Final Fantasy XVI Defies Modern Industry Standards of Diversity

Image Credit: Square Enix

With the release date of FFXVI nearing closer and garnering more excitement and attention, it comes to no surprise that it would be scrutinized for its lack of diversity in its mostly Anglo-Saxon cast. It has become common in today’s age of video games to add more inclusion than what was previously shown in the past. The FFXVI team’s decision to prioritize the story over diversity is successful with many fans because they don’t stray from their artistic vision while never forgetting who their main audience is.

In an interview with Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida, IGN asked if there will be black or POC (people-of-color) characters in the game and Yoshida’s response is lengthy but clarifies that they,

“…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. There is diversity in Valisthea. 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.”

Naoki Yoshida. Image Credit: Square Enix

This means that there will not be much ethnic diversity as many players would like to see from our world reflected in the game’s world of Valisthea.

It is understandable that many people want diverse characters in the game because it is a way to see themselves represented in their favorite childhood franchise. They want to see reality reflected in the game to a certain degree yet this very act is contradictory. Reality in FFXVI is reflected in its world of Valisthea to an extent but its world is its own fantasy world with its own rules, creatures and people. It is not meant to be a direct reflection of our world. In FFXVI the creators have a story they want to tell that we, the players, get to experience as we step into the main character, Clive Rosfield’s, shoes. This narrative style is similar to earlier 2000s games such as Assassin's Creed 1 and The Witcher 1, and like its predecessors it too is coming under fire for prioritizing the creator’s artistic vision and story.

From left to right: Final Fantasy XVI, The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt, and Assassin's Creed | Image Credit: Square Enix, CD Projekt Red, and Ubisoft

FFXVI is a game that does not seek to please and represent everyone. A game that tries, inevitably fails because it is impossible to appeal to every demographic. This is why most games have a specific group of players as their target audience. For FFXVI their target audience consists of Final Fantasy fans, action combat players, medieval fantasy lovers, single players, and lore lovers. Lastly, it is for people who want to be immersed in a world that differs vastly from our own, and allows them to forget reality in a game.