'The Sims 5' release date, news, rumors: EA's next life simulation game could drop as early as 2019

A promotional photo for "The Sims 4"Facebook.com/TheSims

Electronic Arts' (EA) "The Sims" series is among the biggest and most successful game franchise, spawning four titles that have sold millions of copies worldwide. The first "Sims" game was released in 2000, and the studio did not run out of refreshing ideas to sustain the game's popularity up to the current fourth installment. It will not be surprising if EA manages to come up with "The Sims 5" in the future, although it was tipped that the latest entry in the series could be released as early as 2019.

According to the latest rumors, EA might have already been working on "The Sims 5." It is possible that the studio will be ready to announce the title later this year or in early 2019. The game itself could be released late next year, although that will depend on EA's schedule. To note, the studio took around four to five years to come up with a new "Sims" title for the past years. "The Sims 3" was released in 2009, while "The Sims 4" came five years later, and it is likely that the fifth installment will be ready by next year.

For the mean time, EA is still busy providing new expansion and stuff packs to "The Sims 4," and there are no hints that the studio is actually working on a brand new "Sims" game on the side. Thus, some people doubt if EA could at least announce "The Sims 5" this year when there are more content packs expected to arrive for "The Sims 4" in the coming months. Knowing that the fifth "Sims" game will be a huge title, EA will need more time and focus to work on it.

While EA has not yet confirmed the next DLC pack for "The Sims 4," it was reported that the game will receive the "Seasons" DLC very soon, as evidenced by a recent conversation between an EA customer service representative and a "Sims" fan. The screencap of the conversation shows the customer service agent confirming that the next expansion pack for the game will add summer, autumn, winter, and spring to the "Sims" world, but the release date of the DLC was not specified.