It's no secret that some companies, particularly big name studios, have come out in the past and said they simply don't have the resources to include playable female characters, even recently. I'm not going to bother naming companies, and a lot of it is hearsay, but the notion still stands. Of course, that notion is pure BS, because there seems to be plenty of resources for male characters. Moreover, these are big name studios coming out and saying these things, that have plenty of resources due to their high profit margin.
I'm not at all implying that every game needs female characters. In the case of a single player game, the playable character should be of whatever gender, race or creed of the dev's choosing. In the case of online multiplayer, however, there is often a budget to include character models of varying races, so it's laughable at best that companies claim women would be too expensive.
I'm also not taking a shot at all big name companies. Insomniac trolled Ubisoft recently by advertising playable female characters for Sunset Overdrive, one of whom was clad in Assassin's Creed-esque clothing. I'm also aware that games like Bayonetta 2, Mirror's Edge 2 and Guerilla's upcoming rpg, all feature female leads. I'm simply pointing out an observation made, not only by myself, but by plenty of others.
When people preach the superiority of indie games, I agree, but only to an extent. Indie games don't always have the budget of a standard AAA game, or the graphics one might expect from a full retail release, but they more than make up for it with an above average creativity, and a fitting price to boot.
In short, things that big companies claim they don't have the resources for, can, and have been done by devs who lack the same budget, and who could be forced into bankruptcy by one unsuccessful game. It's hard not to have a lot more respect for a company that has more to lose, yet still includes things like female characters in their game(which is hardly something that should be seen as extraordinary anyways).
Between games like Red Goddess, Time Spinner and Midora, it's apparent that women have not only found a home in indieville, but are actually thriving there. Some claim that AAA devs could learn a lot from indie devs, and in cases like this, I'm definitely inclined to agree. A higher average of female leads isn't the only area where indie gaming appears to trump its more contemporary counterparts of course, but it is as good an example as any.
Sales of the Nintendo Switch have been higher than those of PS5 in Japan since the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2.
There was a worldwide chip shortage when PS5 released so not an apples to apples comparison.
Pretty sure Japan had plenty of PS5 on the shelves to buy no matter what. The fact is, Japan has moved to mobile gaming over standard home console. Software sales alone show that.
Ys X: Proud Nordics is a rebalanced version of 2024's action JRPG Ys X: Nordics, with loads of added gameplay features.
Aion 2 receives major updates in Korea with a new dungeon, Libra system, Abyss changes and progression improvements ahead of global release plans.
Assassin's Creed Unity's multiplayer precludes the inclusion of female avatar's. There, I just ended the "I'm yet another person ragging on Ubisoft for not having a female Assassin option in AC Unity" blog that this is.
For someone who is apparently "not saying" things, you sure do say a lot of things indirectly.
I hope this isn't too off topic; but lately I have come to an "awakening" of sorts with games. Why can't my sister play as a girl in her games? Seems strange in 2014 companies refuse to allow certain members of society the option of seeing "themselves" in games.
IMHO create a character in most games made would work wonders in solving this issue; at least alittle.
apologies if my comment is off base or unwanted on your post.
Wow, I wasn't expecting the response this post got. It was just an observation I had, and the purpose was to generate discussion, which seems to have worked. Of course, as a male gamer, playing as a male character is just fine with me. It has, however, been apparent for years that he opposite sex is under represented in videogames, especially when it comes to playable characters. My jab at Assassin's Creed was meant to be more playful than serious. I think AC is a great series.
Of course, the other part of this post was a jab at AAA games, for being unable to accomplish what smaller devs have done with smaller budgets, but again, it was meant as a fun jab. I play a lot of AAA games too, and that isn't going to change, just because I also happen to appreciate indie games. Sometimes, I just enjoy making observations, and reflecting on them, and that was the angle I approached this topic from.