14 DAY TRIAL // The team in charge of the launch of Tomodachi Life on Western markets says that it does not aim to deliver any kind of social commentary via the upcoming 3DS based title and that it currently has no plans to include any way for gamers to engage in same-gender relationships.
Gamasutra quotes the company as saying that, “Nintendo never intended to make any form of social commentary with the launch of Tomodachi Life. The relationship options in the game represent a whimsical and playful alternate world rather than a real-life simulation. We are a games company first and foremost and our main objective is to create games and consoles for players to enjoy.”
The game itself is a complex experience that allows players to create virtual characters and then control various aspects of their life.
The characters are based on the Mii avatars that Nintendo hardware users can generate based on their own appearance and as more characters populate the game world, the range of interactions will increase in interesting ways.
The Japanese version of Tomodachi Life sometimes allowed for same-gender relationships to be created and some gamers used cross dressing before they posted images from the game to the official forums.
Nintendo adds, “Because this bug caused the inability for the player to save the game data and continue the game, we released a patch.”
The company has also explained that the Western version of the title will eliminate some features that were very successful when it was first launched in Japan.
A campaign currently asks the company to introduce fully supported such relationships in Tomodachi Life in order to make sure that the game does not promote any form of discrimination.
Nintendo believes that the game should not be modified in order to reflect real-world concerns, given that it deals with entirely virtual characters that interact in made-up ways.
Tomodachi Life is a very successful series in Japan and represent a solid revenue stream for the company, but it is unclear whether the franchise can also be a success on Western markets.
Tomodachi Life will be launched exclusively on the 3DS in North America and in Europe on June 6 of this year and has been offered in Japan since April 2013.
A stage based on the series will also be incorporated in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for both the 3Ds and the Wii U.