14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer BioWare has confirmed that it will be offering companion characters in its upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic an option to engage in same sex relationships.
The company has also said that this option will not be implemented when the game is launched but that it will be added via a patch sometime later.
Stephen Reid, who is a community manager working at BioWare, has posted on the official forums ofThe Old Republic that, “Due to the design constraints of a fully voiced MMO of this scale and size, many choices had to be made as to the launch and post-launch feature set. Same gender romances with companion characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic will be a post-launch feature.”
He added, “Because The Old Republic is an MMO, the game will live on through content expansions which allow us to include content and features that could not be included at launch, including the addition of more companion characters who will have additional romance options.”
At the moment Star Wars: The Old Republic does not have an official launch date but both rumors and tidbits of information from publisher Electronic Arts suggest that it will be out before the end of this year.
Clearly creating the MMO has been a monumental task for BioWare, which can be seen from the number of delays announced over the year, so it's understandable why same sex relationships are not too high on the list of features to be added.
The Old Republic will allow gamers to join either the Republic or the Sith and then choose class and prowl the galaxy looking for adventure and for battles.
BioWare has insisted that the game will introduce a new standard of storytelling to the MMO space while also offering solid gameplay mechanics.