The Sims is all about simulating life, and any effort to do that means embracing diversity at a fundamental level. Charles London, who served as art director on the original 2000 game and as creative director on The Sims 2, says that embracing things like same-sex relationships was essential from the start, and says it remains critically important for the series to continue down that path even as the winds of culture shift.
"It's everything," as London tells FRVR, "and I think it's existential for the business, right? It is certainly for society. I think it's incredibly important for there to be a mainstream, beloved brand that says, 'love is love and people are people,' and all the things that I certainly personally believe in, but also I believe it is existential to that business because it is what allows it to be universally appealing, right? Young, old, male, female, gay, straight, other, right? American, Iranian, whatever."
