Star Wars: The Old Republic getting same-sex romances post-launch
BioWare has announced that same-sex relationships with NPCs will arrive in the Star Wars MMORPG after launch, after previously saying that there would be none.
Though Star Wars: The Old Republic has wooing, romance, and all that soppy stuff one would expect from a BioWare game, the developer had so far said that the MMORPG would only allow coupling with NPCs of the opposite sex, not same-sex pairings. Delightfully, it's now changed its mind, announcing that same-sex romance will be added post-launch.
The revelation comes from an official statement posted on the game's official forums (via Rock, Paper, Shotgun):
Due to the design constraints of a fully voiced MMO of this scale and size, many choices had to be made as to the launch and post-launch feature set. Same gender romances with companion characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic will be a post-launch feature. Because The Old Republic is an MMO, the game will live on through content expansions which allow us to include content and features that could not be included at launch, including the addition of more companion characters who will have additional romance options.
BioWare does seem to be revising history slightly, as its past talk of same-sex relationships in The Old Republic made no mention of any plans or desire for them. "Same-sex romances are not in Star Wars: The Old Republic," producer Cory Butler answered curtly when asked about same-sex romances on BioWare's own 'BioWare Pulse' show at Gamescom in August, without the slightest hint that there was more to it.
As RPS notes, it certainly doesn't help matters that, in 2009, a BioWare community manager declared that the words "gay" and "lesbian" were banned on the SWTOR forums because, "these are terms that do not exist in Star Wars." Unsurprisingly, this offensive policy was soon lifted.
Still, that's over and done with now, and same-sex relationships will arrive in The Old Republic some time after launch. This approach might run the risk of leaving those relationships feeling slightly hollow, though.
The story side of the MMO is being pushed heavily, as it's always one of BioWare's main focuses, and an important part of this is players' relationships with their NPC chums. Players wishing to role-play a same-sex relationship will have no partner to share their adventures with as they first start exploring the galaxy at launch, while those opting for opposite-sex hippity-dippitty will get to discover love along with the game. It'll be difficult for BioWare to introduce new characters in ways that can capture the same excitement as when everything is shiny and new.
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replyAlice O'Connor posted a new article, Star Wars: The Old Republic getting same-sex romances post-launch.
BioWare has announced that same-sex relationships with NPCs will arrive in the Star Wars MMORPG after launch, after previously saying that there would be none.-
Excellent, I was beginning to think exploring a lesbian romance with my strictly female rpg toons wouldn't be possible.
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lolololololololololololololololololololololololololololololol.
Anyways, how will "relationship" be expressed in the game? Couldn't two gay lovers just hang out and quest together anyways?
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I'm pretty sure that would contradict the Defense of Marriage Act
and make baby Jesus cry :(
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This conversation stayed mature about as long as I'd expect
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God forbid there be some homolove in a game.
Because all homosexuals are just little kids being retards, and should be treated with that level of respect.
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I'm looking forward to the Fox News coverage of this.
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In this subthread we come up with the eventual Fox News headline about this. I humbly offer " Liberal Death Simulator Company Recalls Star Wars. Replaces With Gay. Hip Hop Muslim, Obama Approves (Probably)"
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There's not much that could beat "(SE)XBOX", which is what they used for Mass Effect. They might just use that again.
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Star Wars: The Gay Old Democrat Agenda.
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As someone who spends more time than I care to admit on the SWTOR official boards, it's remarkable how much backlash there was when they announced that same-sex romance wasn't in... A good chunk of the game's (terrible) community was in an uproar, they really didn't have much choice.
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It's amusing that Bioware has turned this into a "thing" for their games. Corny.
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its probably an unintended consequence of letting you romance npc's and also letting you pick your gender
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Unintended consequence? So letting homosexuals have romance options is something they have to make apologies for? What is the general age of Shacknews users? Ten?
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They should stop worrying about intergalactic homo sex and worry about their poor gameplay design.
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Indeed they should. But if they are going to have romance, they might as well make it equal opportunity. I'm not even gonna play the game (Much like I don't play -any- bioware game), but I'm tired of this immature LOL HOMOS attitude going around now. Kids think its so edgy and cool to be bigoted.
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You must be new here.
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I think what he means is that if you're going to let people pick their gender AND romance certain NPCs, the idea of allowing homosexual relationships is bound to come up, since it's so easy to implement.
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yea this is what i meant. i believe it is why they tackled it before other games did
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Oh, my mistake! I just get so jumpy. I didn't mean to snarl at you unneededly (totally not how you spell that, or maybe not even a word)
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Conversation for the sake of it yea?
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Well, I *heard* that it could get annoying because the companion dialog tree's remained relatively untouched based on the players gender ... so when you went down the "romantic" line with same sex it just felt wrong.
Had they completely removed anything of the sort it would have been at least less weird than the way it was.
However I think just allowing it is the best option given the way the game plays (or so I hear).
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i look forward to the minigames
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Have there been any gay characters in the star wars books/movies? Other than Luke Skywalker of course.
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Jar Jar Binks, Chewbacca. Boba Fett.
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The Emperor was TOTALLY gay, too.
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King pedo of space
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Naw she and Ackbar had a thing in one of the books.
I'm not kidding and it wasn't fanfic.
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The whole clone army. There were millions of guys and no women on the plant they were grown and trained on
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Also just in case anyone is interested. The Beta Weekend Program is going to start back up again.
Official:
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=9120239#edit9120239
Our blah...
http://www.talesfromtor.com/2011/09/so-you-want-to-be-beta-tester.html -
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^^ This is what I imagine is going to happen. Especially since its post-launch.
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Are they forcing you to marry?
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Sounds like they were skirting the issue until they could communicate with LucasArts.
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Wow...did they really have to add this crap in here!??? I am getting sick and tired of everyone thinking they have to address this subject in everything they do to be politically right! Annoyed with this, and totally against the move..this is not right at all.
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Please do explain why it's "not right at all" for a video game with romances to include same-sex romance.
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If you read it again, they don't force your male character to marry a dude with fullscreen text saying "FAG"
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Maybe they should.
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We're having a weird transitional period where dudes like you are on the outside looking in for the trend of homosexual acceptance. I think if you start by understanding properly that this is not something that someone's done out of some begrudging and fearful obligation to being politically correct. For lots of folks - obviously not for you or your folks but other folks - homosexuality is an ambient and regular element of their culture, and having a game with hetero romance but not homo romance would be weird to them just like it's weird for you to have a game with gay themes of any kind.
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i heard if you buy this game, you wake up with hard penis in your mouth
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But his dad will disown him.
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marry ma
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me not ma
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What? The subjects of romance and love?
Fine - you don't want any of those disgusting homosexuals in your videogames? Let's remove all romantic elements from any game in question. I certainly wouldn't want to expose any homosexuals to a hetereosexual agenda.
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Because BioWare had said it wouldn't be in the game, which upset people. Now it will be in the game, which pleases people.
If they were included off the bat, I certainly wouldn't have posted anything about it, but reversing that decision is certainly noteworthy.-
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I do mention it several times in the story, and in the summary post we're all posting beneath right now.
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I know, but I do like to pretend someone cares every once in a while. And what a lark it was!
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When trying to grasp what kind of person would be offended by this inclusion, I am only reminded of the scene between Sheriff Bart and Jim from Blazing Saddles when Bart is upset with how the townspeople are responding to him, based on his race.
What did you expect? "Welcome, sonny"? "Make yourself at home"? "Marry my daughter"?
You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons.
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I thought this was a star wars MMO not manass effect or dragayn age
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As long as I can still romance Lacey Chabert, I don't care.
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Hurt sex before butt sex. They need to take it to the max. Also wookies.
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Hutt dammit. Fucking phone. HUTT SEX.
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I have no problem with Bioware including the possibility for gay relationships in SW:ToR.
I do have a problem with their implementation of relationships in general. I know that I felt like, in Mass Effect 2, in particular, if I said anything nice to a party member of the opposite sex, it seemed to immediately be translated in their head to "I'm easy... come have sex with me."
Hopefully, they are a lot less ham-handed in ToR, with both hetero and homosexual relationships.-
Yeah, I know what you mean. I played a Female Shepard and pretty well had to stop talking to Kaidan in fear of him trying to hump my leg...
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