Overnight, Electronic Arts hosted a livestream where they went into detail on The Sims, specifically updates to the current games and a look at where the series was going from here. Here is everything that was revealed during the event.

The first bit of news is one we already knew about, but it is that The Sims 4, the base game is now free to play on all platforms, meaning you can download it and enjoy the full experience. All content packs and expansions are not included, so you will have to buy those on their own, but you will not have to buy the base game anymore.

The Sims 4 will also open up modding to more players, with a partnership announced with CurseForge, letting players head there to view and download mods for the game.

All existing mods will continue to work and those creators to who make mods will not need to upload theirs to CurseForge, its just another place to locate mods.

This collaboration is intentionally providing a supplementary experience to existing avenues for modding as well as providing a moderated platform with an additional level of security. When downloading custom content there is some risk, so always back up your data, and proceed with caution as you venture into the world of mods.

There is no launch date for the service, but I would imagine early next year is likely.

For those who play either The Sims FreePlay or The Sims Mobile, there is more to enjoy as both games have been given updates. FreePlay users can now make use of improved looks for preteen, teenager, adult and elderly Sims, giving them a more accurate look. In addition hairstyles, glasses and earrings can now be applied to all Sims, regardless of the gender of the Sim.

For The Sims Mobile, the other mobile game, new home options are coming, including the ability to add balconies to your property, though that is coming later in the year.

Finally there is some news on the next entry in the series, which is currently called Project Rene. Details are scarce but we know that the team are looking to make the game more natural and work across a bunch of devices, so no Sims for PC, Sims for console or Sims for mobile, it will be one Sims to rule them all.

You can learn more about the entire width of announcements via the full stream below, it does go for around 30 minutes though, so settle in.