EA Tried to Stop an ‘Anti-DEI Mod’ for ‘The Sims 4’—but More Keep Surfacing

A mod for The Sims 4 that removed LGBT and Black nonplayable characters (NPCs) from the game and automatically changed them to “straight” and “white,” respectively, has reappeared successful spite of EA's attempts to unopen it down. WIRED has recovered dozens of akin racist, homophobic, and antisemitic mods for different celebrated games.

The Sims mod, called DEI Remover 1.0.0, was first made disposable successful March past year, but it precocious blew up aft @DanielleBuilds, a Sims creator pinch complete 300,000 followers, posted a screenshot of it connected Facebook and asked group to study it. In summation to removing Black NPCs, nan mod was designed to make NPCs “healthy, (not fat),” switched colorful hairsbreadth types to “natural” hairsbreadth colors, and changed immoderate LGBT couples sharing a location successful nan crippled to siblings. A photograph accompanying an overview of nan mod shows NPC Celeste Michaelson, who is Black and trans, being changed to a achromatic woman.

An admin connected nan video crippled forum RPGHQ said that they received a petition from nan IP enforcement section of EA to delist nan mod. The admin, who goes by nan personification sanction “Rusty Shackleford,” described this arsenic an enactment of targeted censorship, and included screenshots of what they said was correspondence pinch EA.

”I constitute connected behalf of Electronic Arts Inc. ("EA"). It has travel to our attraction that you are hosting worldly that infringes copyrights owned aliases controlled by EA,” sounds nan screenshotted email, said to beryllium from EA’s IP elder counsel Lisa Chin. The email identifies nan DEI Remover mod arsenic nan “infringing material.” EA has not responded to WIRED’s petition for comment.

On May 6, nan original station moved to a new thread, wherever nan mod was reposted pinch a copyright disclaimer for “Fair Use” on pinch instructions for downloading it. Some commenters shouted and jeered nan repost, pinch 1 saying “cut disconnected 1 head, 2 much shall return its place. heil hydra,” and different saying, “Yea I'm judge antagonizing litigious publishers will activity retired well.”

The Sims has a way grounds of civilization and LGBT practice going backmost complete a decade. In 2023 nan franchise featured nan Celeste Michaelson NPC successful nan description battalion Growing Together, while successful 2022 it featured a lesbian mates connected nan screen of nan My Wedding Stories crippled pack. That aforesaid year, The Sims 4 provided a free update to let users to add gender identity to their crippled pinch customizable pronouns, and successful April 2025, nan crippled released free downloadable contented featuring LGBT-themed clothes and decor. The franchise has besides released items to thief observe holidays successful nan past, specified arsenic Juneteenth-themed clothing, Christmas trees, Hanukkah menorahs, and Kwanzaa kinaras.

Meanwhile sites for illustration Patreon proceed to big mods that erase this diverseness successful The Sims 4. In summation to DEI Remover, RPGHQ hosts dozens of arguable mods for different games, including a mod called “Balduran Salutes Hitler” for Baldur's Gate 3, and “Negro Remover” for Stalker 2. WIRED recovered 1 Patreon account from December featuring a mod that switches retired inclusive language, specified arsenic changing “spouse” to “husband and wife,” and removes nan pronouns connected premade sims. That Patreon creator explained they created it because nan franchise had “fully embraced nan pronouns (sic) idiocy.” WIRED has reached retired to Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios, and Patreon, and has not received a response.