'The Sims 5' release date news: next-gen consoles to get sequel instead?

A screenshot from the Backyard Stuff DLC for "The Sims 4"EA/Maxis

It is being reported that Electronic Arts and Maxis will no longer release "The Sims 4" to the consoles and will just skip to "The Sims 5."

The companies have nothing but radio silence on the subject of the game's jump to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. EA did not even mention the popular life simulation once at the EA Play event.

While some believe that the studio did not feel "The Sims 4" belonged to the convention where other high-end games were featured, for others, it gave the impression that EA does not have big plans for the game save for downloadable content.

"The Sims 4" being released to the PS4 and Xbox One should be a big enough of a deal to make it to E3, but EA did not mention anything about it. This had many thinking that it might be time to look forward to "The Sims 5" instead.

EA is reportedly no longer porting "The Sims 4" to the Xbox One and PS4 since. Rumor has it that it is now working on "The Sims 5" and that the game is expected to be released on consoles.

As per the reports, "The Sims 4" was not a big hit to even the biggest of "The Sims" fans and that many chose to stay with the game's predecessor instead of playing the new one.

Since the game did not do well on PC, EA allegedly deemed that a console release will just make it a bigger flop. This is purportedly why "The Sims 5" is now the company's focus.

Not only will it allow them to give a fresh start, it will also give them the chance to win back fans of the much-loved franchise. It is being said that "The Sims 5" will be released to the next-generation consoles – the Xbox One S, the Project Scorpio and PlayStation Neo.

The company is expected to take advantage of the power of these consoles and is allegedly thinking of integrating Virtual Reality support on "The Sims 5" as well.

At the moment, EA has its focus on pushing out more expansion packs for "The Sims 4" with the latest one Backyard Stuff released a few days back.