Final Fantasy 16's release is close, but now some fans have called for a boycott of the game due to the lack of character diversity.
Final Fantasy 16 is set to be released on June 22, and many fans of the franchise are hyped for the new game. But not everybody seems to be happy about the game and the characters of this universe. Especially the lack of character diversity and the lack of representation of minorities sparks criticism among the community.
Because of this, some fans are calling for a boycott of Final Fantasy 16, to signal Square Enix their discontent and hope for improvements in this regard.
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Final Fantasy 16: Fans Call For Boycott
The Final Fantasy franchise is known for its iconic characters and immersive universe. But not everybody feels included, as some fans are calling for a boycott of the game. The reason behind this call to action is the lack of diversity within the Final Fantasy games, since most of the characters are white, people of other ethnicities don't feel represented enough.
In the online forum Resetera, several Final Fantasy fans spoke about their feelings regarding the new game.
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The user bshark asked the question:
So despite notable criticism and backlash online regarding the lack of diversity in the game, and Square's continuously questionable response to the topic, it seems a lot of people are still planning to purchase FF16. This feels...a little odd to me, because it would seem like the best way to send a message to square would be to 'vote with your wallet' per say, and not purchase the game given these concerns?
He received varying answers. Some user joined him in his concerns and want to boycott the game to send a sign to Square Enix. But most of the people announced to buy the gamer, not matter the controversy sparked around it. User "celes" described her situation and the problems she's having with the gaming scene in general:
No. If I boycotted games due to lack of diversity in terms of characters that looked like me, I wouldn't have shit to play outside of a few indies at best to put it very bluntly. Rep for black women in gaming is abysmal across the board and I would say it's even worse for south asian woman, south american women, etc, etc.Everyone has to decide for themselves but for me, I found it more useful to support the games that have diversity and being very outspoken about my thoughts when it is lacking like I've done in XVI threads so far. That and also uplifting the journalists who continue to press these devs in interviews about this so they know it's an issue that can't be easily swept under the rug.
It's unluckily that controversies like this will have an immediate effect on the numbers of Final Fantasy 16 or other big franchise titles. But one thing is for sure, this topic isn't off the table for Square Enix and the Final Fantasy franchise, since topics like diversity and representation of ethnic or sexual minorities are becoming more and more important in gaming.
But only the future will show how game developers and publishers will react to this.
Here, you can find more information about Final Fantasy 16: