Rumor: Activision Doesn't Think Female Leads Can Sell Games

[Mr. Gency]

Firstly, in my opinion Lightning isn't even the lead character in FFXIII since she isn't seen more than others and isn't focused on more than others, she is just shown on the box art and is the first character you see, other than that everyone is evenly distrubuted in terms of screen time.

Well did you buy (or rent, or whatever) the game thinking Lightning was the main character?

Yes i did but that doesn't suddenly make her the main character. If you've played the game you should know what i mean,

Spoiler

They get split up a lot for a lot of the game and even then she isn't focused upon more than others when they're all back together again. She isn't special.

But you Still bought it, rented it, or whatever, thinking she was the main character. So it's the same as if Lightning really was the main character.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Here's a thought: Someone get Radical Entertainment to do a Prototype 2, with a female lead. Seeing Alex Mercer throw his cars around was all well and good. But imagine a girl in a tank top with light blue hoodie, knee-length swishy skirt, a clip in her hair, and a pair of Converse throwing a tanker at you--fucked up, isn't it? Terrifying and kinda arousing, all at once. Hell, she could even be an A or B cup, easy to maintain and keeps it out of that "she's just there for T and A reasons" argument.

 

[Helios_(DEL)]

umm metroid lmfao i think activision need a new CEO/general manager

 

[Bobzer77]

well this is just a case of digital sexism I believe this sums up everyone's reaction

)

Not mine, for me Activision has replaced EA for worst publisher in history. If they were now to announce that they supported genocide and the next cod's protagonist would be a sparkly bunny I wouldn't be suprised. It's just activision.

 

[Dr. Paine]

Voice acting doesn't always help, just listen to Tidus. /shot

I'd rather not actually...

The sound of hell was captured in that game...

 

[L-J-F]

Oh Activision, when will you learn ... I want a female lead! Except I want a female lead who's a human for a change, so sick of women in videogames always having to be cold-hearted killing machines without any emotions or sympathy or anything besides a scowl and a will to depopulate the earth.

 

[bloodshed113094]

Dear Activision,
Please. Please. Please learn to STFU. If female leads cannot help sell games, pray tell, why has the Tomb Raider series done so well? Why is Beyond Good & Evil a cult-classic? Why did Resident Evil 1 do so well? And Mirror's Edge? That's a great game.
Stop being fools, lower your prices, stop talking and make good games.
Thank you.

Wasn't mirrors edge a bad and short fps platform game...? If so, that's a terrible example, platforming got old after the SNES

 

[UnravThreads]

Wasn't mirrors edge a bad and short fps platform game...? If so, that's a terrible example, platforming got old after the SNES

If by "bad and short FPS/Platform" you mean a breath of fresh air in a sea of mediocrity, then yes. It had poor combat, but the whole point of it was to avoid combat (although it did make the unavoidable fight scenes a bit of a pain).

If you didn't like it, fine, but it doesn't make it a bad game.

 

[bloodshed113094]

Wasn't mirrors edge a bad and short fps platform game...? If so, that's a terrible example, platforming got old after the SNES

If by "bad and short FPS/Platform" you mean a breath of fresh air in a sea of mediocrity, then yes. It had poor combat, but the whole point of it was to avoid combat (although it did make the unavoidable fight scenes a bit of a pain).

If you didn't like it, fine, but it doesn't make it a bad game.

I didn't play it, I'm just saying what i heard, and it sounded bad. Platforming is for third person games if you ask me, but meh.

 

[Flamezdudes]

1. True Crime: New York City was never going to sell well. You can put whatever main character you want in that and it won't really sell considering that the game is a buggy glitchy mess.

2. Using FF13 as an example doesn't really count. There are plenty of games where female leads do sell, but I wouldn't count FF13 as one of them when every piece of promotional art I saw for the game featured what was supposed to be a woman but really looked like a very ugly man with big boobs. I mean, just go look at post #30 in this thread. Open the spoiler tag and bam, there's a dude with boobs inside. That is not a female face.

But yeah, if true, Activision is still pretty silly, as if they already weren't anyway.

I'm seriously wondering if people can tell the difference between a guy and girl anymore, come on Lightning is obviously a woman.

 

[Computer-Noob]

I'm sure its been said already but....why do I have the strange feeling that this was one of many reasons Starcraft:Ghost didnt happen?

 

[Computer-Noob]

Here's a thought: Someone get Radical Entertainment to do a Prototype 2, with a female lead. Seeing Alex Mercer throw his cars around was all well and good. But imagine a girl in a tank top with light blue hoodie, knee-length swishy skirt, a clip in her hair, and a pair of Converse throwing a tanker at you--fucked up, isn't it? Terrifying and kinda arousing, all at once. Hell, she could even be an A or B cup, easy to maintain and keeps it out of that "she's just there for T and A reasons" argument.

Could probably do it on Elizabeth Greene, before the events of the original game happened

Except that style of clothing probably wouldnt go well in the late 60's

 

[RaNDM G]

On the bright side, when Activision buys out the industry and decides to churn out nothing but Image Comic look-alikes for the lead roles in their games, we will still always have Metroid.

Unless Nintendo ret-cons the whole thing and has it star space marines...

FFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

 

[inFAMOUSCowZ]

its a good game that sells, not male or female leads. Replace Sam Fisher with a women, and she'd still be badass. And i'd still buy the game.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Here's a thought: Someone get Radical Entertainment to do a Prototype 2, with a female lead. Seeing Alex Mercer throw his cars around was all well and good. But imagine a girl in a tank top with light blue hoodie, knee-length swishy skirt, a clip in her hair, and a pair of Converse throwing a tanker at you--fucked up, isn't it? Terrifying and kinda arousing, all at once. Hell, she could even be an A or B cup, easy to maintain and keeps it out of that "she's just there for T and A reasons" argument.

Could probably do it on Elizabeth Greene, before the events of the original game happened

Except that style of clothing probably wouldnt go well in the late 60's

Yeah, but there went that whole "cute but devastating" thing I was going with. A new story would be more fun to tell, in my opinion. Greene's story was...annoying? Needless? Extra but not bonus? I'm not sure how to classify it.

 

[The Hero Killer]

I think that a crime based sandbox game from a female perspective would be a nice change of pace. Activision needs to stop trying to please what they consider the majority and make the game that was orignally supposed to be made. Its time for developers to start taking risks again, otherwise we wont make any progress.

 

[Jupsto]

its wierd, you'd think a female character would be a much better selling point. if activision are assessing games success on what sex/race the characters were they they are clearly completely missing the point of what makes games good.

 

[Jupsto]

I actually agree with this.

I would never play a game where I have to be a female...it just doesnt feel right. I am a guy, I should only play a male character.

people like this guy are the problem. its just a game, why on earth is it weird to play a female character.