It's been confirmed TS4 changed direction at the end of it's development process and was meant to be something entirely different - a co-op multiplayer always online game. Therefore, IMO, 4 being the way it is... it's not because the publisher is trying to push a model that works for them. It's not because there's a misconception about the new generation of players at EA's.
They're simply trying to save face by pretending TS4's limitation are not a result of poor planning and the unexpected Sim City 2013 distater, but a CHOICE.
They're literally just pretending this was all planned and everything is going well in order to avoid getting even worse press.
There was a way to stop that at the very beginning but at some point it wasn't rly doable anymore so it looks like they just went "aight, let's just go with what we have for now and be calm and maybe with enough luck they can sell it to people as the next big thing we came up with" like it was legit better for them to say that the fanbase has simply changed than to admit they effed up years ago thinking that they can manipulate us into loving online rpgs all of a sudden and then it was too late.
I firmly believe that people haven't changed since the year 2000 and a classic sims game would still bring in a satisfactory revenue.
There was just way too much fear and pride involved.
Corporations are made of people after all.