by theygamesEA has apologised to The Sims community after acknowledging that its recent Behind The Sims Summit did not feature wide enough representation for the life game’s black creators during its creator segments. The event, hosted on October 18, featured the reveal of The Sims 5 as Project Rene, as well as detailing some of the future Sims 4 expansion packs that players can look forward to.
The Sims creator Ebonix, who is also a co-founder of Black Twitch UK, took to Twitter to express their disappointment that the creator reel showcasing some of the leading members of the Sims creative community only featured a single black creator, Stephen ‘SpringSims’ Works. Many other creators are echoing their frustrations, leading to a response from EA on the official The Sims Twitter account.
Addressing Ebonix directly, the account tweets, “You are right in your frustrations, and we let you down. We owe it to you and each of our black creators and players to make sure you are seen and celebrated for all that you bring to The Sims.” The account also posted a statement as a public quote tweet of Ebonix’s original thread, stating that “Our creator segments during the Behind The Sims Summit did not fairly represent our vast community of players.”
EA continues, saying that “Black Simmers deserve to feel seen in all that we do at The Sims, so we’re holding ourselves accountable to this mistake and will do better moving forward.” Ebonix addresses the response, saying that “Accountability is the first step, but we know accountability without action is just dreams sold. The voices I’ve heard coming from the community ring crystal clear. There needs to be genuine meaningful action. Unprovoked by these circumstances. We will see!”
Other creators echo the need for further action. Twitch ambassador Hannah ‘lomadia’ Rutherford adds, “I see black creators consistently busting their backsides for your game – and they have been for years. It’s mostly how I follow Sims news. The fact you missed this in 2022 and in the UK Black History Month is mind boggling.” Other fans ask EA to hire more black creators and marketing members to its team, and to consider introducing more cultural items to The Sims to represent areas such as African culture.
During our The Sims: Project Rene interview, executive producer Phill Ring says that the team is always asking themselves, “What ways can we make it so that players can feel more connected to the Sims that they create?” He emphasises his excitement that “players are so excited by the fact that they can create themselves, they can create their friends, they can create the world around them.” The community, it seems, is more eager than ever to ensure that EA follows up on this promise. In closing, Ebonix shared a Change.org petition asking EA to “Improve black representation and acknowledge black culture in The Sims 4.”
We recently spoke to Riot games about new League of Legends champion K’Sante and his identity as a queer, black character. If you’re looking for more news on Project Rene and the future of The Sims, be sure to check out our Sims 5 release date speculation and wishlist for all the latest news. Meanwhile, if you’re checking out The Sims 4 now that it’s a free game, we’ve got you covered on unlimited money and more with all The Sims 4 cheats, how to mod your game with the best Sims 4 mods and which CC to install with our pick of the best Sims 4 CC packs. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, download The Sims 4 for free by following that link.