Highlights

  • Maxis can create new families in Project Rene by moving away from existing ones in The Sims 4, offering fresh stories and lore.
  • Good lore is crucial for Project Rene to differentiate itself in the life sim market and attract players who are disillusioned with lackluster storytelling.
  • By inventing entirely new families, Project Rene can establish a unique identity separate from The Sims 4 and draw in a diverse fan base.

Pre-made families are the cornerstone of lore in The Sims. Many players wouldn't be able to fathom The Sims without the Goths, Landgraabs, Altos, and Crumplebottoms, as they are all families with history that permeate each world of The Sims and bring the franchise to life. All of these families are staples of The Sims, but there are a number of reasons why Project Rene would want to move away from them and leave them in The Sims 4, with the biggest being that it would allow Maxis to create new ones.

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The Role of Families in Project Rene and The Sims

Where The Sims 4 Failed Pre-Made Families

Since The Sims 4's move away from The Sims' original timeline and into an alternate universe, the lore of the main families in The Sims 4 has become confused for the most part. The developer made the decision to abandon all the events in The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3, and the families in The Sims 4 may as well be different characters. The disappearance of Bella Goth never happened in The Sims 4, there's no shady connection between the Calientes, Don Lothario, the Goths, and aliens, and the appearances of most of the major families changed dramatically in The Sims 4, with many of the families receiving lighter skin tones than their earlier counterparts.

Why Lore is Important

Project Rene needs to differentiate itself in an increasingly competitive market and with a consumer base that's becoming disillusioned thanks to both shallow lore and the increasing microtransactions in The Sims 4. While Project Rene's launch is still a way off, what the developer has shown has primarily been build/buy mode, rather than anything related to lore or storytelling. The lore of The Sims has never been the primary focus of the series, but it still plays a big part in drawing in players, particularly new ones who don't want to start their own households, or veteran players who are interested in playing out the stories that the different families represent.

Why Project Rene Needs to Get Its Lore Right

The Sims Best Family

Inventing a New Wheel

With the lore surrounding pre-made families in The Sims becoming so convoluted, and how The Sims 4 had effectively abandoned the pre-made families of the past in favor of reinventing them, a possible strategy for Project Rene would be to create entirely new families instead of reinventing them once again. These new families could have the same level of lore and depth as those featured in the previous Sims games, particularly The Sims 2, where each world had its own story that was played out by the major pre-made families who lived in that world.

Building a New Identity in Project Rene

Creating new families would also be a great way for Project Rene to establish a new identity that stands apart from The Sims 4, which will still be running alongside Project Rene after the latter launches. Having the same families in two different games that run at the same time would not only be confusing, but would be a missed opportunity to create new, in-depth lore to draw in all kinds of fans.

New players interested in the Sims' stories would be able to experience Project Rene as a life simulator with some deep integrated lore, especially in the context of other life simulators such as Paralives and Life By You being released. Older players who have become disillusioned by shallow narratives could be enticed back to Project Rene if more consideration is paid to the lore, even if the families are new and unfamiliar.