Even though Electronic Arts (EA) has not yet announced the existence of "The Sims 5," fans are already gearing up for the franchise's next installment. Rumor has it that the game will be released sometime in early 2017.

Originally slated for a 2019 release, "The Sims 5" is said to have been bumped up in EA's schedule due to the amount of complaints circulating about "The Sims 4." Expansion packs for "The Sims 4" have been met with mediocre response and fans are not pleased. And according to reports, it is because of this overwhelming negative feedback that the studio has decided to drop further work on "The Sims 4" and pour its efforts on "The Sims 5" instead.

Another popular rumor that has been going around has to do with certain improvements that will come with "The Sims 5." With the sudden boom of augmented reality (AR) — thanks in large part to Niantic Labs' "Pokémon GO" — it is now believed that EA could follow suit.

An AR format for "The Sims 5" is definitely something worth thinking about since the game is mainly a simulation game designed to let players control the lives of their characters. However, since "The Sims" franchise is primarily a game that is meant to be played on a computer, it does not seem likely that it will transfer well when it is adopted into a mobile AR game.

It should be noted, however, that there is already a mobile version of the game. It does not incorporate AR, but it is quite limiting in terms of gameplay.

And then there's virtual reality (VR), a format that is increasingly becoming more popular with big companies releasing VR consoles left and right. It is possible that EA could pursue the VR route for its fifth installment, but the price tag for the game will undoubtedly shoot up dramatically. 

Since the studio has not confirmed anything as of yet, it would be best for fans to take this news with a grain of salt for now.