The Guardian columnist Jordan Erica Webber announces she is quitting The Sims after 25 years of playing, following the completion of a deal in which Electronic Arts (EA), the game's publisher, was taken private by a consortium including the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners. She argues the takeover matters because it hands control of a game long praised for its inclusivity of diverse races, genders and sexualities to investors linked to human rights abuses and political interests, raising fears the franchise's progressive character will not survive.

Webber highlights that the Saudi Public Investment Fund is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose country has been accused of bombing Yemeni civilians, killing journalist Jamal Khashoggi and mistreating migrant workers, while Kushner is tied to Donald Trump's Middle East policy. She suggests these owners understand the "soft power" of video games, drawing parallels with Saudi "sportswashing" and Trump allies' use of gaming culture, and warns that whether the new owners exploit or reshape The Sims' popularity, players ultimately lose out.