Russia is not a fan of gay love, and thus Russia is not a fan of the new Sims 4 expansion, which allows players to love without filters.
Russia is not on board with the upcoming Sims 4 expansion pack 'My Wedding Stories'. Why? "Too much gay," said a spokesperson, when asked for a statement. Ok, no one actually said that, but that's the gist of it anyway...
Sims 4 Expansion Not Coming To Russia
More precisely, the Sims team, Maxis, decided not to release the expansion pack in Russia, after Russia banned the gay contents contained within. Maxis said that releasing the censored expansion in Russia would have meant "compromising the values we live by", and they're not having that.
Now, if you're not familiar, Russia has a federal law, which was introduced in 2013, which strictly forbids all content that presents homosexuality as a societal norm. Specifically, it is forbidden to market any such content towards children, as it is seen as propaganda. Thus, the Sims 4 has always had an 18+ rating in Russia. Here's Maxis' statement in standing by their decision to not bend over for Russia's laws (yes, I know there's a pun in here) :
Imagining the stories our players will tell with our packs is at the heart of everything we create. For 'My Wedding Stories,' we were excited to introduce you to Dom and Cam. Their love story reflects the lived experiences of so many members of our community and team. As we moved through our development and brand storytelling process, we became aware that the way we wanted to tell Cam and Dom’s story would not be something we could freely share around the world. The ability to tell stories - any story - is at the core of what we do at The Sims. Holding back Cam and Dom’s story meant compromising the values we live by. We are committed to the freedom to be who you are, to love who you love and tell the stories you want to tell.
Good for Maxis, good for EA, and a huge win for humanity over greed. Gotta love. Makes my day.