Electronic Arts and Maxis are removing all gender barriers found in The Sims 4.
First reported by The Associated Press, The Sims 4 will be getting a free update this Thursday that will remove all gender boundaries in the game's character creation. What this basically means is that newly created Sims will be allowed to have any physique, voice or attire available to them, and will also allow players to change their Sim's gender whenever they wish, all by the player's choice. In addition to this, the update will also allow players the ability to designate which Sims in the game can also reproduce.
This update has been in the works for over a year, according to Sims 4 executive producer Rachel Franklin. She noted that this work was in close association with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) on the update, which contributed to some suggestions included in the update. "Female Sims can wear sharp men's suits like Ellen [DeGeneres], and male Sims can wear heels like Prince," states Franklin.
Nick Adams, the director of GLAAD's transgender media program, stated that "It was a pleasure working with developers who were committed to updating the game so that all players can create a Sims world that more accurately reflects the world in which we live today."
This will be the first official time that The Sims series will have fully customizable options for sim creation that is not based on gender lines. Prior to this update, The Sims series was often modded to remove gender boundaries by the community.
The removal of gender boundaries is not a new concept in games- titles such as Saints Row 2 (and subsequent games) have purposefully removed gender lines in character creation, and titles such as the Mass Effect series can have you change the gender of their titular character, Commander Shepard between games, although otherwise gender restrictions still apply.
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