Some of The Sims 4’s biggest creators are leaving EA’s Creator Network, and the community is paying attention. Here’s what’s happening, and why it matters.
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The Sims is a creative escape for most of us. We enjoy building extravagant houses that we’ll never afford or own, make Sims that look nothing like us or sometimes a little too much like us, and make stories that sometimes is so good that could pass and turned into movies. But while Simmers like us, keep making our own worlds. things behind the scenes are changing. The most well-known Sims 4 content creators are walking away from EA’s Creator Network. And their reasons run a lot deeper than you might think.
The Core Reason: Concerns Over EA’s Proposed Sale
The biggest factor behind these exits is EA’s proposed acquisition deal,reportedly involving investment groups such as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners in a deal worth about $55 billion.
Many creators have voiced their discomfort with this move, particularly because of ethical and human-rights concerns linked to the PIF’s involvement. For creators who have centered their careers on diverse, inclusive, and community-focused Sims content, this ownership shift felt essentially incompatible with their personal beliefs.
Big Sims 4 Creators Cut Ties with EA Creator Network
You’ll definitely recognize a few of these names and here’s what they had to say:
LilSimsie (Kayla Sims)
Announced she is removing herself from the Network, giving up her creator code, and said she feels the values behind the new deal are “fundamentally at odds” with what she stands for.
As I’m sure many of you have seen, it was recently announced that EA is going to be sold to private investors for $55 billion. This news has devastated me. The values represented by the people acquiring EA are fundamentally at odds with what I stand for and support. I’ve been losing sleep over it for weeks, and I’ve been deeply struggling with what to do moving forward.
I have so much love for The Sims. This game has completely shaped my entire life, and I care so deeply about The Sims and the community.
I have made the decision to remove myself from the EA Creator Network. It is my hope that pressure from creators and the community might encourage EA’s leadership to reconsider the long-term impact of this sale and to preserve the values that have made The Sims so beloved. This means that I will no longer receive early access to Sims packs, and I will not have a creator code. Under this new ownership I feel I cannot maintain a direct association to the company. I also truly believe that they benefit more from my early access content than I do, and I think that stepping away is the strongest action I can take against the sale.
This situation is a nightmare for our community. Nobody supports this sale, and it is putting creators in a very difficult position. They have built their entire career and livelihood over a game that they have no control over. I ask that you please not harass other Sims creators over their decisions regarding the game and the creator network. I am very fortunate to be in a position where I can make a choice like this, but not everyone has that ability. I don’t truly don’t believe there is a “right” answer here, and everyone is still trying to figure out their next steps.
I’ve always streamed lots of other cozy games on my Twitch channel and posted them on @moresimsie, and I plan to start incorporating some other games that I think you might like here on this channel. This isn’t the kind of change that can happen overnight, and I will still be posting videos playing The Sims. I’ve always been a little bit afraid of posting other content on this channel for fear of alienating my audience, but there are a lot of “Sims adjacent” games that I really enjoy and I would love to start introducing them here.
I’m working on a new Animal Crossing series right now, and I think that if you love building in The Sims you’ll also really like decorating in Animal Crossing. I am so grateful for your support on the Animal Crossing video I made a couple weeks ago, and I hope you’ll like my new ones. I used to post a lot of House Flipper content here a few years ago, and I intend to bring that back. I am also a huge fan of city building games, and I’m really looking forward to the release of Paralives in December. I’ve been (impatiently) waiting for that one for years!
And for the record, Sims was my name first! My real name is literally Kayla Sims, and “Simsie” is a childhood nickname. It’s unfortunate that my username seems so directly tied to the game, but I don’t have any plans to change it. It’s my name!
I’m really, really distraught over this sale and I know that many of you are as well. It’s scary, and it’s breaking my heart. I really appreciate your support as I try to navigate this.
– @lilsimsie
James Turner
Also stepping away, expanding his content beyond The Sims, and leaving the official Network affiliation.
Hey everyone, This post is regarding the EA Buyout. If you’re unaware, a deal was announced that would take EA from a publicly traded company to being privately owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners and Silverlake.
I made an initial comment and response when the news was announced 3 weeks ago. This response was on my Discord server and I relayed it in various YouTube comment replies. I understand not many people would have seen this and would like clarification on the plans for the channel, content and me personally.
I wanted to ensure I took my time to understand the situation and what the future will look like for the channel.
I’ve loved The Sims ever since I started playing back in 2000. I began making videos about it in 2006 and have been doing so consistently since 2012, that’s over 13 years of creating Sims content. I love what I do and have loved what I have been doing. That’s why I found it important to take my time to figure out the next steps that are right for me and for the channel.
With the news of the buyout and understanding who will be owning EA in the future, I plan on shifting our focus to including more variety. In addition to that I have decided to leave the EA Creator Network and have asked to remove my creator code.
Change takes time, the shift in content and new approach will gradually happen. So you can expect some more variety of content, though I won’t be playing games too dissimilar from The Sims on this channel. We have Paralives coming soon which I’m excited to finally get to check out!
If you want even more from me, I’ll be playing some more games that don’t quite fit on this channel. Those videos can be found on my other channels which I’ll start posting some more content on once again: @MoreJamesTurner – this will have content more closely related to this channel such as Dreamlight Valley and I was doing a Minecraft series with DrGluon over there.
@Flabaliki – has existed as long as this channel but has been much slower in recent years. I am excited to post some more videos there on games such as Cities: Skylines, Transport Fever 3 and some more Planet Coaster 2.
Finally, I want to say thank you to my channel members, your support really helps out so much. And thank you all so much for watching and supporting me and the channel. I’m excited about what the future holds for the channel and the content, it will be a new chapter. I’ve been on this platform creating videos for nearly 2 decades and in that time we’ve seen change, we’ve adapted, and this will give us that opportunity once again.
Thank you all, James
– James Turner
Plumbellayt
A Sims creator known for deep dives & lore videos; voiced concerns over the buyout and her future content decisions.
I have asked to leave the EA Creator Network and I will not buy or make content around any future release.
I think taking this stand is the right choice for me personally, but I’m not going to judge anybody on their decision. I’m in a priviledge position to be able to say I’m leaving easily.
I hope that the sale falls through, and if it doesn’t, I hope that those that stay put pressure on EA to maintain the level of inclusiveness that The Sims has always been about.
– plumbellayt
How Is the Community Reacting?
Sims fans have always been among the most imaginative, welcoming, and close-knit gaming groups. Following these disclosures, social media was ablaze with intense responses, ranging from sincere condolences to sober debates about financial realities and creative responsibility.
Final Thoughts
As a Simmer, we’ve grown up alongside with the biggest names in our community. And by that, they became a part of us. We hung out with them every week through their streams, their video uploads, their builds, their storytelling, and their gameplay moments. So knowing and seeing those creators step away from the EA Creator Network feels a bit heavy. It really hit home. It reminds us that The Sims isn’t just a game we play for hours, building our dream homes or crafting imaginary lives. It’s a world shaped by people, values, and voices that truly matter.
How about you, how do you feel about this? Let us know below at the comment section!
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