Sadly, I don't think EA would ever go the SimCity2000 / SimCity 3 route. As much as I would line up on launch day for a deep city builder, success would come from a more accessible Sims-like game, not an old style economy management sim. There's just a much larger audience and a company like EA makes plans based on potential sales (and this makes Nessie sad).
But I really, really, really hope I'm wrong!
But I really, really, really hope I'm wrong!