Recently, Nintendo revealed that Fire Emblem Fates will be the first title in the Fire Emblem series to include the option of same-sex marriages. Previous titles did include the option of marriage, but only between opposite sex characters. Nintendo explained that your options will change based on which version of the game you buy (there are three):
In the Conquest edition of the game, there is a male character that the game’s player may have his/her male main character marry after they bond in battle. Similarly, the Birthright edition features a female character that a female main character may marry after bonding in battle. Both of the aforementioned characters can be encountered in the third edition of the game.
A screenshot from Fire Emblem Fates.
Nintendolife and Eurogamer have noted that Tomodachi Life’s lack of same sex marriage, and the negative response from fans when this was noticed, may have helped usher in these changes. Nintendo also commented on their design choice, stating:
We believe that our gameplay experiences should reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate and, at the same time, we will always design the game specifications of each title by considering a variety of factors, such as the game’s scenario and the nature of the game play. In the end of course, the game should be fun to play. We feel that Fire Emblem Fates is indeed enjoyable to play and we hope fans like the game.
Regardless of what spurred Nintendo to include same sex marriage in the game, this is a great step forward for equality and acceptance of homosexuality in the video gaming world. As same sex marriage is a rather current issue in many Western societies, featuring it in a video game by a popular company will likely bring more attention and positivity to it.
If Nintendo is willing to change to accommodate the times and ever-growing diversity, then perhaps we will soon see transgender characters in the mix? We can only hope that Nintendo will continue in this progressive direction in the future!
