I'm still not convinced that it's as difficult as they claim it is. They've been dealing with the issue of coding for quite some time and have managed to get around a great many issues. I'd say it's more that there's a sense of subtle disdain and dismissal on behalf of the development team where male characters are concerned. It doesn't help that one of their guests was openly lashing out at the idea of good looking men in a recent interview. (Yet mysteriously promoting 'waifu' characters at the same time).

I'd also point to things such as Hien's outfit. I won't say it's terrible but it has obvious texture issues and is a blatant adjustment of an existing asset. Lyse and Yotsuyu had much more effort put into making their attire look good and smooth - despite both playing less of a role overall in Stormblood than the Prince of Doma.