On May 9th Nintendo apologized to fans for not including same-sex marriages in Tomodachi Life for the 3DS. Nintendo did comment that if their to make a sequal to Tomodachi Life that it would be more inclusive to better represent all types of players.
Nintenfan Observation 5/16/2014 : Many websites and news outlets are stating that Nintendo is “Omitting”, “Barring” or “Saying No” to same sex relationships in Tomodachi Life. This is totally untrue, as Nintendo is not omitting same sex relationships like many of these sites say. Nintendo developed the 3DS game a couple of years ago, meaning its not Nintendo saying no, but refusing to restructure the game so close to it’s release date. Many news sources are making it seem like Nintendo is taking a stance against same sex relationships. These same people think that all Nintendo has to do is add a few lines of code to offer this option. Game development isn’t always that easy. Depending on how the games design was planned adding same sex relationships to Tomodachi Life may be difficult or utterly impossible. Another thing these sources claim is that other games have featured both kinds of relationships (Elder Scrolls and The Sims). Both of these are rated Teen and Mature, Tomodachi Life is rated E. Games like Harvest Moon have also featured marriage across the series many games (including the 3DS versions). Not once has Harvest Moon publisher/developer ever given the option to have a same sex marriage in the game. Not to mention Nintendo games in the past have included very progressive themes in the past. Birdo from Super Mario 2 is a boy who thinks he’s a girl, while Earthbound on the Super Nintendo features a main character who is secretly in love with his best friend.
Stop attacking Nintendo and do real research and journalism (looking at you Huffington Post).
Here’s Nintendo’s official statement :
We apologize for disappointing many people by failing to include same-sex relationships in Tomodachi Life. 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.
Source : Nintendo
What do you think, did Nintendo make a mistake not including same-sex relationships in Tomodachi Life?
