The EA Creator Network Is Losing Some Of Its Largest Sims Creators As They Speak Out On EA’s Controversial Buyout
In the wake of the recent acquisition of EA by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and private equity firms, a number of Sims Creators are choosing to leave the EA Creator Network. Their decision stems from growing discomfort with the new ownership’s ethical values and potential impact on the future of The Sims Franchise. For many of us, The Sims has been a tool of creative expression, trailblazing inclusion and diversity in gaming. Now, with concerns about representation and transparency on the rise, some creators are opting to step away from official partnerships to preserve the integrity of their work and online community.
Table of Contents
Who Is Behind EA’s Buyout?
Electronic Arts was recently acquired by a group led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), alongside Silver Lake, a global technology investment firm, and Affinity Partners, led by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Trump. The deal is valued at $55 billion, marking one of the largest acquisitions in gaming history. While the full effects of the buyout are yet to be seen, many Sims creators are already voicing concerns about the values and priorities of the new ownership.
The Saudi PIF has previously invested in other gaming industry giants, but its ties to conservative and anti-LBGTQ+ policies have sparked concern within the community. For Sims creators, whose work often celebrates diversity and self expression, this shift can feel personal.
The PIF is Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, meaning it is an investment fund that manages money on behalf of Saudi Arabia’s government, which in this instance is the unelected Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia is known for its anti LGBTQ+ stance, as well as other problems that raise ethical concerns, such as the continued war against Yemen and the bombing of civilian populations, the assassination of journalists, and the genocide of native tribes. You can learn more in our reporting from the time of the buyout.
The Sims Creators Who Have Left The EA Creator Network
The wave of departures began two weeks ago when Sims Creator Devon Bumpkin announced his exit from the EA Creator Network. In a public statement on his YouTube channel, he shared his discomfort with EA’s acquisition and expressed his concerns about the values behind the company’s new ownership. You can read the statement in full below:
Hello darlings, I wanted to give you a quick update following the recent news about EA’s sale. After taking some time to think things through, I’ve decided to step away from using my EA Creator Code. I’d kindly ask that you no longer use it when purchasing packs or games moving forward.
This isn’t a decision I’ve made lightly. As most of you know, I’ve built my career and community around The Sims, a game I truly love and that has brought so many of us together. But with the new ownership and everything that comes with it, I don’t feel comfortable continuing to financially promote the company through my code.
This all comes from a place of honesty and alignment with my values. I’ve also decided on stepping away from being an EA Creator completely. I’ll still be creating, storytelling, and sharing the worlds we’ve built together, but with my eyes wide open on all the changes. I just need to do so in a way that feels right for me and for what I stand for. Thank you all so much for understanding, for the love you show me, and for being such an incredible community.
Aden 💚
Devon Bumpkin | Youtube
Devon Bumpkin (Aden) went on to clarify that, for the time being, he will continue to post Sims content until the buyout officially goes through, and will then pivot to other games such as the upcoming Paralives, as well as other design and management games such as Planet Coaster and Planet Zoo.
Earlier today, popular Australian Sims Creator James Turner (formerly The Sims Supply) announced his intention to leave the EA Creator Network and expand the library of games he covers on his channel. This exit was followed by a statement from Plumbella, a popular British-based Sims creator known for video essays and lore deep dives. She clarified that she will no longer purchase future releases or cover them on her channel.
A close friend of Plumbella, Steph0Sims, also released a statement regarding her position in the EA Creator Network. She expressed how much The Sims franchise means to her, and how it is a place of comfort, and has been for many years.
What is perhaps the biggest announcement comes from LilSimsie, who has amassed an audience of 2.19 million subscribers. As with other creators, LilSimsie has announced her intention to leave the EA Creator Network, while stating that she believes that EA benefit more from her early access content than she does. The statement in full below:
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.
Lil Simsie | Youtube
What This Means For The Community
The departure of high profile creators from the EA Creator Network is already reshaping how content is shared and received within The Sims Community. These creators have been central to the games’ coverage and advocacy for inclusive gameplay. Without their voices in EA’s network, fans may begin to see fewer early access previews and sponsored content – but potentially more honest, independent perspectives.
In an internal statement to those in the EA Creator Network, Maxis clarified that The Sims will remain a safe and diverse space for all and has no intentions of changing that. You can read the full statement here!
For many players, this shift is a reminder that The Sims has always thrived on community driven creativity. Whether through let’s plays, customer content, reviews, or storytelling, the heart of the franchise lives in the creative outputs of its players. As creators move away from corporate partnerships, they are reclaiming that space and inviting fans to join them in something more authentic.
Might I suggest you don’t f*** with my sis!
What are your hopes for the future of fan-driven content? Let us know below, and stay tuned to Sims Community for all the latest on The Sims franchise!
I love seeing this happen. It’s honestly what EA deserves after years and years of broken content, this, …
Oh, we’re on the same boat! Finally some (even if minor) retaliation against a greedy and awful company
I think leaving the creator network is a positive thing and that doing something is always better than doing nothing at all, but I don’t think EA’s shareholders care about people who play The Sims. The only way I can really see change happening is if players turn against EA’s real darling, Madden, and quite frankly, I don’t have faith in football fans.
Sadly,the boycott is not going to work.You need other ea gamers to join in.The sims is not their biggest cash cow.
I think this is great, these large creators leaving is a way of putting pressure on EA and making a statement. I hope more will follow, although I understand it can be a hard decision like lilsimsie said, plus we still don’t have that much information like if the sale is finalized or not. From my understanding it isn’t finalized, but I might be wrong.
I think the point lilsimsie made about the early access benefitting EA more than her is a good point too, EA seems to be using people in the creator code as practically free play testers (I beleive they aren’t paid for early access, they just get a free copy of the game, right?), when they could take more time developing and play testing each pack making sure there are less bugs and put out less packs a year. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot this past year, and like I understand that they can’t find every possible bug, but the quality of the packs has really been nosediving and the amount of bugs unacceptable. I guess that is late stage capitalism for you, though. I can only see the quality getting worse with the possible sale.
Good for them. I must admit, I lost respect for a lot these creator a while back, for several different reasons, that I will not specify here, but this move, has them gaining some of that respect from me back. I’m still not going to subscribe or follow them, but they have my respect again now.
This can be good and bad for The Sims, in particular. And no, I’m not talking out both sides of my mouth. Good because it might cause EA to rethink some things, Sims franchise is a cash cow for them but like all cows when they are too expensive or too difficult, they get sent to a slaughterhouse.
I object to your summary of the Maxis statement in the last section of the article.
You said
“In an internal statement to those in the EA Creator Network, Maxis clarified that The Sims will remain a safe and diverse space for all and has no intentions of changing that. You can read the full statement here!”
However, that is not what they clarified. They did not mention “safe space” or “diverse” anywhere in the statement. Instead they said it “will continue to be a space where you can express your authentic self.”
This statement might feel like they said “safe” and “diverse”, but they didn’t say that. Even “authentic self”, as defined by the Saudi government, is explicitly anti-LGBTQ+. Additionally, their avoidance of using the word “diverse” in the current anti-DEI climate among the right is telling.
When summarizing marketing speak, it’s important to summarize the actual words they say, and not the want you to feel it means, because you can’t hold them accountable for your feelings, only the words they actually said. It’s a common marketing cop-out technique to avoid accountability. You are playing right into it.
i agree this verbiage still does not address the fact that there will not be diversity and does not allow room for LGBTQ players.
either way this is a cop out and nobody is falling for it. reverse the decision, EA.
The “authentic self” clearly indicates ethnic and sexual representation, stop talking nonsense
oh no; there is a correct decision here. it’s to not buy the new games and stop playing.
i have. you can do it too.
Honestly, I would like to see The Sims/Maxis find a new home at a much better company than EA. Even without the buyout, I have hated that it is EA who owns Maxis and I fully believe it is EA that the root cause of so much of the issues we players have with soo much of the game being so poorly pre-tested and how much of the long-term bugs get just swept under the carpet while they push for new expansions (full of more bugs) to roll out.
My hope is that the PIF buying Electronic Arts means that what they will do is just sell off Maxis to another parent company that will allow it to much better do what it needs to do. We’re all so worried about them keeping The Sims and destroying it, but since it ISN’T their cash cow franchise, they may just opt to remove it from the EA umbrella and put more of their focus back on the sports games EA is best known for.
That is my hope. Just about any other large game company would be a step up from Electronic Arts, even if they still aren’t the greatest. As a recent webcomic pointed out, EA’s reputation is already so low that the buyout means you’d need to pull out a shovel to lower it.
I wonder if Deli is gonna follow James in leaving the network.
It’s good to see the perverse marketing scam that all these “creators” participated all these years is coming to an end. And yes, I know, some if not all, are great people and bla, bla, bla, they never intended to feed the Maxis selling machine of broken packs, I know. Just glad it’s over.
Sul Sul
people just don’t ever learn to research. funny they still support the sims WHEN this company had shares with EA. next time, educate yourself, then. if only you knew other share holders that have investments in EA
Simscommunity continue de promouvoir les DLC et les kits EA, c’est étrange que personne ne se retourne contre eux, c’est bien beau de se plaindre de la situation de la Simscommunity, mais je vous vois promouvoir le dernier DLC et le dernier kit, une situation bizarre.
It’s extremely said to see a game I’ve been playing since 2005, the first game I got in my first computer, transition like this.
I do love that all my favorite creators are speaking up and taking a stance despite the consequences.
It’d be nice if someone else more aligned with the culture of the game could just buy The Sims. But unless that tiny possibility happens, I won’t buy anymore games.
And to the writer of this article, “Might I suggest you don’t f*** with my sis” actually made me tear up. We see each other!