EA Cancels The Sims Town Stories: What We Know About the Mobile Spin-Off
In the world of The Sims, a rare event has occurred: a project has been officially canceled before its release. We're talking about the mobile game The Sims Town Stories, which had been in development at Maxis for several years. The news came to light thanks to a post from a former EA employee, and now we have the opportunity to piece together the full picture of what was supposed to become a new chapter in the franchise's history.
What Happened to the Project?
On March 13, 2026, narrative designer Franci Dimitrovska published a post on LinkedIn announcing she was looking for new work. In it, she mentioned that her project at The Sims had been canceled and that she had left EA after six years with the company. It was later confirmed that she was referring specifically to The Sims Town Stories.
"Dag dag" is Simlish for goodbye! Our project at The Sims has been cancelled and I am looking for new work in game design, narrative design, or puzzle design.
It was a phenomenal experience and a wonderful 6 years at EA. The folks I've worked with are immensely talented and I'm a lucky, lucky girl to have been parts of these teams. I will miss my EA gang tremendously.
Please reach out if you've got any design leads based in Canada or the US. Vadish!"
The designer confirmed in her portfolio that she had been working on this project for more than two and a half years.
What is The Sims Town Stories?
The project was first announced as "Project Stories" during Investor Day in September 2024. It was Maxis' attempt to create something between a life simulator and casual puzzle games in the style of Gardenscapes.
Source: simscommunity
Key Features of the Game:
Setting. The action took place in the town of Plumbrook, where the main character moves after growing tired of the "big city."
Gameplay. Players were tasked with completing match-3 style mini-games to earn resources, build houses, and progress through the story.
Source: simscommunity
Familiar Faces. The developers were banking on nostalgia: among the residents of Plumbrook were Bella Goth (from the very first Sims game), Bob Pancakes (Sims 4), Nancy Landgraab (Sims 3), as well as characters from MySims.
Open World. This is one of the most surprising facts: Town Stories was set to become the first game in the franchise with an open world since The Sims 3.
Source: simscommunity
Visual Style. The graphics were done in a deliberately cartoonish style, similar to MySims, which drew mixed reactions: some found it charming, while others compared it to "Cocomelon" and cheap mobile games.
Source: simscommunity
Public Tests and Leaks
The project surfaced publicly several times. In 2024, concept art and gameplay videos were leaked, and the community received them coolly — many were put off by the animation quality and the "plastic" style.
Despite this, development continued. In November 2025, the game underwent limited public tests in the Philippines, Australia, and South Africa. Residents of these countries were able to download a test build and try out the mechanics.
Source: simscommunity
Why Was the Game Canceled?
EA hasn't given an official reason, but we can piece together a puzzle from several factors:
Player Choice. In January 2026, an internal EA survey leaked online, where participants were asked to choose between two mobile games: Town Stories and another, unannounced project. The descriptions were as follows:
- Town Stories: a narrative-driven town-builder focusing on residents' stories.
- The second project: a classic "sandbox" where the player starts with one household and expands into a thriving town.
Judging by the fact that Town Stories was canceled, the choice was not made in its favor.
Shift in Focus to Project Rene. In January 2026, EA unveiled an updated roadmap in which Project Rene (previously considered "The Sims 5") was repurposed for a mobile audience and co-op play. It's quite logical that the company decided not to spread its resources thin across two mobile projects and kept the one with more potential.
Closure of The Sims Mobile. In that same January 2026, EA announced the shutdown of The Sims Mobile (the seven-year-old game went offline on January 20). This was a clear signal that something new was being prepared in the mobile segment. Unfortunately, Town Stories did not become that "something new."
Thanks to the agency Waste Creative, which worked on the game's visual style, concept art and character images have been preserved online. You can see what Bella and Bob looked like, the interiors of the Goth house, and even artwork featuring the Cowplant, which was apparently part of one of the mini-games.
Community Reaction
The project's cancellation didn't spark widespread outrage — largely because many players weren't even aware of its existence. Comments under the news range from "Oh no, anyway..." to "It's heartbreaking" from those who understand what it's like to work on a game for years and watch it get shut down.
What's Next? For now, EA and Maxis remain silent. All the information we have comes from former employees and leaked surveys. All we can do is wonder whether we'll ever see another attempt to create a "The Sims with an open world" or if all efforts are now focused on Project Rene and Project X.
