‘Sims 4’ Adds Sexual Orientations For Closeted Characters To Step Out

As one of the best-selling video game series of all time, with nearly 200 million copies sold, The Sims franchise has always paved the path for inclusivity by allowing players’ characters to court others of the same gender.

Now, in a step forward, game company Electronic Arts has announced it will be allowing players to determine characters’ sexual orientation and romantic interests for the first time, which will be rolled out in the next Sims 4 update. 

The new feature works by letting players assign a series of attraction parameters for their Sims, including who they’re romantically attracted to, if they’re exploring romantically, and who they’re interested to ‘Mess Around’ with. 

To be even more inclusive, the franchise will enable players to select any combination of attraction boxes, including none or all, to reflect the entire spectrum of romantic orientation. 

Going forward, it plans to expand the options to include additional gender identities that aren’t currently present.

As the press release points out, at the moment, the initial options are all gender binary due to technical limitations, which may come as a setback for players looking for non-binary representation within the game.

Calling it “a journey still in progress,” the creator pledges that it is building proper mechanical systems that will eventually support non-binary Sims as it moves forward in its push for inclusivity.

“It is important to acknowledge that these are steps in a journey that we are still mapping out. There is much further to go, and while I can’t get into the details of where exactly we go next, please know that we are committed to continuing to improve our representation of the LGBTQIA+ community,” the company said.

[via IGN and Electronic Arts, images via Electronic Arts]