A PC version was mentioned in the Final Fantasy 16 reveal trailer but hasn't been acknowledged since, and Square Enix is promoting the game as a PS5 exclusive. Diversity that, while not all-encompassing, is synergistic with the setting we’ve created and is true to the inspirations from which we are drawing."įinal Fantasy has always been a pretty white series, but even so Yoshida's response to the question of diversity is, as he predicted, disappointing.įinal Fantasy 16, an entirely new mainline addition to the series that will feature brand new characters in an entirely new game world, is set to debut on the PlayStation 5 in the summer of 2023.
"People whose stories we can resonate with. Yoshida also threw a nod to the notion that diversity of thought is what really matters: "In the end, we simply want the focus to be less on the outward appearance of our characters and more on who they are as people-people who are complex and diverse in their natures, backgrounds, beliefs, personalities, and motivations," he said. "The story we are telling is fantasy, yes, but it is also rooted in reality."
"Ultimately, we felt that while incorporating ethnic diversity into Valisthea was important, an over-incorporation into this single corner of a much larger world could end up causing a violation of those narrative boundaries we originally set for ourselves," Yoshida said.
What does "realism" mean when you've got whole-ass dragons flying around in the sky and nekkers come up from the ground? (It's also often used to explain the absence of women in fantasy RPG settings.) But it's a rationale that crumbles under even the most cursory examination. It's not a great answer, but it is a well-worn one: A commitment to medieval "realism" has been used many times in the past to justify a lack of diversity in games, including big hits like The Witcher (opens in new tab), Kingdom Come: Deliverance (opens in new tab), and Mordhau (opens in new tab).
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