The Sims studio says its ‘values are unchanged’, including inclusivity, as EA’s Saudi takeover progresses

The studio behind The Sims series has assured players its values will not be affected by EA’s upcoming change in ownership.

In late December, Electronic Arts’ proposed sale to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was approved by the company’s shareholders, meaning all that’s left is approval from government regulators before the deal can be finalised.

Ever since the acquisition was first announced, some fans of The Sims series have expressed concern that the future of the series – known for its inclusivity and character diversity – may be compromised when its parent company is acquired by a country where homosexuality is illegal and women’s rights continue to trail far behind those of men despite recent legal reforms.

In a statement on EA’s official website for The Sims – which does not directly address EA’s acquisition but appears to have been written in response to concern over it – developer Maxis assured players that it remains “committed to our values”, and will continue to do so in the future.

“From day one, our values have been the foundation behind every choice we’ve made,” the studio wrote. “They have guided every risk we have taken, every feature we’ve created, and every truly wild story our players have brought to life. They reflect our vision for this franchise and the passion of the teams around the world that have built, and are still building, The Sims.”

It went on to stress that the following five core values will continue to form The Sims going forward:

• Creativity – “We build tools that awaken the artist, architect, and storyteller in everyone.”
• Play – “We protect experimentation without consequence, because some of the best stories come from turning mistakes into moments of magical delight.”
• Choice – “We empower players to steer lives and worlds in any direction they imagine.”
• Inclusivity – “The Sims is for everyone.”
• Community – “We support the players who shape our worlds through their stories and creations, building a shared culture.”

With regards to inclusivity, Maxis wrote: “We reflect the wide, colorful spectrum of identity and self-expression so every player feels seen and celebrated.

“We build features that let all players create the Sims they feel connected to, and explore their identities, without judgement. This work never ends – we continue learning, growing, and finding new ways to make every player feel seen.”

In a separate update, Maxis stated that its in-development Project Rene has “evolved into a social, collaborative, mobile-first life-sim game”, but stressed that it is “not the successor to The Sims 4 and is a separate experience from any future deep, single player life simulation experience”.

The studio assured players that despite its work on the mobile game, “single-player PC and console experiences will always be a part of our future”, with more than half of its development teams around the world working on The Sims 4 and “the next evolution”.