‘The Sims 5’ first gameplay leaks and fans really aren’t happy

The Sims community isn’t just divided on this The Sims 5 gameplay leak, they’re downright upset about it.

It’s rare for The Sims fandom to take such an instant dislike to new content, yet they’re reacting like a Sim who’s just witnessed someone use the toilet right in front of them.

A lot of speculation is circulating online about The Sims 5, otherwise known as ‘Project Rene’.

If you recall, a couple of months ago, it seemed like the next instalment of the franchise was dead after leaks hinted at its cancellation.

Remember when we looked forward to The Sims: My Wedding Stories? Simpler, happier times...

If the latest leaks are to be trusted, the project isn’t cancelled at all.

That said, some fans likely wish it was after seeing these screenshots.

Redditor DzXAnt22 took to the Gaming Leaks and Rumours subreddit to clear up some of the “misinformation” about The Sims 5.

In a very lengthy post – that links to several other of their Reddit posts on the same subject – DzXAnt22 shares five screenshots; these are of character models, outfits, the settings menu, gameplay, and of the loading screen.

As if sensing that their fellow fans would take issue with how the game looks, the OP said, “First of all, the graphics genuinely do look like this. It's not your device, it's not compression. It does have a weird blur over everything and looks very grainy.”

They did, however, note that optimisation is “usually the last stage of game development”.

Even if that is the case and these images are legitimate, fans aren’t picking up what EA is putting down.

“They've somehow styled the characters worse and more bland than TS4,” commented Apple_Tango339.

From there, the comments get worse.

User GorbigliontheStrong remarked, “That is without a doubt the ugliest artstyle i've ever seen in a game, what the f**k.”

“The characters are mad FUGLY, but I thought the environments were pretty cosy,” posted another fan.

At least there was something redeeming about what they saw, though not much by the sounds of it.

The Sims 5 may not be canned like some feared, but it’s also not shaping up the way fans wanted it to.