Players in Russia will not have access to a particular expansion pack for The Sims owing to the fact that it features same-sex marriages.
On Wednesday, the developing team of the game confirmed this news.
Titled ‘My Wedding Stories’, this expansion pack is an addition to the existing wedding features found on the game and also widens the scope for customization. Same-sex marriages were witnessed in The Sims 4 in the past and that’s primarily the reason it has an 18+ rating in Russia. However, this expansion pack, which shows two female Sims making plans for their wedding, has gone a step further as far as LGBTQ+ representation is concerned.
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There was a scope to release the expansion pack in Russia but for that, the marketing team would have been required to make massive alterations in their marketing plans and the way they planned to project it there. A law passed in the year 2013 in Russia clearly states that one is not allowed to make the kind of content that normalizes homosexuality.
Electronic Arts, the gaming company behind the game, confirmed in a blog that they have decided against launching the pack in Russia as they feel it would lead to them going against their ethos.
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In an officially released statement, the representatives of The Sims 4 stated that they want the players to have complete freedom to represent themselves and tell the stories they want to tell without any fear. The company stated that its respects the federal laws and the judiciary in Russia but won’t make any changes in the expansion pack or its marketing strategy to cater to the Russian market. Therefore, it has decided not to go ahead with the release of this particular expansion pack in Russia.