Fire Emblem Fates Will Include Same-Sex Marriage

Forging relationships has always been a key component in recent Fire Emblem games. Today, a statement from Nintendo, provided to Polygon, confirmed the inclusion of same-sex marriage in Fire Emblem Fates, a first for the series.  

"We can confirm that Fire Emblem Fates for Nintendo 3DS, which launches in Japan on June 25, 2015, and is coming to the U.S. and Europe in 2016, includes the possibility for a same-sex marriage to take place between the main character created by the gamer and another character in the game." 

Good news! But there are some major caveats. Fire Emblem Fates is launching with two different editions, Conquest and Birthright. Nintendo state that "In the Conquest edition of the game, there is a male character that the game's player may have his/her male main character marry after they bond in battle. Similarly, the Birthright edition features a female character that a female main character may marry after bonding in battle."

Putting it simply, marriage between two men seems to be restricted to the Conquest edition, and marriage between two women is only possible in Birthright. However, a third edition is being made available at a later date which will include both the male and female character from Conquest and Birthright.

It's a little convoluted, but the opportunity for same-sex marriage represents a positive step forward for the series and Nintendo.