EA Confirms The Sims Values Remain Unchanged Amid Major Acquisition

EA has assured its community that "the values of The Sims are unchanged" as we approach 2026.

At the end of last year, EA shareholders approved the proposed $55 billion acquisition of the video game giant by Saudi Arabia and private equity firms, with only the US government standing in the way of what would become the largest corporate buyout in history. This acquisition, announced in September, will result in EA being 93.4 percent owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, designed to build infrastructure and attract businesses to the region.

In light of the acquisition, several prominent The Sims content creators have distanced themselves from the EA Creator Network, expressing concerns that the game's inclusive community conflicts with the conservative and anti-LGBTQIA+ positions of EA's new ownership, which includes figures such as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and Jared Kushner.

The Sims team published a blog post yesterday (9th January), reaffirming that the game's core values remain unchanged, stating: "The Sims has always been more than a game. It’s a canvas for life in all its unpredictable forms…the chaotic moments, the tiny joys, the big dreams, every identity, every version of you. Thanks to you, The Sims has grown into something bigger than we ever imagined: a living world bursting with creativity, expression, humour, chaos, and heart.

"Our Sims team's creative control, guided by our values of inclusivity, choice, creativity, community, and play, has not changed. These values inspire the decisions we make each and every day as we plan for today, tomorrow, and the future."

Addressing the franchise's future, the team revealed they are "building a family of new Sims experiences across PC, console, and mobile," with a focus on "single-player life simulation experiences" which they confirmed will always be vital to the franchise's future.

Regarding the evolving "Project Rene," they clarified that it has transformed into a "social, collaborative, mobile-first life-sim game" but is not a replacement for The Sims 4, as it remains a separate experience from future deep, single-player life simulations. Playtesting for The Sims Lab continues, with the team ensuring players that these tests are works in progress, with evolving concepts and ideas.

Additionally, EA has announced the shutdown of The Sims Mobile after seven years, with servers set to go offline on 20th January, rendering all content unplayable. Initially launched for iOS and Android in 2017, the game provided a free-to-play experience akin to that of the main series.

As of this month, EA has confirmed that no further content updates or events will occur for The Sims Mobile, as the company prepares for its new mobile game, tentatively titled The Sims Labs: Town Stories.