Tomodachi Life is a series of social simulation video games developed and published by Nintendo. The games feature customizable casts of Mii avatars, who reside on an island, as they autonomously form interpersonal relationships and request help with problems while the player serves as an external observer. It began with the Japan-exclusive title Tomodachi Collection (2009) released for the Nintendo DS, whose development initially stalled when its preliminary character-creation mechanism was adopted for use on the Wii console to create the Miis. A direct sequel, Tomodachi Life (2013) released for the Nintendo 3DS, marked the series' international debut. An online controversy arose when users discovered Miis were unable to enter same-sex relationships; Nintendo ultimately apologized and pledged to add more inclusive gameplay in a prospective sequel. In the years after, other-Mii centric titles released that incorporated simulation elements or were otherwise tied into the Tomodachi Life games. These included Miitomo, a social networking mobile applicaton, Miitopia (both 2016), a role-playing game for the 3DS, and an enhanced remake of Miitopia (2021) for the Nintendo Switch. Following a decade-long hiatus, the main series returned with a new installment, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (2026) for the Switch. Among other customization additions, players were now given the option to select their Miis' romantic preferences, permitting same-sex pairings.
