Nintendo has removed scenes involving “gay conversions and drugging” due to worries about how Western audiences might receive them.
In a response to Siliconera, Nintendo confirmed that changes had to be made to the dialogue to make it appropriate, stating that it is not unusual to make such changes when localizing games.
The scene in question, according to Gamestop, involves a male protagonist spiking the drinks of a homosexual, female character with a magic powder that makes her see all of the characters with their genders swapped, allowing the protagonist to romance her, since she continues to love him once the trick is revealed, essentially altering her sexual preference.
Nintendo’s response did, however, make great pains to point out that homosexual relationships are still in the game:
“In the Conquest edition a male main character created by the gamer can pair up with another male character (Niles) which ultimately leads to marriage. Similarly, in the Birthright edition, a female main character created by the gamer can pair up with and eventually marry another female character (Rhajat).”
This also has gameplay benefits, apparently:
“Like married couples of the opposite gender, these same-sex couples enjoy the stat boosts that come with marriage, which means when they are paired up in battle they are stronger than when they are apart or paired up with another character.”
Aww, well ain’t that cute. Perhaps Nintendo is trying to avoid some of the backlash it received from Western fans when Tomodachi life was criticised for lacking same-sex relationships, which lead to Nintendo later apologising.
Fire Emblem Fates launches on February 19, with two seperate full price (£35 ish) versions of the game, with their own complete stories. Purchasing one allows you to buy the other at half price.
What do you think? Was Nintendo right to alter the content for western audiences? Is the whole thing blown out of proportion? Are these questions a tiny bit leading? Do you think more context is required to fully understand the situation? Well feel free to leave a comment or tweet at us with your thoughts! @TheGamesCabin