EA paused development on Project Rene, the long-in-development next entry in The Sims franchise, to focus resources on Project Evergreen instead. According to EA, the shift reflects a commitment to "focusing on the long-term potential of The Sims."
Project Rene, also known as Project Lotus, was described as a mobile MMO-style game. Project Evergreen is rumored to be a remaster of The Sims 4 that includes most or all DLC packs and addresses recurring bugs.
The Sims 4 launched in 2014 in poor condition partly because it was initially designed as an MMO-style game playable on mobile devices. Less than a year before launch, EA shifted to a traditional single-player format, but too much of the game had already been built with online and mobile play in mind. The game now has over 100 DLC packs. EA announced The Sims 4 is officially "done" with no plans for more expansion packs.
The article notes that players have expressed frustration with The Sims 4 and skepticism about Project Rene, which attempted to recreate The Sims Online, a concept EA has repeatedly tried to rebuild. Many players reportedly prefer either a complete, playable version of The Sims 4 or a traditional next entry rather than another online MMO experiment.