My Thoughts on the EA Buyout
For what it's worth, these are my two cents on the buyout.
If you’re genuinely opposed to it, the strongest message I believe you can send is through your wallet. Choosing not to purchase any future content is far more impactful than words alone.
Continuing to buy new Sims content, especially using creator codes while claiming to be against the buyout sends only a message of hypocrisy.
With the marketplace changes and where EA is headed, I’ve already stated, I will no longer promote, purchase, or cover any NEW Sims content.
I believe principles matter far more than profit.
Please stay aware of creators who say they oppose the buyout but still actively promote their codes and EA products.
If someone says they’re against the buyout but then promotes new EA content or pushes their codes with current content, they’re putting money right back into EA's pocket. It’s like saying you don’t support Amazon…but you still shop there all the time.
I hope this helps, and it pains me to be in this position because I've loved The Sims since it first was created. To see where it's come is heartbreaking, but I will never jeopardize morality for money and I hope others will feel the same.
As I always tell my community, do your own research. Don't fall to the hive mind. Think for yourselves, and be your own person.
xx
Plum
Comments (5)
Good afternoon, boycotting their products is unlikely to influence the company’s decision. They’re the owners, and users have always been plotting against them. They’ll abandon the project and move on to something more profitable.
Historically, boycotting has actually been one of the most effective ways for consumers to drive change. It's unlikely that it will reverse the sale, but we still have power to affect change with our actions. Boycotting can affect public opinion and stock prices, for example, and have a larger effect on tarnishing EA's reputation beyond the Sims, making it harder for them to "move on to something more profitable". This kind of defeatist sentiment is exactly what oppressive regimes and corporations want people to feel - like we have no power. The truth is that collective action is the most powerful force in driving change historically (and the only force behind any type of political or social change), and that is terrifying to the people in power.
I completely agree with everything you've said. I'm 24 and have invested heavily in Sims 4 DLCs since graduating from high school (6 years and ~$ 1,000). It's been a fun, creative outlet for me since the pandemic, and was the one hobby I could still partake in when working two retail jobs after having to drop out of college. Now, I'm struggling with mental health, employment, and college debt for a degree I never finished. I never considered EA a friendly or a particularly ethical company, but I never imagined that it would be sold to literal warmongers. It was obvious that a lot of their employees were also frustrated with their lack of funding and the reduction of content in each DLC release, but, at times, it did seem like they were making beneficial changes for fans and employees (like when they made the base game free and did pack refreshes). Everything just feels like such a slap in the face, and I can't even be mad because that's business.
I went on the same path you do almost as soon as the buyout was announced. EA already was shady with toxic pratices before that, but that news was definitly the nail in the coffin. Now, im just waiting for paralives to release its early access while still playing heavily modded sims4. Modders are now and most probably forever the only sources of new content for me.
And the prices ARE INSANE. For me, to own "all the packs", it would cost around 600 Euros. How insane does that sound? I'm happy to purchase mine on instant gaming, WAY CHEAPER and reasonable. Just because they are "EA" and because it's "The Sims", it doesn't mean that EA should drain our wallets for crazy prices. But besides me not owning all the packs - I only buy what I like and what will add great benefit to my gameplay.