The news sent shockwaves throughout The Sims\u2019 community. Players expressed concern that the company\u2019s new owners would use their position to influence future content. The Sims and its community has long been celebrated for its inclusivity. It is a queer game played and loved by queer people<\/a>. That it could soon be owned in part by an ultra-conservative, anti-LGBTQ government<\/a> prompted the game\u2019s most popular creators to act.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder this new ownership I feel I cannot maintain a direct association to the company.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the biggest to respond was Kayla \u201cLilSimsie\u201d Sims who announced that she would be leaving the EA Creator program<\/a> to her 2 million subscribers on YouTube. Members of the network get special perks like early and free access to content packs to show them off to their followers, along with affiliate codes that can potentially net them a cut of sales. In January, she even collaborated with EA<\/a> to release her own content pack, allowing players to buy items she created to use in their own game. But now, she said she will be slowly shifting her content to other games. \u201cUnder this new ownership I feel I cannot maintain a direct association to the company,\u201d she said in her announcement.<\/p>\n She wasn\u2019t alone. Seemingly all at once, the life simulation game\u2019s biggest content creators \u2014 including James Turner and Jesse \u201cPlumbella\u201d McNamara \u2014 all announced that they would be leaving EA\u2019s creator program<\/a> and distancing themselves from the game that made them famous.<\/p>\n Creators and fans are worried that queer inclusivity, like this update that lets you choose a sim\u2019s sexual orientation, will go away. Image: EA \/ Maxis<\/p>\n A creator\u2019s choice to abandon a beloved game is never simple, especially when money and their career\u2019s future viability are at stake. But the game\u2019s biggest creators have acknowledged that their choice to step away is easier for them than most. \u201cI think taking this stand is the right choice for me,\u201d McNamara wrote in her statement. \u201cI\u2019m in a privileged position to be able to say I\u2019m leaving so easily.\u201d<\/p>\n For others, it\u2019s much harder, as making the choice to step away means potentially damaging a content creation career that\u2019s just getting started. \u201c[The Sims] has taken me places I didn\u2019t think it would,\u201d said one creator who requested anonymity as their current affiliation with the EA Creator program doesn\u2019t permit them to speak negatively about the company. \u201cI have quite a diverse community, lots of BIPOC people, LGBTQ people in my community,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n It was concern for those members that ultimately led them to make the decision to leave the network and slowly transition away from The Sims. \u201c[The Sims] is a game where a lot of marginalized people have the freedom of representation,\u201d they said. They spoke of how the conservative, anti-LGBTQ values and policies of EA\u2019s buyers were at odds with the spirit of the game. \u201cI just haven\u2019t felt comfortable outwardly promoting content from a game that is potentially going to be owned by those entities.\u201d While the creator doesn\u2019t fully support themselves with their streaming career, they acknowledged that the choice to step away could damage their upward trajectory. \u201cMost of my viewership comes to my platform to watch me play The Sims,\u201d they said. \u201cI imagine that I may lose some of that viewership.\u201d<\/p>\n Image: EA<\/p>\n On Twitch and elsewhere, viewership is the key to growth and success. Creators with larger audiences are better insulated from viewer attrition. But for mid-tier creators, any disruption, whether it be a change in streaming schedule or content, can massively impact how many people show up to watch. It\u2019s for that reason, a lot of Sims creators \u2014 even those who have issues with the buyout \u2014 are coming up with creative ways to express their discontent without potentially imperiling their channel.<\/p>\n Some creators aren\u2019t leaving the program, but have decided to abstain from its benefits. \u201cThey\u2019re not promoting any content from EA for the foreseeable future. They won\u2019t be reviewing any packs or having any early access. They won\u2019t be hosting giveaways,\u201d said the Twitch streamer leaving the program.<\/p>\n Renee is a Sims content creator who\u2019s been playing the game for over 20 years and has been a part-time creator on TikTok and YouTube for the last five. \u201cThe Sims has just always kind of been my happy place,\u201d she said. When news of the buyout hit, she said she was concerned, and was pleased to see the bigger creators make their decision to leave. \u201cThese are the biggest names in The Sims community, and these are the people that have the biggest leverage when it comes to the actual game,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n But she\u2019s not personally ready to take that kind of stand, choosing to stay with the creator program and adopt a wait and see approach. \u201cMy thought process was, \u2018This deal has not gone through yet,\u2019\u201d Renee said. She\u2019s holding out hope that external pressure from the Sims community and two US Senators who have requested an investigation into the deal<\/a>, might get it to fall through. \u201cIf I do leave the EA creator network, and this does not go through […] I am not at the point in my Sims career to be able to regain access to something like this,\u201d Renee said. \u201cI know that there are a lot of people that are going to disagree with that, and that\u2019s fine. I completely understand that point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n But if the deal does go through, she says she\u2019s out.<\/p>\n In 2022, The Sims 4 released a wedding pack that feature queer couples.<\/p>\n Streamers choosing to leave or stay with the EA Creator program has fractured the Sims community. After the exodus of high-profile creators, EA has since put out two statements in an attempt to calm fears and speculation. \u201cOur mission, values, and commitment remain the same,\u201d EA said in a post on X<\/a> made immediately after the exodus. \u201cThe Sims will always be a space where you can express your authentic self.\u201d It also updated an employee FAQ<\/a> where it said, \u201cEA will maintain creative control and our track record of creative freedom and player-first values will remain intact.\u201d<\/p>\n These reassurances are of little comfort to some, and all the creators I spoke to expressed a deep pain for what\u2019s happening and fear for the future of the game they love. The streamer in the process of leaving the EA creator network knows that once the separation is complete, they\u2019ll likely never be let back in. They\u2019ve made their peace with that.<\/p>\n \u201cI always want to do my best to uphold my integrity and my morals, and I feel that this buyout and what could potentially come for not just the game, but for the company as a whole goes against that,\u201d they said. \u201cAnd that outweighs any opportunities that I could potentially miss out on.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Ash ParrishClose Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All by Ash Parrish<\/a><\/p>\n GamingCloseGaming<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Gaming<\/a><\/p>\n PC GamingClosePC Gaming<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/pasted_image_0.png\"\/)
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