Final Fantasy XV Director: Having An All-Male Cast Makes the Game Feel “More Approachable”

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In an industry that is increasingly more concerned with gender representation in video games, for better or for worse, Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata has spoken his mind in regards to the game’s all-male cast.

As we’ve known, the core experience of Final Fantasy XV is meant to come off as a “road movie,” which Tabata has likened more to a journey of friends. When speaking with GameSpot on the subject of the game featuring a male-only playable cast, Tabata responded:

“Speaking honestly, an all-male party feels almost more approachable for players. Even the presence of one female in the group will change their behaviour, so that they’ll act differently. So to give the most natural feeling, to make them feel sincere and honest, having them all the same gender made sense in that way.”

Tabata goes further into this, describing the overall perception of story surrounding the cast as a “boys will be boys” theme. Will this mean we’ll be seeing shenanigans on the level of The Hangover? Probably not. “It was the story we wanted to tell and what we wanted to show players,” said Tabata.

“The world might be ready to see the curtain lifted on what boys do when girls aren’t around, when they come out of the tent all prim and proper,” said Tabata. “That’s kind of the idea behind it… we think, male or female player, that everyone will feel a certain connection and bond with the four characters.”

So what do you guys think? Will having an all-male cast in a very story driven role playing game benefit the narrative? The Final Fantasy XV demo, Episode Duscae, is currently available with first-run copies of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD.

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