Posted in: Games, PAX East, Video Games | Tagged: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIV, PAX East, PAX East 2018, Square Enix
Feminist Win? Final Fantasy XIV's Bunny Costumes Coming for Male Characters
A long, long time ago, during a Q&A far, far away, the development team of Final Fantasy XIV promised that the Gold Saucer sexy bunny costumes would be made available for male player characters as well as female PCs. So far, that promise has not been fulfilled, but finally we have hope. During the Writing of Final Fantasy XIV panel at PAX East this year, Square Enix released the above image of each of the male races sporting the "bunnyboy" costumes. And damn. Is that an image my brain will make sure to haunt me with.
Players had complained when the bunny costumes were initially revealed because they were only wearable on female characters. So many complained that Game Director Naoki Yoshida promised the costumes would one day be wearable by characters of both genders. And once Patch 4.3 hits, that dream will become a reality. So help us all.
Honestly though, the rear view of these is actually kind of killer.
Personally I've always been a bit conflicted about the bunny costumes. A lot of times, sexy costumes in video games fall into my mental "why the hell does this need to exist" category. I was always a bit annoyed about the female-only bunny costumes, because like many costuming options in FFXIV, the female specific options are much more revealing than the men's versions. There are some outfits that are ridiculously revealing for both genders, however. Some of the swimsuit options… Let's just say I've seen enough speedo-clad catboys to last me a lifetime. Sexy costuming for female characters in video games is so ubiquitous it is almost to the point of self-parody, which makes it kind of nauseating.
It is nice to see the sexy brought around though.
And I'm not exactly one to stand between a gamer and his sexy bunnyboy dreams, either.
So, feminist win, I guess?
You can check out the full PAX East panel on the Twitch Archive. It's actually a pretty fascinating watch, so if you can clear an hour of your Sunday, do so.