Dozens of Sims 4 creators leave the Creator Network to protest EA sale, calling it a "nightmare for our community"

EA's been on a rollercoaster for a while now, with serious highs and rough lows. On the one hand, you've got Dragon Age: The Veilguard and EA FC's struggles, plus the middling responses to recent Sims 4 packs. On the other, there's Battlefield 6 and Split Fiction's incredible success and critical acclaim. Then came the company buyout. With new stakeholders including the Saudi Arabian investment fund PIF and Affinity Partners (owned by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner), the sale has been mired in controversy, exacerbated by the recent EA X Stability AI partnership.

Some worry about what this means for diversity in EA games going forward, given Saudi Arabia's criminalisation of same-sex relations. This has been a major recent discussion in The Sims 4's community, which is no surprise given the game consistently markets itself as allowing you to "express your authentic self."

Several well-known Sims creators have stepped away from the life game's EA Creator Network, urging players not to use their codes while citing the EA sale as the primary reason for their departure. As spotted by Sims Community, two of the most popular creators, Kayla 'LilSimsie' Sims (2.19 million subscribers) and James Turner (1.58 million), have both stepped away from the program, with the former calling the buyout a "nightmare for our community."

This prompted a response from EA, who released a statement on Friday October 24 that thanked players for sticking with the game, noting that it "deeply respects that everyone experiences The Sims in their own way and will make choices that are right for them." More creators have since left the Creator Network, with Sasha 'Vixella' Staggs (1.7 million) noting that she "just can't see [her]self associating with the Creator Network seeing the direction that EA is taking at this current time."

While most of these creators might still post Sims content, they won't receive any new packs for free or early access via the Creator Network program.

PCGamesN has reached out to EA for further comment, and we will update this article if we receive a response.

EA went private in September, with the deal costing $55 billion / £40 billion, making it one of the biggest buyouts in gaming history. Last year, Amnesty International reported that Saudi Arabia has a poor human rights record, with women's rights, unfair trials, and freedom of expression among the biggest issues.