Now before you overreact

[Saefinn]

It was limited for a long time, yes. Though this is the second time the character customisation has been updated to a major degree in WoW and it's a much older game than FFXIV.

Meanwhile when it comes to FFXIV we've had people asking for additional customisation for years and we're told that it's 'too hard'. Not that it stops the developers from mysteriously being able to change the character model itself when it comes to Minfilia's outfit and 2P's outfit on women.

Whilst I agree on more customisation options in terms of facial hair would be great to add. And yes we have asked for more customisation options. But at the same time, having access to more glamour items /is/ adding more customisation, albeit in what you character can wear, rather than facial features, but it is one of the things that has been asked for.

Plus un-genderlocking gear would take less in terms of resources because the assets required already exist, it's more they're adjusting them and applying them to additional models. Whether it's putting existing image data onto a different texture map or adjusting the mesh and weightings to a different 3D model - though obviously I don' know SE's asset workflow, but from having formerly done 3D modelling as a hobby I can think about how I might do it, and arguably it is easier & quicker to adjust mesh and texture data onto a new 3D model than it is to create new stuff from scratch.

But even then, I'd say it's not that much harder to add facial hair either if you know what you're doing, but I guess it's possible they need people with a different skill set. You don't need somebody artistic to handle adjusting existing assets (just somebody who knows the software and workflow), whereas for adding more facial options, you would. For example, when I did it as a hobby, if I was the guy doing it, the facial hair options I'd add would look awful, texturing was my 1 weakness and my UV mapping was passable at best. It takes a different skillset.