Gender locked race?

[DevilsDontFly]

But seekers of the sun are based on lions, it seems a bit odd to me to add a new race using the theme of a race already in game. I assume they will have a different build but seems odd to get two new races both very close theme wise to the most popular in game race.

To be fair Blufever was part of a translation team, so all the leaks we got were based off text, and text alone. There's no pictures, concept art, or any visual reference to the Hrothgar apart from mentions to their manes, which is why everybody is drawing the conclusion that manes = lions. And I think Blufever came to the same conclusion himself. But manes aren't exclusive to lions, and if we start thinking that everyone is just assuming lions because a trusted leaker assumed lions based of the word "mane" in text files, that opens room for something else entirely to be the playable race instead.

Example: If Viera didn't exist in the FF universe and were introduced first on XIV, nobody knew what they look like and text files pointed out long ears, everyone would draw the conclusion it's an elf race, or a variation of, even though long ears stands for bunny. Or could be fox, bat, etc.
The same idea can be applied to male Roegadyns, if the very first one to appear and be mentioned by NPCs in text files were a Hellsgard and their black spot on the nose. That draws imagination to jump to lion aesthetic... which they are not.

At the end of the day we are attributing mane as a lion features, when in reality there are many other possibilities that we are not considering because of a lion avatar picture, which could have been a misinterpretation of character features text.

[Roda]

At the end of the day we are attributing mane as a lion features, when in reality there are many other possibilities that we are not considering because of a lion avatar picture, which could have been a misinterpretation of character features text.

Plot twist, we're getting horse people.

[Theodric]

Plot twist, we're getting horse people.

I...I'd be very scared of what my server would do with that.

[Daralii]

I...I'd be very scared of what my server would do with that.

Miqo'te would probably stop being the most popular futas.

[WhiteArchmage]

I...I'd be very scared of what my server would do with that.

You owe me a replacement tea XD

[Lauront]

I...I'd be very scared of what my server would do with that.

I believe they've already transplanted select features of horse anatomy onto other races, including au ra of both genders.

They're just expressing their inner Allagan flair for chimaeric creations.