Square Enix explains why FFXV is a boys only road trip

Source: mweb.co.za

As an avid Final Fantasy fan, I am disappointed that there will be no permanent female party member in Final Fantasy XV. Square Enix’s reasoning behind the exclusion of the fairer sex from the party, effectively creating a “boys road trip” might make perfect sense to some, while it could disappoint others.

Can’t a female character slum it with the boys?

In a recent survey from players who experienced Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae, Square Enix received a massive amount of feedback. Final Fantasy XV Director Hajima Tabata responded with an Active Time Report to provide details about the player feedback, addressing complaints about the demo.

The top complaint from European players is that there are no female party members, as the call for the removal of Prompto (the least popular of the male foursome) and replacing him with a female character. It is understandable that players would like a female character, as female players could have an easier time identifying with the party.

Hajima Tabata confirms that they won’t add a new female character or remove Promto:

"In terms of adding a female character to the party, our concept is that this about following the foursome's journey in an environment where they can be themselves, and thereby allowing the player to feel like they are travelling with them. So removing Prompto, who was the least favourite, and replacing him with a new female character just doesn't sound right." - Source

However, there will be guest party characters. Hajima Tabata confirms that a guest female character will be in the mix:

"We won't be letting anyone down. Normally, it's just the four guys, so the tent's probably not in tip top shape, but if a female character gets thrown into the mix, you can expect things to be a little different than usual.

They'll probably clean and say things they wouldn't normally say around her. Things like that. I think it'll be fun to see the differences when the guys are being themselves, and when it's not just the four of them. That's how I want the players to journey with them. We're working hard to make sure this really gets across. Please look forward to seeing the differences when a guest character joins your party." – Source

Although the reasoning behind the exclusion of a permanent female party character does make sense from the standpoint of wanting the guys to “be themselves”, it is still disappointing news. Why can’t a female character slum it with the boys?

It is realistic that males will tidy things up and “censor” some of their talks while a female is around. However, this points to inherent social issues and expectations of what a female character is to their male counterparts. Does the male characters cleaning and not being able to be themselves point to a guess female character becoming a love interest?  We will have to wait and see when Final Fantasy XV releases.

You can watch the whole video above, where Hajima Tabata addresses the top 15 complaints, such as the lack of a minimap (which will be in the full game). The video is almost 90 minutes long and in Japanese, but well worth it even if you have to read subtitles.

Is the female mechanic Cindy too sexy?

Another top complaint is that Cindy, a female mechanic the foursome meets, is “too sexy”. Hajima Tabata addresses the issue:

"About Cindy being too sexy, she's actually not meant to be an erotic character.

So maybe it's about moderating the way she's presented, where it appears as though overly sexual themes are being brought to the forefront, because that's not who she's supposed to be. Maybe as long as we maintain those boundaries.

Her character is not about sex. She is not supposed to be too sexy, but the male members on the dev team did their best to create her. As a result, perhaps too much of their heart and soul went into her. So if we put too much into her, then we should remove the excess heart and soul, and make sure she's a character you'd be completely comfortable with seeing in the living room. That's where our line will be, so please be assured." - Source

Is there really something like “too sexy”? Yes there is, especially when the character is not supposed to be erotic. However, the complaint does seem justified to some extent, as the character “shows a lot of skin” in the image above.

Did you play Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae? Do you think the addition of a female character to the party can work? Do you think Cindy is too sexy? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

Glad they are not changing their vision of the story because of player feedback. X-2 was all female right? Everyone seemed ok with that, so I don't see a problem here.

To be honest, I don't really care.

Release the bloody game.

Cindy was not suppose to be an erotic character?...

What kind of sorcery is this???!!!

Please just make a good game with a good story without trying to pander to the lowest common denominator. If your vision is to make a game with all male characters then by all means realise it. We already have too many JRPGs with full female casts which amount to nothing more than fanservice games.

I would like to see a good JRPG above all this.

Good I'm glad their not kicking out a male party member to add in one of the female npc's or completely new female character. This game is taking long enough as it is without redoing large parts of the story and creating moves ect. For a new character.

Didn't the criticism come from the game mechanics though, the dresspheres? I don't think people criticised it by suggesting it was sexist like this article does, simply for not having a male party member. At least not that I remember.

The official reason though is to piss me off specifically.

But Prompto Argentum already looks like a female character. Not a complaint, just an observation.

I like their reasoning and it's quite normal for male only or female only groups to tag together for the road and meet different people along it and make temporary stay. But it's a lot harder to see a mix group on an intimate trip without love involved.