progression system that offers rewards for completing challenges, refreshing on a regular basis and charging players every few months.
While The Sims 5's Battle Pass probably won't be called that, a similar system is likely to crop up. But rather than offering players weapon wraps, emblems, skins, and sprays, The Sims 5's Battle Pass is likely to include a range of different furniture and clothing. If this system turns out to be successful, then it could even potentially crossover with real-life fashion brands, similar to some of Fortnite's past collaborations with Nike and Balenciaga. But forging a Battle Pass system from scratch is no easy task, and looking at other systems, such as Overwatch 2's, could really help The Sims 5.
Overwatch 2's Battle Pass offers 80 tiers every nine weeks, with each tier being filled with a handful of cosmetic rewards for all the game's heroes. While players can level up this Battle Pass by earning Match XP by just playing, the best way to score rewards quickly is by completing Overwatch 2's many daily and weekly challenges. These challenges are a great way to encourage players to try out certain features and characters they normally otherwise wouldn't, and the Battle Pass system in general keeps players coming back month after month.
The Sims 5 should borrow Overwatch 2's Battle Pass system, giving players unique challenges to complete and continuing to encourage them to start new families, test out new mechanics, and earn a ton of rewards in the process. Players should also be able to continue unlocking rewards after the end of the Battle Pass has been reached, just like how Overwatch 2 continues to reward players with extra titles. Color variants of any outfits or items unlocked in the main battle pass are one option for these bonus rewards, with The Sims battle passes having a chance to be the gift that keeps on giving.
The Sims 5 is currently in development.