We already saw curved walls added around the time of High School Years; a feature that was marketed by Paralives even in its earliest development shots. Thus, I do agree fully that the upcoming competitors (except for maybe Vivaland, as it is basically the lovechild of The Sims and Second Life, in that it is online multiplayer) will influence the development and probably pack releases of TS5/Project Rene. So yes, these potential competitors are already influencing the Sims; and TS5 is still in development.
Honestly, I plan to buy most of them once out, but time will tell which one I dump the most money into. I know that in the past 5 years, I've likely spent close to $300-400 on TS4. I've already played the Tiny Life demo (so far, the only new/upcoming "Sims" type game that has a playable form), and am eagerly awaiting Paralives and Life by You.
