I get that there's really not much to discuss—we already know exactly why they didn't include male Viera on the first go-round. And I get that when everyone is just spinning their wheels, arguments are bound to be circular. But is the old "they're beholden to Ivalice Alliance lore" thing really being rehashed again?

FFXIV is not an Ivalice Alliance game. It is not beholden to Ivalice Alliance lore. It is not beholden to the lore of any preexisting Final Fantasy game, for that matter. There are so many examples of homages and references to past Final Fantasy games not being 1:1 adaptations of the source material that the idea that Viera alone are bound to the lore of a previous game is baffling.