Male Viera as a playable character! show your support

[Francel]

Please add both male Viera and female Hrothgar to the game.

There would be far less backlash if "no male Viera" had simply been announced during EU Fanfest. Like many others, I had long suspected that we would not get male Viera simply because they were absent during the Paris presentation, but it was clear that people wanted male Viera when the females were announced, and it was foolish to have not addressed that expectation immediately. There was no reason to have refused to comment on male Viera when the females were revealed. There was no reason to maintain a coy silence, to tell people to wait until the JP Fanfest. There was no reason to give people hope only to let them down in the end.

Of course, with a playerbase this big, not everyone can be pleased. And I am happy for those who have already decided that they are content with the two races as they currently stand. But that does not negate the voices of the many, many players who are disappointed — especially when those who are disappointed were those who had the most faith in the dev team to begin with. (I tried to convince many of my friends that we would not be getting male Viera; they refused to listen to me, time and time again, because they strongly believed that the developers knew what their fans wanted. I had no such conviction.)

Those who would criticize disappointment surrounding the new races as "drama" over "cosmetic issues" have failed to consider that, miraculously, other people have priorities different from their own, and in fact, for a great many players, "cosmetics" actually constitute the most important part of the game. Furthermore, characterizing widespread player disappointment as "whining" or "toxicity" or "tantrum-throwing" is a short-sighted view of the situation as it currently stands. Characterizing any decision to unsubscribe as some sort of failure of loyalty is frankly absurd. The creators behind this game have made a product that their customers aren't satisfied with, and their customers have every right to complain, or choose to support something else if they do not feel valued.

All of us pay a monthly fee to be entertained. Those who are displeased will take their money elsewhere. Loyalty doesn't factor into this. Subscription loss is not a "threat" but a mere fact of business.

I respect the work that goes into this game, but this response was to be expected. If they are genuinely surprised by any backlash about the lack of male Viera, it only proves that they have listened only to what they want to hear.

[Lacan]

Signed! Very well said.

[Blazen20]

At this point i know they're not going to be able to get the missing sexes in by the time ShadowBringer releases and the most likely case that they'll never bring them in, but i want to know why they refused to make a male Viera and vise-versa.

[Voxim]

Signed! Would love to see Male Viera and Female Hrothgar

[Rosenoire]

Signed. This feels disappointingly retrograde, especially since it reinforces the "women must be pretty/men must be buff" dynamic introduced with the Au Ra, and amplifies it. There's no buff bunny or pretty lion option, just gender role stereotypes that are tired in 2019.

[Roda]

or pretty lion option,.

Miqo'te.
/10char

[Frogger2]

SE, I am deeply disappointed in your reinforcement of the same old "bulky stronkman, smol sweetgirl" gender images. You know, in addition to there being no "old" face options for females, while there are several for males. I can promise you, more people than you'd think do not resonate with this kind of dynamic. This is a fantasy world, let us have what we all crave and are still paving the way towards in the real world.

You as a multi million dollar company hold the power and influence, and thus the responsibility to consider these things.

Honestly, besides this being detrimental to society, you missed an opportunity to earn big cred (and $$$), as topics such as not conforming, dysphoria, empowerment, lgbtq issues, etc etc (even the aesthetics of it) resonate with a lot of people right now. You have let a lot of people down and I can't see a valid reason for doing so. I hope this isn't some "do half the work now so people can complain and then we'll "fix" it in later patches so they feel we're listening" scheme, which can be an effective strategy but in the given context I'd doubt it's morality. These options aren't just some "niche" or "cosmetic updates" to be added later, they are just as valid and not adding them immediately carries certain implications.

[Kelryth]

The idea that "Lore" is holding back Male Viera, frankly, insulted me. Square, you're the pinnacle of the industry. I dreamed of working for you as a child. Your stories and worlds are imaginative, and you want to tell me that your creative minds couldn't consider the open ended possibilities of Male Viera leaving their forest because it's on fire, or they're under attack and could use assistance to really help ensure survival? Or that a Viera boy left the forest on his own, because of curiosity, violating his community's traditions to seek new frontiers, and forever being banished from his traditions? I can think of so many interesting stories to tell with the sparse information you provided about the boys being taken away as youths to train in becoming protectors of the forest, living in isolation, away from the females, and away from the rest of the world. Just that little snippet, and if I can do it, I have a very hard time believing you are not imaginative enough to do it as well ... Or that you're not savvy enough to let players figure out why their Male Viera left the forest they 'never leave'.

You can do better. Your artists deserve better. Your worlds deserve better. Your players deserve better.
[truncated quote]

Very well said and I completely agree. I have never liked gender locking races/classes in games and I tend to avoid them. FFXIV is my favourite game so I can't do that this time. Lets respectfully keep the pressure up. Where are the in game can I get the bunny ears head ware? Lets wear bunny ears in support of the removal of the gender locks on the Viera and Hrothgar. Post screenshots to social media. Make video's about this on youtube.

[Fourbestintoner]

Male vieras would have been bulky stronkmen too, with a body type similar to male au ra, not the crossdressing little boys people here wanted them to be.
They are loners, hunters, crazy killer rabbits that murder trespassers, not househusbands.
Would have still preferred them to the fat furries from GW2 though.

[EvilAlina]

I preordered and will be making a Viera. This is just how it is. I'm making one.
I support making male viera so my fiance can make his bunny too.
...and so I can make an eye candy retainer.
If it's just delayed from launch, fine, but I want it.