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[Manmademan]

Tetsuya Nomura, the actual CREATOR and Director of the game for 8 years told us why the cast is all-male.



I don't know why Tabata has to even defend this. Do interviewers really think that this is a slight against women?

nope, no issue here at all. On reading this the first thing that came to mind is the old film "Stand by Me", where a group of boys go on a coming of age journey. You could have added 2, 3, or 4 more boys and it wouldn't have changed the movie in any significant way, but you can't really say that about adding a girl to that cast. The entire dynamic of the group would have changed completely and it would have been a different movie.

This wasn't supposed to be mainline either

They just made it because the people wanted the bro-down

yup. This started life as FFXIII-Versus, people, not FFXV. And besides, Final Fantasy has lost so much relevance at this point and had so many sequels and online only games there's no significant distinction between "mainline" and "not mainline" anymore.

The mental gymnastics required to somehow say that FFX-2 and FFXIII-2 "don't count", but FFXI, FFXIV, and "the game formerly known as FF versus XIII" DO because of arbitrary numbering would be something to see.

 

[Mesoian]

Why not just add a female to the cast who's not treated differently by the rest of the group and who isn't subject to any romance angles?

I'd assume the response would be, "men act different when around women, even women who they are intrinsically familiar with. This is supposed to be a story about male platonic bonding, without the ideals of sexuality getting in the way."

Which would be valid if the story is good.

I doubt the story will be that good.

 

[wmlk]

Why not just add a female to the cast who's not treated differently by the rest of the group and who isn't subject to any romance angles?

Because this is the story they decided to go with. It's their choice.

Just the idea of four guys sleeping together in a tent shows how this story is centred around their friendship. It just wouldn't work for the story they've written.

 

[HeelPower]

http://store.steampowered.com/app/251990/

don't hurt me

you're supposed to be quoting me..

Its totally a different person.Falk gonna Falk lol

 

[TheChillyAcademic]

Haven't played it. Heard it sucks. Not really a mainline entry anyway.

Fail, junior.

Fail.

Game is awesome.

 

[CorrisD]

I think I somewhat understand what he is trying to say, maybe. But when you create a fictional story there are few real excuses for such things. At the same time there there is a reason I guess why myself and my male friends just go out to do stuff together even when we have a whole bunch of female friends, we lads like to do lad things together, lol.

The sexy all male love that no body knows about ?

It is really us that runs around in our underwear hitting each other with pillows, it is time the world knows and acknowledges it.

 

[Terareflection]

I kinda get what he trying to say, but that translation makes his explanation seem really silly and juvenile.

 

[Ushojax]

Now imagine if she was still the main character instead of Van.

Oh FF12...you were so close. Why did you flinch in the end?

I thought Basch was supposed to be the main character originally?

 

[Dinda]

I thought Basch was supposed to be the main character originally?

You mean Balthier?

 

[Falk]

Is this for little girls or for certain adults.

E for Everyone

you're supposed to be quoting me..

Its totally a different person.Falk gonna Falk lol

I don't even know how that happened.

 

[Platy]

If their behaviors change that much next to a girl, I want to see a sidequest that is posting a girl-age thread on gaf

Yaoi?

IF soemone wants to make a love fanfic about this game, the person has a 99% chance of writing a fanfic because 99% of the possible pairings are dudexdude

 

[JackDT]

Because he's keeping it as Nomura intended, which is for it to be a story about a group of four friends who happen to be guys.

That's what he should have said, instead of what he actually said.

 

[sensui-tomo]

http://store.steampowered.com/app/251990/

don't hurt me

Now my cell phone could be acting up, but I never made that post. Shows me saying the quoted.

 

[Alienous]

I don't see how people could have played/seen the opening to Duscae and not viewed the 'road trip' dynamic as novel. Equally it wouldn't quite work with a girl as part of the group.

It isn't a case of ignoring the real world. If you did then the genders of the characters wouldn't matter, because they could be anything and it wouldn't have the slightest bearing on the real world or the people in it, which is presumably the issue.

I understand that on paper an all male party is something to get outraged about but what's the real issue? Women won't want to play as an all male party like FFXV features (only one of the four being the masculine ideal type)? Women might play and think "So, I can't be a prince on a magical road trip to find a crystal?". What's the actual controversy here beyond the all male cast? What does it mean, especially within FF?

 

[lightchris]

You call it more approachable, I call it more boring..

I think I get what he's trying to say, but I don't like it.

 

[aeolist]

the design decision is whatever, defending it with "we wanted to make a game where boys will be boys" is instantly offputting

 

[Outtrigger888]

FFXV - Dudes Night Out

I really hope this doesn't turn into a no female bitching fest on the interwebs.

 

[Mesoian]

FFXV - Dudes Night Out

I really hope this doesn't turn into a no female bitching fest on the interwebs.

It will.

Ooooh it will.

 

[HeelPower]

IF soemone wants to make a love fanfic about this game, the person has a 99% chance of writing a fanfic because 99% of the possible pairings are dudexdude

Well there's Cindy,Luna,Blackhaired girl...and....

 

[Kinyou]

I think I found some new gameplay footage of the game

https://youtu.be/byOw4AYd7-8?t=1m53s

 

[cpp_is_king]

Rest of Gamespot Interview here.

This is going to be taken out of context so many ways. But I kind of agree with him. When girls have a girls night out and go hang out together, they act differently. The same is true when a bunch of bros go hang out together. That's all he's really saying, that the dynamic of a group of guys being bros together is different than when there's a female in the group.

 

[TheChillyAcademic]

You call it more approachable, I call it more boring..

I think I get what he's trying to say, but I don't like it.

So it wouldn't be boring with females in the party?

Just by default?

 

[Kagari]

FFXV - Dudes Night Out

I really hope this doesn't turn into a no female bitching fest on the interwebs.

It already has.

 

[Mr. RHC]

Because he's keeping it as Nomura intended, which is for it to be a story about a group of four friends who happen to be guys.

That's what he should have said, instead of what he actually said.

For Tabata, the journey will have the cast adopting what he dubs a "boys will be boys" type demeanor. "It was the story we wanted to tell and what we wanted to show players," he explained.

Bad, Tabata, bad. If you wanted to have a story about 4 boys broing it out why didn't you just say so... when you actually said so in this very interview.. oh wait.. my bad.

 

[Falk]

Well there's Cindy,Luna,Blackhaired girl...and....

crazy chocobo lady

i mean the guy's clearly out of the picture now

someone should go for it

 

[Shamdeo]

It already has one of the hottest Final Fantasy characters in the entire series

Spoiler

GLADIOULOS

so why not keep it manly <3

+1 for Men!!

i see you oggling his gladios again

 

[HoodWinked]

FFXV - Dudes Night Out

I really hope this doesn't turn into a no female bitching fest on the interwebs.

the design decision is whatever, defending it with "we wanted to make a game where boys will be boys" is instantly offputting

lol.

 

[IncandescentPrecept]

We've had an all-female party before in FF but have we ever had an all-male party?

 

[Green Mamba]

I think FFXV's small, samey cast of boring Nomura template males would be easier to swallow if I didn't know that another mainline FF isn't coming out any time this decade.

 

[Punchy4486]

More approachable in what way? It makes it less appealing, because you give me the option to play as a girl in a game, and 95% of the time I will pick the girl.

Then they made FFX-2 just for you!

 

[Manmademan]

You mean Balthier?

nope. he's correct. Basch was the original main character.

Then they made FFX-2 just for you!

and FFXIII-2 and XIII-3!

 

[Falk]

We've had an all-female party before in FF but have we ever had an all-male party?

4 warrior party in FF1

(good luck)

 

[lightchris]

So it wouldn't be boring with females in the party?

Just by default?

You never know for sure. In my opinion (and for my tastes), the probability of it being less boring than with an all-male party would be higher.

 

[TheChillyAcademic]

i see you oggling his gladios again

You ain't lyin!

 

[Maintenance]

Well, FFX-2 exists, so this should be the same except with the opposite genre. Don't see a problem with that.

 

[GlassEmpires]

We've had an all-female party before in FF but have we ever had an all-male party?

Only if you could make the party yourself. Hell, the first FF can be made of all one gender since the characters' genders are only defined by their name.
Unless I'm mistaken and NPCs refer to you in specific ways

 

[NoctisVsStar]

Why are people surprised about this? This has been known for 9 years.

 

[Chmpocalypse]

Rest of Gamespot Interview here.

Wow, what a load of horseshit.

 

[StrongBlackVine]

I see no problem with this.

 

[HeelPower]

This is going to be taken out of context so many ways. But I kind of agree with him. When girls have a girls night out and go hang out together, they act differently. The same is true when a bunch of bros go hang out together. That's all he's really saying, that the dynamic of a group of guys being bros together is different than when there's a female in the group.

Yup I agree.

Its just true and its something they were going for since the game was a spin off.

I appreciate the authenticity.

 

[Alienous]

You never know for sure. In my opinion (and for my tastes), the probability of it being less boring than with an all-male party would be higher.

But why?

Are men and women so different? If so, how? If not, then why would it matter?

 

[uncleslappy]

Approachable.

If anything this douchebag "let's get in our bad ass convertible and drive around eating fast food" vibe, while wearing the Anime equivalent of Affliction T Shirts is completely turning me off to the game all together.

 

[Ramenman]

I don't mind the cast but the way Tabata is trying to defend it just rubs me the wrong way.

Yes.

Also, the translation/language barrier probably isn't helping.

Whenever I read one of those comments it feels like those weird translated-from-japanese phrases that is quite hard to put your finger on. So here the fact that it's on a topic that can quickly become sensitive isn't helping.

I guess what they're trying to say every time is the obvious thing "we wanted to tell a story about 4 guys so we couldn't have 3 guys and 2 girls because else it's not a story about 4 guys", which I guess makes sense.

 

[NoctisVsStar]

I see no problem with this.

You ain't alone.

 

[Cartman86]

People talk about lazy game devs. This is the true laziness. A real lack of imagination. It's not uncommon thinking either. There exists stories where an all male cast that allows "boys to be boys" works. We've all seen them. Am I confident that this story will come in any way close to that? Hell no. They can always prove me wrong I suppose.

 

[Sheroking]

Well, in fairness, that's probably true...

Spoiler

For deeply insecure boys

 

[paragonpro]

He wanted to make a bro trip story, that's fine, so im not going to jump down his throat. But man is that a poor choice of words, particularly in today's very sensitive gaming climate.

 

[Alex]

It's one thing to design a group like that, that's fine and I understand the whole childhood friends thing but you really don't need to make a goof of yourself to the media with oddball justifications and headlines that are just gonna get twisted. This never turns out well even in the most innocuous of circumstances.

See I never got this, being gay myself.

Seems like half the guys you ask will give your response "If I have to stare at someones ass for 30 hours, might as well be a chicks of course!" and the other "I'm a dude, why the fuck would I play as a girl??"

I wonder what differs between the two mindsets.

Well, with Japanese games in certain circles you often deal with a lot of otaku types who want all female casts for saccharine tones, eyecandy, "cuteness", etc. It's often not a desire for any strong characterization of women as it is for pandering to a fetish. This is not a target for any individual in this thread/board, but it's most def becoming a common thing.

On the other end of the spectrum you deal with that common sentimentality that women and anything "girly" is weak and inferior and by associating with it in our extremely masculine culture you're at risk of catching "the gay". If you grew up in America at least in a part like I did (Western WA) you should be well versed in how moronic some people can be over shit like that.

 

[Alchemy]

Oh I understand the reasoning just fine. I just don't like it and it doesn't make me want to play FFXV.

 

[HeelPower]

crazy chocobo lady

i mean the guy's clearly out of the picture now

someone should go for it