Following Electronic Arts’ announcement that it will become a private company, several prominent The Sims 4 creators have publicly left the EA Creator Network. Their departures are being attributed to concerns about the reputations of EA’s incoming owners: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Affinity Partners (led by Jared Kushner), and private-equity firm Silver Lake.
Last week, Kayla Sims — better known online as LilSimsie — confirmed she is exiting the EA Creator Network and will broaden her coverage to other life-sim titles, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Her decision was notable because she has collaborated closely with EA in the past; in January she worked with EA on a DLC pack designed to reflect her personal style. That collaboration remains an example of her previous partnership with the company.
“This news has devastated me,” Sims wrote in a community post on her YouTube channel, where she has a large subscriber base. She added that the values represented by EA’s new buyers conflict with her own and that she’s been struggling with the decision for weeks. Read the full post.
Sims said she hopes creator and community pressure might prompt EA’s leadership to reconsider the sale’s long-term consequences for The Sims franchise. As part of her exit she is removing herself from the EA Creator Network, foregoing early access to packs and a creator code — choices she described as the strongest actions she can take in response to the purchase.
The EA Creator Network typically provides creators with early DLC access and promotional creator codes, and creators frequently stream or post early gameplay to build excitement for upcoming The Sims 4 releases.
Other creators who have announced departures include long-time Sims historian and YouTuber Jesse McNamara (Plumbella), builder DevonBumpkin, custom content curator Vixella, and challenge creator James Turner. Each shared their decision publicly via their channels. Examples of their announcements can be found at the links below:
- Plumbella — community post
- DevonBumpkin — community post
- Vixella — community post
- James Turner — community post
Shortly after these announcements, EA posted a message from The Sims team on X (formerly Twitter) reaffirming the franchise’s commitment to self-expression and inclusivity. See EA’s post on X.
Many members of the community have expressed concern about future stewardship of the franchise. Surveys and reporting have highlighted that a significant portion of The Sims player base identifies as LGBTQ+ — one EA-linked article cited that figure at around 43% — and some players worry that the game’s historically inclusive features or culture could be affected by the new ownership. Others say their objection is rooted in the track record of certain buyers and the ethical questions that raises; for context, coverage about human-rights and LGBTQ+ issues related to one of the buyers has been reported by major outlets. Read more on EA’s community and inclusivity efforts, and read reporting on historical concerns around Saudi Arabia.
Source: Polygon
