Nintendo has apologized for not including same-sex relationship options in their 3DS life simulator, "Tomodachi Life."
The game stirred up enough controversy in the lesbian, gay, bisxeual, and transgender (LGBT) community to incite a response from the advocacy group GLAAD.
"In purposefully limiting players' relationship options, Nintendo is not only sending a hurtful message to many of its fans and consumers by excluding them, but also setting itself way behind the times," GLAAD national spokesperson Wilson Cruz told GamesBeat. "It's been over a decade since The Sims - the original 'whimsical and quirky' life simulator - allowed its users to marry any character they wanted, and many other mainstream and massively popular video games have followed their lead since. Nintendo should do the same."
Nintendo originally released a response claiming the game was not meant to cause in "social commentary," according to GamesBeat. However, the initial response only infuriated fans of the game and the company released a second statement regarding "Tomodachi Life."
"We apologize for disappointing many people by failing to include same-sex relationships in Tomodachi Life," Nintendo said in a statement. "Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to change this game's design, and such a significant development change can't be accomplished with a post-ship patch. At Nintendo, dedication has always meant going beyond the games to promote a sense of community, and to share a spirit of fun and joy. We are committed to advancing our longtime company values of fun and entertainment for everyone. We pledge that if we create a next installment in the Tomodachi series, we will strive to design a game-play experience from the ground up that is more inclusive, and better represents all players."
Nintendo will not be changing the relationship options for the current versions of "Tomodachi Life" that have already hit store shelves.
