How do you think the Japanese LGBT community has taken to the content in Fire Emblem Fates? Something has come up that may or may not surprise you.
A Change.org petition (linked frrom here) has appeared directly connected to Fire Emblem Fates, addressing Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. Based on some data in the petition, it dates to before Satoru Iwata’s passing.
A Frenchman working in game localization in Japan, Thomas James, was kind enough to give us the gist of this petition. In short, they are looking for a dialogue with Nintendo regarding LGBT content. Thomas is clear to point out that they are not necessarily accusatory or angry, but they basically want Nintendo to improve.
@plsburydoughboy From what I gather, it's just to open a dialog with Nintendo about the same-sex stuff in FE if. I'm pretty pooped-
— Thomas James (@iiotenki) August 10, 2015
@plsburydoughboy from work, so I only skimmed it, but it's not accusatory or anything. Just basically wanna help Nintendo improve.
— Thomas James (@iiotenki) August 10, 2015
When Fire Emblem Fates was released in Japan (under the name Fire Emblem If), controversy grew out of the LGBT content. We were also able to acquire an explanation of the controversy from another game localization expert in Japan. You can read our roundup here.
Nintendo of America has also faced a similar petition from their LGBT fans, when fan Tye Marini started the Miiquality petition to add same sex relationships to another Nintendo game, Tomodachi Life. Nintendo initially pushed back on the petition, but ultimately relented, apologizing for the oversight and promising to add these options in the future.
Since then, Nintendo has proven to show progress when it comes to inclusivity issues in their games. EAD revealed they conceived of Splatoon with playable women characters first, and most recently, Nintendo unveiled Triforce Heroes, with series protagonist Link wearing a dress for the first time.
What do you think of Nintendo’s efforts towards inclusivity? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
