Nintendo responds to Fire Emblem Fates’ same-sex controversy

In the wake of controversy surrounding Nintendo's decision to edit a particular scene in Western version of Fire Emblem Fates to make it more "appropriate for audiences," the company has issued a response, addressing the subject of same-sex relationships.

"Making changes is not unusual when we localize games, and we have indeed made changes in these games. When we localize a game we do so in order to make it appropriate for that particular territory," a Nintendo representative said to Siliconera. "All our choices were made from that point of view."

The uproar stems from Nintendo's decision to remove a controversial scene that involves "drugging" a female character in attempt of what some are saying is "gay conversion."

Basically, the female character, Soleil, who often gets flustered and weak in the knees around men, has her drink spiked with "magic powder" so that she seems women as men and vice-versa. The result is that she falls in love with the female version of the male protagonist, and when the magic wears off she falls in love with the male version of him. The entire sequence has been labeled by many as "gay conversion therapy," a method used by religious groups in attempt to change one's sexual orientation from gay to straight. Obviously, there's no scientific evidence to back this therapy.

Responding to concerns over Nintendo's view on same-sex relationships, the representative pointed out multiple instances in which characters of the same sex can pair up.

"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). 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. In the third edition, Revelation, that will be released as DLC in the eShop on March 10, a same-sex marriage is possible regardless of the sex of your main character, as both Niles and Rhajat can be encountered in this edition."

It's quite a shift from from their stance on Tomodachi Life and Fire Emblem Awakening, where same-sex relationships were not included.

[Destructoid]