Lilsimsie and US Representative Announce Livestream to Fight Back Against EA Buyout

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A surprising group – including popular Sims content creators Lilsimsie and Zefrine, and U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost – are working together to oppose the $55 billion acquisition of EA. They’re hosting an online event to inform fans about how they can try to prevent the sale to a group of private investors.

Electronic Arts (EA) was established in 1982 and has been a publicly traded company since 1990. However, this is set to change. In September 2025, a group of investors – including the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, Silver Lake Financial, and Affinity Partners – announced they would be buying EA, taking it private. The purchase is expected to be completed in June 2026, at which point EA will no longer be listed on the stock market.

Congress Member and Streamers Team Up to Keep EA Privatization Deal From Happening

EA fans who want to potentially prevent the company from being bought may have a way to take action. An informational livestream is scheduled for April 15th at 10 AM Eastern Time on Twitch channel Lilsimsie, a former EA partner. Lilsimsie will be playing Stardew Valley with Frost and Sims 4 creator Zefrine, but the main purpose of the stream is to explain the $55 billion buyout and discuss options for fans who want to try and stop it, with Frost leading the discussion.

Lilsimie’s criticism of the private investors reflects the concerns of many fans of The Sims 4, a popular game owned by EA. Players are worried the game will change significantly after the recent buyout. Specifically, fans fear that diversity options in The Sims 4 might be restricted or removed under the new owners, particularly due to the conservative views associated with Affinity Partners, founded by Jared Kushner. The involvement of Saudi Arabia, where LGBTQIA+ individuals face severe legal consequences, including the death penalty, is also a major source of concern for the community.

Representative Frost, at 25, is the youngest person in Congress, having been elected in 2022. He ran on a platform of social justice, preventing gun violence, and reforming the criminal justice system. Now, as co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, he’s also focused on protecting jobs and competition within the video game industry. His opposition to the recent acquisition isn’t unusual – at least 46 members of Congress have publicly expressed concerns that the deal could lead to studio closures, job losses, and even pose a risk to national security.

Okay, so there’s a lot of uncertainty around this EA acquisition, but the people currently running things are trying to reassure us. They put out a statement saying they’ll still be in charge of all their games – both the ones we love now and anything new they make – and that things should stay pretty much the same. The Sims team at Maxis even chimed in, saying they want to keep The Sims 4 a place where we can all be ourselves. They were specifically talking to the modding community, asking them not to jump ship because of the buyout. Honestly, it didn’t really work – a lot of creators did stop working on Sims content anyway, which is a bummer.

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2026-04-13 23:06