Electronic Arts and Maxis have decided to halt development of *The Sims: Town Stories*, a mobile-focused spin-off that was being tested under the *The Sims Labs* label.
Confirmation of the project’s end came from Franci Dimitrovska, a former narrative designer at the company, signaling a drastic shift in the franchise’s strategy for the mobile market.
What was The Sims: Town Stories?
Originally leaked in October 2024, The Sims: Town Stories offered an experience different from the traditional life simulator. The game took players to Plumbrook, a town where the goal was to rebuild the community from scratch.
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With a cartoonish aesthetic reminiscent of the classic MySims, the title focused on gathering resources, completing narrative missions, and strengthening bonds with residents.
The game featured familiar faces from various eras of the franchise, such as Bella Goth, Nancy Landgraab, and even Bob Pancakes, mixing them with characters from older spin-offs.
One of the most notable features was the presence of an open world, a feature that fans of the main series have been fervently requesting since the end of The Sims 3. The project even underwent public testing in countries like Australia and South Africa in late 2025, but it did not survive EA’s internal scrutiny in 2026.
The Project Rene Factor
For analysts, the cancellation of Town Stories is not a complete surprise, but rather a direct consequence of the progress of Project Rene. The successor to The Sims 4, which was initially seen as “The Sims 5,” had its direction shifted to become a platform intensely focused on the mobile and multiplatform experience.
By consolidating its resources, Maxis appears to be eliminating side projects that could compete with or confuse the audience of its next major flagship title. With Project Rene taking on the role of a major new mobile initiative, smaller titles like Town Stories end up losing their place and budget within the company.
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Source: gamerant.com
