The upcoming My Wedding Stories game pack for The Sims 4 will not launch in Russia, due to the inclusion of same-sex marriages clashing with the country’s homophobic laws.
Yesterday (February 9), The Sims 4 developer Maxis shared a letter outlining why My Wedding Stories, an upcoming piece of downloadable content (DLC), will not be launching in Russia.
According to Maxis, this is due to the inclusion of Dominique and Camille, a same-sex couple in The Sims 4 who “reflects the lived experiences of so many members of our community and team.”
However, Maxis stated that “As we moved through our development and brand storytelling process, we became aware that the way we wanted to tell Cam and Dom’s story would not be something we could freely share around the world.”
On that note, the studio said that “holding back Cam and Dom’s story meant compromising the values we live by,” and as such Maxis has “made the decision to forgo the release of “My Wedding Stories” where our storytelling would be subject to changes because of federal law.”
Specifically, this means that The Sims 4 Wedding Stories pack will not be available to purchase in Russia. This is likely due to a homophobic law that was passed in 2013, which can cause fines and a halt in operations for businesses that include pro-LGBTQ+ content in their media. The Sims 4 has already been affected by this law, as it was given an adult rating in Russia due to its inclusion of same-sex couples.
Outside of Russia, My Wedding Stories will launch on February 17.
In other news, last night (February 9) a new Nintendo Direct brought plenty of surprise announcements and new trailers. Whether you missed the livestream or you’re just looking for a recap, here’s everything that was shown during the February Nintendo Switch.
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