EA published a letter Feb. 9 from the team behind The Sims 4 announcing it would not be releasing the latest My Wedding Stories DLC in Russia.
The DLC’s reveal trailer focuses on a queer couple, Dominique and Camille, who eventually marry after hitting it off as friends and falling for one another. According to the letter, the developers realized in the development of the expansion and this story that “the way we wanted to tell Cam and Dom’s story would not be something we could freely share around the world,” referencing federal laws in Russia that would force them to alter the story or potentially cut it altogether.
Aaaat laaast ! 🥳 The Sims 4 My Wedding Stories Game Pack is coming down the aisle 💍 on February 17th! #TS4WeddingStories pic.twitter.com/Bg4MKhOapR
— The Sims (@TheSims) February 8, 2022
The letter continues, saying, “Holding back Cam and Dom’s story meant compromising the values we live by. We are committed to the freedom to be who you are, to love who you love and tell the stories you want to tell.” In an effort to stand by the team’s values, the call was made to not alter the marketing plans and withhold sales of the wedding-themed DLC entirely in the country.
The federal law referenced in the letter is Russia’s anti-gay “propaganda” law, which prohibits the exposure of homosexuality as a societal norm to children, or anyone under the age of 18. Though The Sims 4 is rated M for Mature in the region, a rating it only earned in Russia due to its LGBTQIA+ content, the team seems reluctant to relent on the marketing materials, which focus on Dom and Cam.
The reception to the move has been mixed. While some have praised the developer for sticking by their beliefs, others have instead reacted angrily, criticizing EA and developer Maxis for not selling the DLC, which would be permissible given the game’s rating, and ultimately excluding Russian and LGBTQIA+ players of The Sims 4.
Stuff like this upsets me so much
It’s already hard to be queer in Russia, queer people here are the bravest I know, and there’s a LOT of us, and we need support so much! But we’re not only getting abused and villainized by our government, we’re also getting excluded like this https://t.co/CNC05mMpcd— Nushanchel 🌙 (@nushanchel) February 10, 2022
this is such a tough situation. I absolutely appreciate the sims team standing by the lgbt couple on the box art and refusing to change it but this ultimately hurts russian lgbt players who now can’t get the game as a result. There’s really no winning. https://t.co/ZWRCs5uUz9
— steph (@steph0sims) February 10, 2022
I honestly think releasing the game in Russia as it is without any changes to the trailer and cover would do more good than shutting Russians down. But most of all I’m angry at the stupid law and homophobic government. https://t.co/62S276JAOI
— Ananasim🌿 (@_ananasim_) February 10, 2022
The My Wedding Stories DLC releases on Feb. 17 on PlayStation, Xbox and, of course, PC.
Written by Moises Taveras on behalf of GLHF.
