EA has launched another of its Behind the Sims showcases at the internet, this one bringing confirmation that The Sims 5 - or codename Project Rene as it's officially known at present - will indeed be a free-to-play game, as previously leaked, and will coexist alongside The Sims 4. Oh, and there was also some news on The Sims 4's first Stuff Pack in over two-and-a-half years.
First, though, Project Rene and the news it'll definitely be free-to-play - or as EA is more insistently phrasing it, "free-to-download". Either way, the important thing here is that no core game purchase will be required, and EA is also keen to add there'll be no subscription and no "energy mechanics" - so that's at least one predatory mobile monetisation tactic off the table.
As to what a new mainline Sims game designed from the ground-up to be free-to-play might look like, a Project Rene job listing hastily removed from EA's website earlier this year pointed to an in-game marketplace featuring official and user-generated content (both free and paid) - something else EA has now more or less confirmed.