Nintendo refuses to incorporate gay relationships into upcoming video game
Nintendo has said it will not include same-sex relationships in its upcoming simulator game, Tomodachi Life, despite action from equality campaigners.
The gaming giant has said it will not bow to pressure to include gay relationships in the video game.
It comes after a social media campaign surfaced called #MiiQuality.
The campaign specifically fights for virtual equality within Tomodachi Life and urges Nintendo to include same-sex relationships in the game.
Originally released in Japan last year, the game features a cast of avatars based on real players living and playing on a virtual island.
Nintendo’s dismissal of same-sex relationships comes in the wake of greater virtual equality in the gaming world.
Recent games such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age and The Elder Scrolls have allowed players to create characters that can have same-sex relationships.
Nintendo of America Inc said to the Associated Press: “Nintendo never intended to make any form of social commentary with the launch of ‘Tomodachi Life’.
“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.”
In response to the #MiiQuality campaign, Nintendo said: “We have heard and thoughtfully considered all the responses. We will continue to listen and think about the feedback. We’re using this as an opportunity to better understand our consumers and their expectations of us at all levels of the organization.”
Tomodachi Life is expected to be released on 6 June, and will feature on the 3DS platform.