Earlier this week, Maxis revealed The Sims 4 Wedding Stories game pack, including a trailer showing same-sex marriage representation in the game.
But the publisher shared a letter on Thursday, revealing that the game pack cannot be released in Russia, because of a potential violation of the country’s law against gay marriage.
In 2013, Russia passed a law banning the positive representation and public expressions of same-sex relationships. Under Russia’s censorship law, The Sims 4 Wedding Stories game pack, therefore, would be deemed “gay propaganda.”
“Yesterday we introduced you to The Sims 4 ‘My Wedding Stories’ Game Pack and along with it, to Dominique and Camille, a couple whose love knows no boundaries. Today we want to explain the decision we’ve made to not release this pack in Russia,” the letter from The Sims developer reads.
“Over the years, you’ve delighted us with the ways your Sims have found love and celebrated that love through weddings in our base game. You’ve also shared with us your eagerness to walk down the aisle, have your Sims take their seats and shed a tear of joy as you made a lifelong commitment.
“When we set out to create “My Wedding Stories” this was the vision we had for our global community: the joy of finding love, celebrating that love and telling stories that have meaning on a personal level.
“Imagining the stories our players will tell with our packs is at the heart of everything we create. For “My Wedding Stories,” we were excited to introduce you to Dom and Cam. Their love story reflects the lived experiences of so many members of our community and team.”
The letter further explained that the team does not want to compromise its values by removing the story of Cam and Dom. So, the pack featuring the characters would not be available in Russia.
