Information on why the devs didn't include Viera Male/Hrothgar Female

[ScarboroughFairy]

Source: https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/doc...w/1176157.html
https://www.gamer.ne.jp/news/201903240006/

Q: When did you decide to implement the female-only Viera and male-only Hrothgar?

A: It was during Return to Ivalice, around 3 months after 4.0. Viera was confirmed then, and Hrothgar came about at the same time when we were discussing plans with Matsuno-san. We were deciding whether to make a Hrothgar female or a Viera female, and after selecting Viera, work began right away, because otherwise we wouldn't make it in time. As mentioned before, the face parts are special and Hrothgar has big differences between its faces, like a lion face, wolf face, leopard face. It became a fixed model relatively recently. Viera was done right before Paris Fan Fest, and Hrothgar was done recently.

Points to the inference that they were in a time/cost crunch when developing the races.

People freaking the hell out about the lack of counterparts, you can unclench your intestines now.

[Gwenorai]

Honestly, this is much better than 'lore says nah'' - it means most likely the counterparts will be released in the future. Hopefully. I'm not going to jump the gun and get my hopes up, however.

[Averax]

Honestly, this is much better than 'lore says nah'' - it means most likely the counterparts will be released in the future. Hopefully. I'm not going to jump the gun and get my hopes up, however.

I will continue to hope so. It'd be nice if they came in a patch.

[wereotter]

Honestly, this is much better than 'lore says nah'' - it means most likely the counterparts will be released in the future. Hopefully. I'm not going to jump the gun and get my hopes up, however.

The lore always seemed a weak excuse anyway considering so many other things both in the game already. Duskwights and male Miquotes have been brought up several times in many other threads.... and there's the simple reasoning they could use that "Everything you learned in the 24-man raid is how it works on The Source, buuuuut on The First, females and males have swapped roles, so males are the ones you see and the females are the ones who will kill you on sight"

Ultimately my understanding (and correct me if I'm not reading this correctly) Hrothgar was originally planned to be the only race this expansion. They likely already have reasons they need to exist in the story and did work on developing them before the Ivalice raid series was confirmed, and rather than throw away the work already started on Hrothgar, they decided to make them male only and then make female Viera. This seems a logical move if that was the series of events, though short sighted. It's easier to see how they might have not calculated how much of a backlash female-only Viera would cause.

Hopefully they see the response, and decide to add counterparts later. Yes it's mostly people wanting the male Viera, but commenters have already expressed their disappointment with not being able to play a more beastial lady. After this expansion your choices as a female character for something beastial is Miquote, Au Ra, and Viera and all are much more cute/sexy as opposed to fierce.

[BillyKaplan]

People freaking the hell out about the lack of counterparts, you can unclench your intestines now.

I won't because the irony of it all is that making a Hrothgar female would've spared us this genderlocked nonsense. Knowing we could've had a full race only makes it more bitter, in a way.

[ScarboroughFairy]

I won't because the irony of it all is that making a Hrothgar female would've spared us this genderlocked nonsense. Knowing we could've had a full race only makes it more bitter, in a way.

If that happened, then the shitstorm you'd see in the forums would've been absolutely biblical compared to what's happening now.

[Awha]

People are still going to be upset or claim these are just excuses. Personally I am glad they went this route.

[grinkdaboy]

why didn't they just say "due to time constraints male viera and female hrothgar will be released at a later date"? why?

[Kidria]

why didn't they just say "due to time constraints male viera and female hrothgar will be released at a later date"? why?

My guess is that they don't want to promise something and be expected to held to it. Better to just leave it open so there's no further time constraints, because if you say "a later date" then all you'll get is a hounding WHEN WHEN WHEN. It's probably less stress on both sides to just say it is what it is now and leave it be. People can hope or not hope, but without a definitive date/answer like that, they can't blame SE later if said counterparts still end up clipped.

[Kalise]

My guess is that they don't want to promise something and be expected to held to it. Better to just leave it open so there's no further time constraints, because if you say "a later date" then all you'll get is a hounding WHEN WHEN WHEN.

You're implying that this won't happen anyway without stating anything.

For as long as these genders remain missing, people will be asking when they will be added.

I mean, people have spent years asking when Viera would be added despite them not being confirmed until Paris Fan Fest