Fire Emblem Fates is the first Nintendo game to allow same-sex marriage

Next year's Fire Emblem Fates will be the first game in the series to include the option of same-sex marriage.

In fact, it will be the first game in any Nintendo franchise to include the option.

The 3DS role-player, due to be released in the UK in the 2016, will be available here in two separate versions, each with their own story, campaign and set of characters.

"We can confirm that Fire Emblem Fates for Nintendo 3DS, which launches in Japan on June 25, 2015, and is coming to the US 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," a Nintendo spokesperson told Eurogamer today.

"Fire Emblem Fates comes in two different versions, called the Conquest and Birthright editions. In the US, Conquest and Birthright will both be sold separately, as is already the case in Japan. For those who have purchased either the Conquest or Birthright edition, a third edition will be made available as downloadable content at a later stage. Details on how the three storylines will be made available in Europe will be announced at a later date.

"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. Both of the aforementioned characters can be encountered in the third edition of the game.

"We believe that our gameplay experiences should reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate and, at the same time, we will always design the game specifications of each title by considering a variety of factors, such as the game's scenario and the nature of the game play. In the end of course, the game should be fun to play. We feel that Fire Emblem Fates is indeed enjoyable to play and we hope fans like the game."

The move to include same-sex marriage follows the controversy surrounding Tomodachi Life, Nintendo's surreal life simulation game that released last summer in the West.

That game did not include same-sex marriage, despite allowing users to recreate themselves and their partners in the game.

At the time, Nintendo said that it had "never intended to make any form of social commentary" by leaving the option out. A subsequent social media campaign - #Miiquality - prompted Nintendo to comment that it was listening, and would consider the option for future titles.

"We have heard and thoughtfully considered all the responses," Nintendo said at the time. "We will continue to listen and think about the feedback. We're using this as an opportunity to better understand our consumers and their expectations of us at all levels of the organisation."