On February 4, 2000, the world of computer gaming (and pop culture) was never the same when Maxis put out The Sims, a revolutionary sandbox game where players got to build houses, create characters, and live out their digital lives in an infinite number of ways. A quarter-century later, a film based on The Sims, one of the most anticipated video game adaptations, looks like it’ll do it all over again.
No matter if you’re a longtime fan, a recent adopter, or someone who has never heard of The Sims, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about this long-in-the-works project; even more so if you’ve been following its development all times time. Regardless of the case, we’ve put together a quick and handy guide to the upcoming movie, breaking it all down.
No need for no rosebud money cheat around here…
What Is The Sims Release Date?
As much as we would love to go into the details about The Sims release date and the other movies it will compete with when it makes its debut, the truth is that that information hasn’t been revealed yet. Considering that nothing about a possible release date or window has been announced since the movie was revealed back in March 2024, it’s all but guaranteed we won’t see this on the 2025 movie schedule.
The Sims Cast Has Not Yet Been Revealed
Though The Sims doesn’t have iconic pop culture icons on the same scale as Mario, Sonic, and Pikachu, there are some staples to the franchise. Premade families like the Goths, the Pancakes, the Landgraabs, and the Newbies have long been a part of the series, going back to its earliest days, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they show up. But keeping with the spirit of the games, hopefully, the movie instead focuses on a newly created character or family who interacts with those staples, if they are included.
As of May 2025, the Sims cast hasn’t been announced, which isn’t all that surprising since the video game adaptation is still in development at the time of this writing. However, if the Minecraft cast, is any indication, we could see some big-name talent speaking Simlish sometime soon.
What Will The Sims Movie Be About?
The Sims, unlike the vast majority of video games that have been adapted over the years, doesn’t really have a story, instead allowing the players to create their own scenarios for their created characters. That being said, the team behind the project will be like the millions of gamers who have played the various titles in the franchise over the years, in that they can pretty much do whatever they want when it comes to the story that is told in the upcoming adaptation. Though there are some mistakes to be made in the games, the sandbox nature of the series has allowed many of us to live vicariously through our sims, which could make for a unique story when the film eventually arrives.
When speaking with Variety ahead of film’s official announcement in September 2024, Electronic Arts Vice President Kate Gorman shared that the movie will be an “authentic Sims experience,” stating:
What I will tell you is it’s very much rooted in ‘The Sims’ universe. And what we want is to have a truly authentic ‘Sims’ experience brought to a theatrical release. So what you’ll see from us is that we have been wanting to get this right. … So we want this to be an experience that reflects all that amazing history and play of so many people in this world, but also is something that you can share across generations and to be part of pop culture and culturally relevant.
Finding a way to incorporate the lore and feel of the franchise while also appealing to audiences who have no history with the video games sounds easier said than done. But with the team involved with the project, it’s not impossible.
Several months later, in February 2025, Electronic Arts Entertainment and Technology President Laura Miele sat down with CBS Mornings to share an update on the project. When it came to questions about the plot, she had this to say:
How do you create a movie around a game experience that players create and have self-expression around? But, over the years, we certainly have characters that players have come to love. … There’s a great idea, a great idea that celebrates some of the lore and some of the history of The Sims that our fans are going to recognize and be excited about.
What this “great idea” was and how it will capture the lore and history of one of the most popular game franchises of the 21st century, remains to be seen. That said, we can’t wait to see it.
The Sims Movie Will Feature ‘Classic Experiences’ From The Games
A movie based on The Sims that doesn’t include any of the classic experiences from the beloved sandbox game is a recipe for disaster; luckily, we won’t have to live in a reality where the movie is nothing like the game that inspired it. When speaking with Variety in September 2024, EA Vice President Kate Gorman assured fans that there will be “classic experiences” galore in the upcoming flick:
You will see a lot of ‘The Sims’ universe come to life and you will see a lot of the classic experiences that our players have in the games come to life in the movie. And that’s what we really want to deliver on, is just an authentic ‘Sims’ experience, and really have the most expansive ‘Sims’ offering we’ve ever had to bring that delight and share the experience of playing ‘The Sims’ with so many people or their friends or families who may not have actually played ‘The Sims,’ but you can help tell that story through watching a [movie] about ‘The Sims’ universe.
Guess you could say we’ll be livin’ large when The Sims movie comes out at some point in the future. Adding to her initial comment about those “classic experiences,” Gorman added that fans can expect some Easter eggs along the way, including those iconic Freezer Bunnies that have been showing up since The Sims 2:
There will be Freezer Bunnies. I’m sure a pool without a ladder is somewhere in there, but we haven’t finalized any of those details. But that’s the idea, is to say that it lives within this space. It’s a nod to all of the amazing play and creation and fun that people have had over the last 25 years within ‘The Sims.'
Basically, we can expect countless fan reactions to the references and Easter eggs spotted as soon as this movie (or at least the trailer) drops.
The Sims Movie Could Be In Simlish, But It’s Not Guaranteed
As great as it would be for The Sims to be 100% authentic and have all the characters speaking Simlish, moviegoers with no experience of the in-game language might have a hard time understanding what’s going on. But using the language in some capacity is always a possibility based on those comments by EA Vice President Kate Gorman in her September 2024 interview with Variety, in which she said about the idea to include the gibberish language:
It’s fun. It’s a great idea, and it’s something we’ll definitely talk about.
However, this doesn’t mean that we’re going to be hearing characters running around on screen yelling “Wabadebadoo” after accidentally catching themselves on fire. We’ll just have to see what happens as we get closer to the film’s eventual release.
Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Production Company Is Spearheading The Project
Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment production company is spearheading the upcoming video game movie. In March 2024, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Robbie’s company, which was behind the 2023 box office and pop culture phenomenon that was Barbie, will be working alongside Roy Lee and Mira Yoon of Vertigo Entertainment to develop and produce The Sims.
Vertigo is no stranger to video game movies, as the company’s recent releases include A Minecraft Movie and Until Dawn on top of other non-game movies like The Lego Movie, It, The Departed, and dozens of others over the years.
Kate Herron, Who Helmed Loki Season 1, Is Set To Direct The Sims Movie
In addition to having Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment involved with The Sims, the movie will also feature the creative talents of filmmaker Kate Herron, who, according to Variety, will be writing and directing the video game movie. If Herron’s name sounds familiar, it could have something to do with the fact that she helmed the first season of Loki on Disney+ back in 2021.
Most recently, Herron directed The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4, “Day One,” which gave audiences some of the best moments from the show so far, including that epic Seattle tunnel sequence taken from the popular 2020 game on which it was based.
Kate Herron’s The Sims Movie Is Being Inspired By Her Work On The Last Of Us Season 2
It sounds like Kate Herron learned quite a lot from The Last of Us co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, at least when it comes to adapting a video game for the screen. When asked by Variety how the experience inspired her while prepping The Sims, Herron revealed she picked up a beneficial process from the two:
It’s tricky to know what I can say, but I’m very indebted to Craig and Neil for giving me an opportunity to direct on it. Getting to do that was like a bucket list kind of moment. I just hope I get better at my job. OK, actually, I’ve got a much better answer for you. I’ll answer it again. Craig writes the thoughts of the characters in the script. I love it, and I have 100% stolen that, and I’m now doing it in all the scripts I write. It’s such a good idea.
With the characters in The Sims not speaking English, at least in the games, this idea of writing the thoughts for the characters in the script and later using those notes to direct the actors could be hugely impactful.
The Sims Movie Was Still Being Written As Of May 2025
It doesn’t sound like Kate Herron is wasting any time with The Sims, as she told Variety in May 2025 (the same time she talked about The Last of Us) that she was still working on the script:
I’m just writing away, but we’re all feeling very good about it.
No details were shared about plot specifics, or really even how Herron and co-writer Briony Redman, with whom she collaborated for an episode of Doctor Who in 2024, are tackling the project. However, the fact that she’s feeling “very good about it,” has us all the more excited to see how Herron’s vision unfolds.
When Can We Expect The Sims’ Trailer?
As much as we would love to see a trailer for The Sims, the truth is Amazon MGM and Electronic Arts have not released anything teasing the new movie. There are surely a plethora of fake trailers all over the internet right about now, but don’t expect an authentic hype video for many more months.
Plus, you don’t want to have another situation like the one ComingSoon reported on in April 2025, involving fans being convinced that a seemingly AI-generated poster floating around on Facebook meant that Dave Bautista and Reese Witherspoon were starring in The Sims. Well, unless it’s revealed that this is the direction of the movie all along.
This Isn’t The First Attempt At Making A Movie Based On The Sims
Back in 2007, when the franchise was just a few years old, there were plans to turn it into a feature film. In May 2024, The Guardian sat down with screenwriter Brian Lynch about the project and why it never materialized. During the chat, Lynch, who would go on to write films like Puss in Boots, Minions, and The Secret Life of Pets, came up with a “wish-fulfillment” story in which a shy teenager realized his actions in The Sims came to life in his town. What would have started with a plan to create everything the boy ever wanted would then turn into an out-of-control situation.
Though Electronic Arts and 20th Century Fox, which was going to make the film, loved the idea and gave it the green light, the project eventually fell by the wayside for a number of reasons. Lynch told The Guardian that casting a group of unknowns for the lead roles and financial factors contributed to the issues, which led to the project languishing in developmental hell for years.
Expect to hear a lot more about The Sims movie in the coming months. But in the meantime, take a look at a trip down memory lane and look back on 32 TV and movie adaptations of great video games that came before.
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