"We have made the decision to forgo the release of "My Wedding Stories" where our storytelling would be subject to changes because of federal laws," Electronic Arts wrote in a statement to the community last week. Since 2014, Russian federal laws have led The Sims 4 to be considered an 18+ game, prohibiting its sale to children due to the sexual depictions it features. Just last week, Electronic Arts had announced that My Wedding Stories Game Pack would not be released in Russia due to laws related to LGBTQ relations in the country. However, a last-minute change delays its release but manages to get the game for everyone in the world. So get ready to blast off in a rocket fuelled Starfield performance preview.The Sims 4: My Wedding Stories was scheduled for release this week Thursday, February 17 to be exact. We also compare the improvements over the previous showing, enhancements within the engine, and much more. The biggest question after the show(s) was: why is it 30fps on Xbox Series X and Series S and not 60fps? In this IGN Performance preview, we dive into the details shared by the team, the revealed PC minimum and recommended specifications, and how the Creation Engine 2 works, comparing the previous games to gauge some of the potential reasons why the team might have chosen 30fps. With Starfield being the center of the Xbox 2023 Showcase last week, Bethesda gave us a deep dive into one of the biggest games this generation. When pressed for additional comment as to the reasons for the initial decision and what had changed in the subsequent days, a representative told IGN that the team "realized they had more options than previously understood and are actually able to release." They declined to give further comment. The release of My Wedding Stories globally - Russia included - is being delayed to February 23 to account for this change. "With this in mind, we’ve reassessed our options and realized we can do more than we initially believed and we will now release The Sims 4 'My Wedding Stories' Game Pack to our community in Russia, unaltered and unchanged, featuring Dom and Cam." "Since then, we’ve been listening to 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. In a statement today, EA and Maxis said that it would release the pack after all, following "the outpouring of feelings from our community including both support for our decision and concern for their fellow community members." It is unclear whether EA's initial decision was related to a concern that the pack or its marketing would result in legal trouble for the company, or if the decision was made as a form of protest, or other reasons. Though EA had not cited a specific federal law in its initial announcement, it seems likely that the law in question was one introduced in 2013 prohibiting content marketed toward children (anyone under the age of 18) that presents homosexuality as a societal norm, labeling it as "propaganda." The law has been condemned by numerous global human rights groups and has coincided with an uptick of violence against LGBT individuals within the country. Since then, Sims community members have pushed back using the hashtag #weddingsforrussia, with some noting that The Sims 4 already has queer relationship options and is currently available in Russia, albeit at an 18+ rating. Initially, EA and developer Maxis had cited Russian federal law as the reason for skipping the release in the country, saying that doing so would have forced them to alter their storytelling, "compromising the values we live by." The pack's marketing centers around the courtship and marriage of two women, Dominique and Camille. The pack, "My Wedding Stories," is an expansion for The Sims 4 that adds the ability to plan and perform detailed weddings.
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