Tomodachi Life adds gay and nonbinary Miis

Nintendo confirmed during Thursday’s Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Direct that players will be able to make Miis gay and nonbinary as part of the usual Mii creation process.

The game adds a “dating preferences” setting allowing each Mii to date and marry multiple genders (or none), and the menu explicitly lists “nonbinary” as a third gender option.

The nonbinary option stands out compared with recent Nintendo titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which used two ambiguous “styles” tied to traditional perceptions of gender, and the change has been called a significant step by fans.

Fans have long pushed for this: 2014’s Tomodachi Life forced Miis to be heterosexual and only male or female, prompting petitions, criticism and even rumors of a patched bug. Nintendo later said, “We pledge that if we create a next installment in the Tomodachi series, we will strive to design a game-play experience from the ground up that is more inclusive, and better represents all players.”

Livestream comments were flooded with gay flag emojis and the game’s subreddit reacted positively; after nearly 12 years of anticipation, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is set to release on April 16.

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