We are almost at 100 signatures and I want to thank every single person who has signed and shared. This milestone proves that the Sims community is paying attention and refuses to stay silent.
To understand why this fight matters today, we need to look back at where The Sims came from and what was lost when EA took control.
The Sims was created at Maxis, the studio founded in 1987 by Will Wright and Jeff Braun. Maxis was known for bold and experimental projects such as SimCity, SimAnt and SimEarth. These games were digital sandboxes full of humor, creativity and freedom. That same DNA gave birth to The Sims in 2000.
In 1997 EA acquired Maxis in a 125 million dollar deal. Almost half the staff were laid off and the culture immediately changed. Jeff Braun, co-founder of Maxis, later said: “EA is a money machine. Their job isn’t to be innovative. Their job is to be predictable. They don’t like risk.”
Former Maxis developer Kip Katsarelis described the shift: “It wasn’t the same culture anymore. It wasn’t about trying crazy things, it was about hitting deadlines.”
The final blow came in 2015 when EA shut down Maxis Emeryville, the last true home of the Maxis culture. A developer told Kotaku at the time: “Maxis was never about making blockbusters. We were about experimenting. That’s gone now.”
From my own experience as a long-time Sims player, The Sims under Maxis felt more stable, more creative and more loved. Under EA it has become unstable, bug-ridden and focused more on monetization than on players.
Now EA has been sold in a 55 billion dollar deal tied to debt, artificial intelligence cost cutting and political influence. If EA already weakened The Sims after absorbing Maxis, what will happen when new owners with no connection to creativity or inclusivity take control?
This petition is about more than resisting censorship. It is about demanding that the values Maxis gave us remain protected. Freedom, diversity, creativity and community must not be erased.
We are close to 100 signatures. Let’s reach it together and show the world that The Sims community remembers its roots and will not let them be destroyed.