Final Fantasy 15 Director on Role of Women in the Game

Although long-in-development RPG Final Fantasy XV features an all-male party, game director Hajime Tabata says the title will feature a range of female characters who will play a deeper role than "just love interests" for the main cast.

"There are quite a lot of female characters the guys will meet along the road they take and they really enhance the story, and perform a lot of different roles in the story," Tabata said in an interview with The Examiner. "Not just as love interests but other ways as the story progresses."

Tabata didn't shed any further light on what role Final Fantasy XV's female characters will play or what effect their involvement will have on how the game plays out.

Also in the interview, Tabata confirmed that players can expect to encounter mighty female foes. "There will be a number of powerful female characters on the enemy side as well," he said.

One female character in Final Fantasy XV who has generated a bit of buzz is Cindy. During a presentation in April 2015, Tabata responded to a complaint that Cindy (above) was "too sexy."

"She's actually not meant to be an erotic character," Tabata explained. "Her character is very energetic and outgoing, a very active character. With those traits paired with her appearance, we feel it wouldn't be too problematic even if, say, she shows up on screen while your parents are in the living room."

Some people voiced concerns about Cindy's appearance, saying she's showing too much skin for someone whose line of work is fixing cars. Tabata doesn't plan to change her appearance, however.

"She is a very cheerful and active character, I don't think we want to change the current concept," he said.

Final Fantasy XV is scheduled to launch this year for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The game's release date, as well as the first "real" footage of the game, will be revealed sometime in March.

You won't have to wait until March to learn more about Final Fantasy XV, however. The next Active Time Report, a live broadcast where new information about the game is expected to be divulged, is scheduled to take place later this month.