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A Russian community protest led to the release of an expansion pack for The Sims 4 previously denied to Russia. This was due to restrictions on LGBTQ content in Russia.
The expansion pack “My Wedding Stories” is an expansion to The Sims 4. It adds the ability of planning and performing detailed weddings. The marketing for the pack centers on Dominique and Camille’s courtship and marriage. Maxis, the developer and EA, had initially cited Russian federal law to justify the delay in the country’s release. They claimed that this would have required them to change their storytelling, which would have “compromise the values we hold dear.”
Sims community members responded using the hashtag #weddingsforrussia. Others pointed out that The Sims 4 has queer relationship options, and is currently available in Russia. However, it still has an 18+ rating. Although EA did not mention a specific federal law in their initial announcement, it is likely that it was one that was passed in 2013 and prohibited content that is marketed towards children (anyone younger than 18). It also labels homosexuality “propaganda” and presents it as a social norm. Many international human rights organizations have condemned the law and it has coincided with increased violence against LGBT people within the country.
It is not clear whether EA’s initial decision was based on a concern that EA’s marketing or the pack might cause legal trouble for them, or if the decision came as a form protest or some other reasons.
Maxis and EA issued a statement today saying that the pack would be released after it received “the outpourings of feelings from our communities including both support and concern for their fellow citizens.”
“Since then, we’ve been listening to It’s equally important for us to stand by our values, including standing against homophobia, and to share stories like this with those who want and need it most.
“With this in mind, we’ve reassessed our options and realized we can do more than we initially believed and we will now release The Sims 4 ‘My Wedding Stories’ Game Pack to our community in Russia, unaltered and unchanged, featuring Dom and Cam.”
The release of My Wedding Stories globally — Russia included — is being delayed to February 23 to account for this change.
IGN asked a representative for further comment on the reasons behind the initial decision. He said that the team realized they had more options and were now able to release them. They declined to comment further.
Rebekah is a news journalist for IGN. You can find Rebekah Valentine on Twitter @duckvalentine.
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