'Final Fantasy 15' release date, character updates: Game to feature female party members

Screengrab from Square Enix Youtube channel

One of the major things that fans of the "Final Fantasy" world have observed in the release of "Episode Duscae", the teaser and gameplay trailer for the fifteenth story installment of the long-running "Final Fantasy" franchise, is that most of the members are men.

This seems to confirm the new direction that the game is heading for. However, even if the main cast of the upcoming game remains an all-male group, game director Hajime Tabata clarifies that there will still be female characters, though they would have to be guest party members only.

Said Tabata on Famitsu and reported on Gematsu, "It is possible we'll have female characters join the party as guests, bBut since it's an all-male party, when you have a female character as a guest, their behavior might change because a woman is around."

In a recent interview with Gamespot, the director also explained why the series will be heading for a new direction in its all-male characters. First, Tabata tells fans of the series that the new game will still center on war, and an all-male ensemble "feels almost approachable for players".

It seems that Square Enix will put a spin on the term 'bromance' in this title. According to Tabata, the central character's journey in the game will have each party member adopt a "boys will be boys" outlook.

"The world might be ready to see the curtain lifted on what boys do when girls aren't around, when they come out of the tent all prim and proper. That's kind of the idea behind it... we think, male or female player, that everyone will feel a certain connection and bond with the four characters."

Square Enix has not made any official announcement with regards to the game's release, though fans hope that it will be later this year due to reports of the game being already more than halfway in development.