EA Slams Sims 4 Leaks as "Misinformation" Before January 2026 Reveal

EA just threw cold water on the latest batch of Sims 4 leaks.

Hours after a supposed insider posted details about what they claim is the game's final expansion pack, an official community team member popped up on Reddit to call out the "misinformation" swirling around. They promised real news in early January 2026.

The timing? Suspicious. The vagueness? Classic corporate.

On December 23rd, X user @phii_oda shared what they described as exclusive intel about expansion pack 21. According to the leak, this supposedly last major content drop would centre on royalty gameplay with three distinct kingdom types. Only one draws from African inspiration. The leaker also mentioned a scrapped free African world that got canned during development.

Within hours, Sims Community covered the leak. Someone posted their article to the Sims 4 subreddit. Three hours later, u/Mindy_SimsCommunity appeared in the comments.

"Hey Simmers. We know there's a lot of misinformation going around. We'll be back in early January with what to know via our official Sims channels. We hope you all enjoy the holidays!"

Short. Sweet. Told you nothing.

Here's what they didn't clarify: which parts count as misinformation. The royalty theme? The "final expansion" claim? Something else entirely? Players get to spend the holidays guessing.

This response could reference multiple rumours floating around. Back in November, an ATRL user named gloamingtheplain claimed that Project Rene's single-player component (internally called Project X) launches as a separate product at the end of 2026. Same leak suggested this mysterious Project X might get marketed as The Sims 5, despite being "less complex" than what fans expect from a proper sequel.

November also brought whispers about a Sims 4 remaster. Content creator SimMattically shut that down on November 19th, stating flat-out "there's no Sims 4 remaster."

The franchise sits at a weird crossroads. The Sims 4 launched in 2014 and now carries 20 expansion packs worth of baggage. After 11 years, the game's infrastructure creaks under the weight. Each patch risks breaking something. Each expansion strains the ageing codebase further.

Players who follow the leaks know Project Rene exists. EA revealed it back in October 2022 as a "next generation Sims game and creative platform" during their Behind the Sims Summit. Recent playtest leaks haven't inspired confidence though. Screenshots show a fashion-focused multiplayer experience that some players compare to Roblox's Dress to Impress rather than traditional Sims gameplay.

That's where Project X supposedly comes in. Multiple sources claim this separate single-player experience would modernise the core simulation without the multiplayer focus of Project Rene. Think Sims 4 rebuilt from scratch with better performance, open neighbourhoods, and fewer loading screens.

Nobody's confirmed any of this officially.

The phii_oda leaker has a track record worth mentioning. They correctly called details about The Sims 4: Adventure Awaits before its official announcement. That expansion dropped in October 2025, matching earlier roadmap leaks. So when they post about expansion 21 being the last major content drop, people pay attention.

But here's where things get messy: other community members claiming inside knowledge contradict parts of the leak. Some say the royalty theme checks out. Others dispute the free African world claim entirely. One anonymous source told Sims Community that EA wasn't thrilled when Project X details leaked prematurely.

The community's split on what happens next. Some players want EA to keep supporting Sims 4 indefinitely. Others argue the game's technical debt makes that impossible. A third camp just wants clarity about which Sims game they're supposed to invest in going forward.

EA's last Behind the Sims video dropped in January 2025. That showcase teased upcoming Sims 4 releases and announced the arrival of Sims 1 and Sims 2 Legacy collections. Since then? Radio silence on the bigger picture. No Project Rene updates through official channels. No roadmap beyond the leaked ones that keep surfacing.

The pattern suggests EA's planning a proper announcement stream in January. They've used Behind the Sims episodes to drop major franchise news before. The timing makes sense if they want to address all these competing rumours at once.

What players need to understand: EA's "misinformation" label doesn't automatically mean everything's false. Corporate speak operates in shades of grey. They might confirm parts of the royalty leak while shooting down the "final expansion" angle. They might acknowledge Project X exists whilst dodging release windows.

The fanbase deserves better than vague Reddit comments and leaked playtests. After 11 years and hundreds of pounds in DLC, players have earned transparency about where this franchise is headed.

January can't come fast enough.

Until EA makes their official announcement, treat every leak as speculation. Even the ones from sources with solid track records. The Sims franchise is clearly going through major changes behind the scenes. Whether those changes serve longtime players or chase new audiences remains to be seen.

Early January means we're talking weeks, not months. EA knows the rumour mill is spinning out of control. They know the community's anxious. They wouldn't promise news this soon unless they're ready to share something substantial.

Place your bets on what gets confirmed. Royalty expansion? Project X reveal? Sims 4 sunset timeline? All of the above?

We'll find out when EA's ready to talk.