The Sims 5 job listing seems to imply it will be free-to-play with user generated content
The game is a ways out though, so take it with a grain of salt.
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It's looking like The Sims 5, otherwise known as Project Rene, will be free-to-play at launch, based on a recent job listing.
As reported by fansite Sims Community, a job posting for a head of monetisation and marketplace from EA shared on the Maxis Careers page has shared some details on the monetisation option that will possibly be available in The Sims 5. The job posting is still listed on the careers page, though it can't be viewed at the time of writing. It lists the typical kinds of responsibilities you'd expect for such a job role, but most notably it details how The Sims 5's in-game marketplace might work.
"Own Project Rene’s in-game marketplace of content and UGC (free and paid), and manage a data-informed player-centric player purchase journey," reads one of the responsibilities. "Maximising value to players, optimising player spend patterns, and minimising player churn." Things could easily change by the time of launch, but the wording does potentially imply that UGC, or user generated content, can be paid, which might mean that there are plans for players to be able to earn money from the game.
The candidate will also be responsible for "pricing of all content in this free-to-enter game, ensuring we have an optimal pricing and content architecture," and will need to, "provide guidance to content teams on in-game content needs to meet player demand." Free-to-enter is odd phrasing, but from the language used in general it does seem to imply that it will be free-to-play.
Making the next Sims game free-to-play wouldn't be surprising, considering the base game of The Sims 4 was made free-to-play last year. It would also be in line with the general trend towards live service that many developers are leaning towards, which The Sims sort of already is anyway. The job listing doesn't explain exactly how frequent content will be added or how much it will cost, so we'll have to wait and see to hear more.