In an about-face, The Sims developer Maxis and publisher Electronic Arts announced that The Sims 4‘s latest content pack, My Wedding Stories, will release in Russia after all. The move comes following an announcement that the studio would keep its latest content pack out of the country, citing “federal laws.”

Russia has a “gay propaganda law” which makes it illegal to promote content that could let children see homosexuality as a norm. While The Sims 4 has always allowed same-sex relationships between its characters, My Wedding Stories prominently features a gay couple in its promotional materials. It’s likewise worth noting that The Sims 4 is rated 18+ in Russia, but players there can access the same content as anyone else in any other country.

“At the time, we believed that our team could not freely share the storytelling of same-sex couple Cam and Dom in Russia and decided the best way to uphold our commitment to sharing their story was to not release the pack there,” the developers said in an update to the previously mentioned announcement on The Sims 4‘s website. “Since then, we’ve been listening to the outpouring of feelings from our community, including both support for our decision and concern for their fellow community members. It’s equally important for us to stand by our values, including standing against homophobia, and to share stories like this with those who want and need it most.”

While that statement is somewhat vague, prominent content creators for The Sims 4 have said they would not play My Wedding Stories until it was released in Russia. This adjustment means the content pack is now set to launch globally on February 23.

Related Posts

Your charging cable might get a workout if you try ‘Charchery’

The concept is as simple as it is destructive: you plug your charger into the phone to nock an arrow, and you physically yank it out to fire. It is undeniably clever, bizarre, and almost certainly a terrible idea for the longevity of your hardware.

Your Fable reboot preview is here, open world Albion looks gloriously chaotic

The hook is familiar, your choices matter, people notice, and consequences linger. The difference is scale. This is a fully open world take, with townsfolk on routines who respond to what you do, even when you think no one’s watching. It’s still chasing that mix of heroics, petty crime, and dry British humor, only with modern action RPG muscle.

Nintendo’s latest product wants to cheer you up with random quips

Nintendo first teased the Talking Flower during a Nintendo Direct showcase last September. The company has now shared more details about the product, and confirmed when it will officially go on sale. Based on the flowers in the Super Mario Bros. Wonder game, the Talking Flower is exactly what its name suggests: a potted flower that speaks around twice per hour, delivering lines like "Sometimes it's nice to space out" or "Bowser and his buds can't get us here, right?"