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Nintendo Gives Straight Answer On Gay Marriage In Tomodachi Life
When Tomodachi Life was released in Japan last year, there was a flurry of news about Nintendo patching out what it called “human relations being strange.” Via alleged mistranslation, this was assumed to be the publisher patching out same-sex relationships.
This wasn't exactly the case. According to company statements, a bug was introduced that put Miis in random, existing relationships. If players ended up romantically involved with a member of the same sex, the game broke. Additionally, Nintendo says that images that surfaced of Miis dressed up as members of the opposite sex were part of the confusion.
Despite the confusion, the news caught attention. It also got the wheels turning for some players after the game's recent announcement for release here in the west.
Tye Marini, a Nintendo fan, has petitioned the company to allow relationships between same sex Miis in the North American release via a petition online. Nintendo has decided not to acquiesce.
"Nintendo never intended to make any form of social commentary with the launch of 'Tomodachi Life,'" Nintendo of America Inc. said in a statement to the Associated Press. "The relationship options in the game represent a playful alternate world rather than a real-life simulation. We hope that all of our fans will see that 'Tomodachi Life' was intended to be a whimsical and quirky game, and that we were absolutely not trying to provide social commentary."
Nintendo’s Tomodachi Life product description invites players to recreate their friends and family and “watch as they rap, rock, eat donuts, fall in love, break up, go shopping, play games, and live their crazy Mii lives.” Nintendo says that same-sex relationships were never intended, and denies they were part of the game.
"The ability for same-sex relationships to occur in the game was not part of the original game that launched in Japan, and that game is made up of the same code that was used to localize it for other regions outside of Japan," Nintendo told AP. Tomodachi Life has sold 1.85 million copies in Japan alone.
Tomodachi Life was announced for North American release on 3DS in March. The title will arrive on June 6.
[Source: Associated Press, Wes Copeland]
Our Take
Nintendo has made the decision to disallow some of its fans from accurately recreating themselves in a game that is all about your friends and family. I’ll be able to recreate my family, complete with romantic relationships, but my homosexual friends won’t be able to do the same.
Nintendo now knows, without a doubt, how fans feel about it. And it just feels wrong to me that the company is unwilling to welcome part of its fan base in.
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