'Sims 4' Expansion Featuring Queer Wedding to Get Russian Release After All

The maker of popular game "The Sims" has changed its mind about releasing a new expansion, featuring queer relationships and weddings, in Russia. The reversal follows pushback from fans and "content creators," video game website Kotaku reported.

EA, the company behind the "Sims" and the new expansion for "Sims 4," titled "My Wedding Stories," had said earlier this month that the "queer-friendly wedding expansion would not be released in Russia due to the nation's homophobic federal laws," Kotaku.com said.

The new "Sims 4" expansion "allow[s] players to plan and execute weddings for their Sims," the site detailed. "The pack's marketing campaign centered heavily around Cameron and Dominique, a lesbian couple."

EA explained in a Feb. 9 release that the decision not to distribute the expansion to the Russian market, rather than to censor the lesbian-themed content, was a matter of the company's values.

"Holding back Cam and Dom's story meant compromising the values we live by," EA said in a statement. "We are committed to the freedom to be who you are, to love who you love and tell the stories you want to tell."

But on Feb. 16, EA put the word out that the Russian release would go forward after all – without the company removing any of the expansion's content.

The update to the original release said that EA had "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," the update added.

The global release has been pushed back, however, from a planned Feb. 17 date to Feb. 24.

Russia's infamous "No Homo Promo" law, passed in 2013, "imposes fines for giving information about 'nontraditional' relationships to children, portraying such relationships as attractive, or asserting equality between 'traditional and nontraditional sexual relationships,'" Kotaku explained.

"The laws have pressured other companies like Blizzard to remove queer content in order to stay compliant," the article went on to note.

But the Russian law has a loophole, Kotaku said: "Russia's rating board has categorized Sims 4 as an adults-only game," the site reported, which technically places it out of the reach of minors, and thus allows the game to be released in Russia uncensored without breaking the "No Homo Promo" law.

The loophole provides an offramp for EA, which had been facing fan outrage and threatened boycotts.

But, as previously reported at EDGE, the company had also drawn praise for its stand. Website The Gamer explained how EA was lauded for "refusing to bow to restrictions regarding its content," and added that "The Sims team continues to fly the flag for LGBTQ+ rights, prioritizing diversity over profit."