Wow, Wuk Lamat is really single-handedly ruining the DT story...

[Daralii]

I'm not defending Yoshida here, especially after the past two years, but I do wonder how far his influence goes in scenarios like these. I remember him saying he was surprised by Y'shtola's "froth and foam" bit back then and actually mentioned he felt like it might have been a step too far for her character, or words to that effect (Google is failing me.) Other comments by him also seem to indicate that while he has a general say in what goes and offers some input along the way, it's pretty much left to the writers until the later stages, and even then, there are some battles he loses if there's any disagreement. Ishikawa literally had the power to do a near rewrite of EW's plot at almost the last minute when she found it underwhelming, so I think it's a mistake to assume his word is law or he unequivocally approves of every writing decision the team makes.

I think the issue is whatever's driving this bizarre new direction they've taken with the game's tone that's been brewing for a while, and the fact they've largely handed things over to new writers this time around.

It might be other members of the board(and/or other leadership) trying to do the classic tone deaf mass appeal pivot with Yoshida tasked with playing the role of salesman.

[Lunaxia]

It might be other members of the board(and/or other leadership) trying to do the classic tone deaf mass appeal pivot with Yoshida tasked with playing the role of salesman.

You would be surprised by just how frequently this is the case, even with someone in Yoshida's position.

That said, we don't know his true feelings on the matter, and it's just as likely he's quite happy with the result, but it's worth remembering there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes we don't know about, especially when it comes down to who has the final word about what happens with the game. The feedback for the actual fights and dungeon design seems very positive, so there's still a degree of care and thought going into into some areas, at least. I'm inclined to think the mess surrounding the story specifically is an attempt to hold on to the success and numbers achieved by previous expansions and catering to a broader demographic for that specific purpose (because the bottom line is and always will be, money) and that sort of decision making tends to come from higher up, if you catch my drift. And these days, fluff and fanservice sells.