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

WIRED

15-05-2025

May 15, 2025 4:10 PM The download automatically changed Black NPCs to white, trans NPCs to cis-gendered, and gay NPCs to straight. And it's just the beginning. Photo-Illustration: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 in spite of EA's attempts to shut it down. WIRED has found dozens of similar racist, homophobic, and antisemitic mods for other popular games.
The Sims mod, called DEI Remover 1.0.0, was first made available in March last year, but it recently blew up after @DanielleBuilds, a Sims creator with over 300,000 followers, posted a screenshot of it on Facebook and asked people to report it. In addition to removing Black NPCs, the mod was designed to make NPCs 'healthy, (not fat),' switched colorful hair types to 'natural' hair colors, and changed any LGBT couples sharing a home in the game to siblings. A photo accompanying an overview of the mod shows NPC Celeste Michaelson, who is Black and trans, being changed to a white woman.
An admin on the video game forum RPGHQ said that they received a request from the IP enforcement department of EA to delist the mod. The admin, who goes by the user name 'Rusty Shackleford,' described this as an act of targeted censorship, and included screenshots of what they said was correspondence with EA.
'I write on behalf of Electronic Arts Inc. ("EA"). It has come to our attention that you are hosting material that infringes copyrights owned or controlled by EA,' reads the screenshotted email, said to be from EA's IP senior counsel Lisa Chin. The email identifies the DEI Remover mod as the 'infringing material.' EA has not responded to WIRED's request for comment.
On May 6, the original post moved to a new thread, where the mod was reposted with a copyright disclaimer for 'Fair Use' along with instructions for downloading it. Some commenters cheered and jeered the repost, with one saying 'cut off one head, two more shall take its place. heil hydra,' and another saying, 'Yea I'm sure antagonizing litigious publishers will work out well.'
The Sims has a track record of culture and LGBT representation going back over a decade. In 2023 the franchise featured the Celeste Michaelson NPC in the expansion pack Growing Together, while in 2022 it featured a lesbian couple on the cover of the My Wedding Stories game pack. That same year, The Sims 4 provided a free update to allow users to add gender identity to their game with customizable pronouns, and in April 2025, the game released free downloadable content featuring LGBT-themed clothes and decor. The franchise has also released items to help celebrate holidays in the past, such as Juneteenth-themed clothing, Christmas trees, Hanukkah menorahs, and Kwanzaa kinaras.
Meanwhile sites like Patreon continue to host mods that erase this diversity in The Sims 4. In addition to DEI Remover, RPGHQ hosts dozens of controversial mods for other games, including a mod called 'Balduran Salutes Hitler' for Baldur's Gate 3, and 'Negro Remover' for Stalker 2 . WIRED found one Patreon account from December featuring a mod that switches out inclusive language, such as changing 'spouse' to 'husband and wife,' and removes the pronouns on premade sims. That Patreon creator explained they created it because the franchise had 'fully embraced the pronouns (sic) idiocy.' WIRED has reached out to Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios, Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World, and Patreon, and has not received a response.
Video game mods allow users to download third-party add-ons created by other players that affect the gameplay experience. For the PC and Mac versions of The Sims 4 , mods have become integral to the Sims community as a whole, giving players free access to custom content like clothing, furniture, and artwork, and in-game capabilities such as functional banks, preschools, and adult content.
Many in the modding Sims communities were up in arms over the DEI Remover mod. One TikTok user said they were inspired to start a new series called 'F You, Sims Community.' Comments echoed her frustrations, with one commenter saying, 'may everyone who downloads this experience the worst save corruption bugs.'
The quick replacement of the banned Sims 4 mod demonstrates that keeping on top of the issue can be like playing a game of Whac-A-Mole.
While this mod was created last year, President Donald Trump's executive orders targeting DEI initiatives have contributed to a more hostile climate for marginalized Americans.
While modding has been a key element within the franchise for decades, EA's mod policy states that it has the right to 'address any inappropriate Mods, including Mods that infringe the intellectual property or privacy rights of others, contain obscene, objectionable, or harmful content, jeopardize the integrity of The Sims 4 gameplay, or otherwise violate the EA User Agreement.'