Final Fantasy 16’s Approach to Diversity Pulls on ‘Various Cultures With Great Respect and Care’
Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida expands on earlier comments he made to IGN regarding the game’s approach to diversity, explaining that its story and setting are inspired by different cultures.
As part of a roundtable discussion attended by IGN, Yoshida was asked to expand on an earlier comment in which he expressed his views on the ethnic diversity of Final Fantasy 16’s cast. white letters.
Mr. Yoshida first said about this question, “We need to pay close attention to wording and nuances,” and then explained his view on the situation.
“People all have their own ideas about the scope and understanding of the word ‘diversity,'” he said. “I don’t think this is a bad thing, but it does mean that the impression my answer gives can vary greatly depending on how you personally interpret the meaning. I would like you to keep it.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to say that we have deeply researched and researched various cultures and values around the world, created the world of Baristeia and the story of Final Fantasy 16, and woven them together. It is with great respect and care that we dive into this epic fantasy story and world. I think players will definitely resonate with some of these and probably find others that don’t have the same outlook. I hope that.”
As part of a presentation that preceded a recent hands-on demonstration, members of the press were shown various kingdoms of the world of Valisea, each seemingly designed around different cultural values. So far, however, the people of these countries all seem to have predominantly European-style physical characteristics.
When IGN previously asked whether to include Black or POC characters, Yoshida said, “The geographic, technological, and geopolitical constraints that underlie this setting make Valisea as realistic as modern-day Earth.” It wasn’t going to be diverse…or even Final Fantasy XIV, which has an entire planet (and moon) worth of nations, races, and cultures at its disposal.”
He went on to explain that Final Fantasy 16’s approach to diversity is not “all-encompassing”, but rather part of the composition of the word. “Ultimately, I want to focus less on the appearance of the characters and more on who they are as people: people with complex and diverse personalities, backgrounds, beliefs, personalities and motivations.” He said. He said. “People with stories we can relate to. There’s a lot of variety in Baristaire. I won’t be exhaustive, but it’s synergistic with the settings we’ve created and the inspiration we’re drawing from.” Diversity true to
Learn more about Final Fantasy 16, how Square Enix is taking a fresh approach to accessibility, why the game is only possible on new generation hardware, and how non-open worlds work. Please look.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.
