Final Fantasy 16 producer dislikes the term JRPG, considers it "discriminatory"

[midian182]

A hot potato: JRPG, or Japanese role-playing game, is a common term that usually describes the many RPGs made in the country or, in some cases, those of a similar style. But Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida, aka Yoshi-P, isn't a big fan of the term, which he felt was discriminatory when he first heard it.

With the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XVI arriving on June 22, Yoshida has been giving interviews to a number of media publications as part of the game's pre-launch promotional campaign. One of these was Skill-Up, which asked Yoshida how he felt JRPGs had advanced in comparison to action games.

The interviewer noted that Yoshida didn't appear happy at the mention of the term JRPG. "One thing [Yoshida] wants to get across is that when we create games, we don't go into them thinking we are creating JRPGs, we are just creating RPGs. The term JRPG is used by western media rather than users and media in Japan," explained localization director Koji Fox.

Yoshida went on to say that when the term JRPG first appeared around 15 years ago, some developers felt it was discriminatory, and that they were being made fun of for creating their games. He said that for some devs, JRPG could be something that might trigger bad feelings because of what it was associated with in the past.

"It wasn't a compliment to a lot of developers in Japan. We understand that recently, JRPG has better connotations and it's being used as a positive but we still remember the time when it was used as a negative," he said.

Yoshida added that he remembered seeing something 15 years ago that named Final Fantasy VII as the perfect example of a JRPG. It's not something he liked as it "compartmentalizing what we were creating into a JRPG box."

The comments have generated a lot of discourse online, unsurprisingly. Some agree with Yoshida's statements while others argue that JRPG was never intended as a pejorative.

The interview has also reignited debate over some controversial comments Yoshida made about the lack of diversity in Final Fantasy XVI. In November, the producer said adding more black people or people of color to the game would be a violation of narrative boundaries, as the fantasy world of Valisthea was based on medieval Europe.

Skill-Up's question was related to early previews of Final Fantasy XVI, many of which highlight its move away from turn-based combat and more toward all-out action and big cinematic battles – there have been comparisons to God of War and Devil May Cry. Yoshida says this is because fewer gamers want slower gameplay, and JRPGs are now "niche."

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https://www.techspot.com/news/97790-final-fantasy-16-producer-dislikes-term-jrpg-once.html

 

[Bobbydpue]

With the way Japanese people treat outsiders I think it's more than fair and they shouldn't be so sensitive when they don't think tourist and non-Japanese people should take offense to the way they are treated all over Japan.

 

[m4a4]

Should "JRPG" be retired?

No. It's just a genre that has no real negative connotations in the west. Heck, I've never known it to have negative anything since I first heard of JRPG's. It just meant that it was a certain style of (grindy) RPG to me (kid me liked those kind of games).

 

[m4a4]

The interview has also reignited debate over some controversial comments Yoshida made about the lack of diversity in Final Fantasy XVI. In November, the producer said adding more black people or people of color to the game would be a violation of narrative boundaries, as the fantasy world of Valisthea was based on medieval Europe.

Good. Someone sticking to a target time period and being unapologetic about the reality of it.

 

[dirtyferret]

"JRPG has better connotations and it's being used as a positive but we still remember the time when it was used as a negative"

Because the games were different than 'western rpgs", some people did not care for the cute characters, over simplified stories, random battles every three steps, and limited character design. Many people like Anime, many people don't like it. It's a term that aids people in gravitating to something or away from something.

"Skill-Up's question was related to early previews of Final Fantasy XVI, many of which highlight its move away from turn-based combat and more toward all-out action and big cinematic battles – there have been comparisons to God of War and Devil May Cry. Yoshida says this is because fewer gamers want slower gameplay, and JRPGs are now "niche."

Maybe fewer gamers like it but it also makes all the combat in games feel homogenized. I myself prefer the the turn based combat because it's different than God of War, Assassins Creed or Dark Souls.

 

[Ravey]

I'd say it's borderline racist. Do we say USARPG? or UKRPG? no? Why should we have JRPG then?

It's an RPG. why does its creation location make a difference?

 

[GreyOmega]

Sounds more like he's overly sensitive over the term, but JRPGs only really got the negative image after they had more or less settled into a pretty standardized design formula which they've been trying to break out of that mold since. Early on though they introduced a lot of changes to the RPG design in video games and experimented creating a lot of different kinds of RPGs and like anything as they matured and became more standardized they also unfortunately ended up tending to come off as stale and cookie cutter. But this is a problem that inevitably happens to all genre of games, can see how the RTS genre has struggled, so it's not really anything unique to JRPG style RPGs.

 

[Ohnooze]

JRPG have their own style in gameplay, art, animations and sound. It's just a thing....and people love it.
So why not embrace the fact that many love the style that come from Japan and take pride in it?
Oh wait it's 2023 where we have to constantly be offended and if we aren't we best find something to virtue signal over.
Or put on your big boy pants and try to endure this awful injustice!!

 

[Neatfeatguy]

JRPG is fine. People need to stop being so f'ing stupid and thinking a term is going to hurt someone's feelings. Nothing you do in this world will satisfy every single person's feelings. If they choose to be offended then that is their problem and folks around them need to stop giving in to their moronic demands. So many damn sensitive people in this world today it's disgusting.

I know that Star Ocean games are considered JRPGs. I think it's a fitting classification for these RPGs. I really like some of them and I really hate some of them.

I really liked Star Ocean: Till the End of Time on the PS2. One of my favorite games on that system and it is one of 3 games I have left for that console as it sits on in a box in my storage space.

I really hated Star Ocean: Last Hope on PS3. That stupid squeaky, high pitched voice of the little girl pissed me off to no end. I tried and I mean really I tried to get past it, but after 8 hours into the game and her gawd awful voice just grating on my nerves I gave up on the game. I hate those voices that Japan likes to use in games or in anime.

Sounds like nails on a chalk board don't bother me. The high pitched squeaking sounds you can make while you slowly drag your hands across an inflated balloon doesn't bother me. But those awful high pitched, squeaky voices drive me nuts.

If I pick up a game that's classified as JRPG, I know there's a chance I may hate the game solely based on the bad voice acting that may be involved in the game. I don't have that issue, to my recollection, for any western based RPGs.

 

[kira setsu]

"JRPG has better connotations and it's being used as a positive but we still remember the time when it was used as a negative"

Because the games were different than 'western rpgs", some people did not care for the cute characters, over simplified stories, random battles every three steps, and limited character design. Many people like Anime, many people don't like it. It's a term that aids people in gravitating to something or away from something.

"Skill-Up's question was related to early previews of Final Fantasy XVI, many of which highlight its move away from turn-based combat and more toward all-out action and big cinematic battles – there have been comparisons to God of War and Devil May Cry. Yoshida says this is because fewer gamers want slower gameplay, and JRPGs are now "niche."

Maybe fewer gamers like it but it also makes all the combat in games feel homogenized. I myself prefer the the turn based combat because it's different than God of War, Assassins Creed or Dark Souls.

As someone who has dumped thousands of hrs into FF14 I admit YoshiP can make one hell of a story.

BUT, he also seems highly averse to difficulty in his games, he's a very "everyone should be able to play it" type of game producer. Not saying thats a bad thing at all but the FF series was built on turn-based battles and had one of the cleanest systems ever, imo.

Just look at ff14, over time its story got better and better, gameplay though? simpler and simpler, not just the jobs/classes, but the world and the the systems within too, but maybe thats just me and burnout from years of playing it.

I think all games are playable for anyone honestly, if you have an open mind, look at what elden ring did, still hard as nails but welcomes newbies in so it can beat them senseless anyway, I'm a diehard FF fan but 16 is the first one where I didn't feel anything after watching vids of it, and I even gave 15 a fair chance and think its ok.

there's so many hack n slashers out that a new FF with a tuned battle system would make bank.

 

[alexnode]

What should be retired is using the term RPG for action games ... which is happening everywhere.

 

[Kirby1]

It's no more offensive than the word anime.

 

[RudyBob]

This is so dumb but dumb rules

 

[yRaz]

What should be retired is using the term RPG for action games ... which is happening everywhere.

We have a name for that, it's called action RPGs. I consider Cyberpunk and Borderlands as action RPGs

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

I'd say it's borderline racist. Do we say USARPG? or UKRPG? no? Why should we have JRPG then?

It's an RPG. why does its creation location make a difference?

K-pop, J-pop, American Football, the list goes on... I feel JRPG is helpful to gain context when talking about an RPG, not derogatory. It provides insight on the stylistic designs and much more. It's just a subgenre, not a separate genre. If it was a separate genre despite being an RPG, then that would be racist.

JRPG have their own style in gameplay, art, animations and sound. It's just a thing....and people love it.
So why not embrace the fact that many love the style that come from Japan and take pride in it?
Oh wait it's 2023 where we have to constantly be offended and if we aren't we best find something to virtue signal over.
Or put on your big boy pants and try to endure this awful injustice!!

This is exactly my thinking, you said it better than I could.

 

[toooooot]

Get your mind on exciting gamers rather than thinking about useless things.
Volition tried to boost interest to its game called saint raw 5 this way.
Guess how well it worked for them, haha.
It was one of the most beautiful flops in the recent years.
Simpe tip: if you wanna talk about politics, become one.
If you wanna make games, dont f**ng preach and teach, make games.

 

[GoldenGoat]

I vote to discontinue the term JRPG.

 

[Kam7r]

Isn't "JRPG" something of a "positive discrimination" ? isn't one of those kind of things the woke nutcases want ? so now they get angry when we use it ? make up your mind ! LOL

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I'd say it's borderline racist. Do we say USARPG? or UKRPG? no? Why should we have JRPG then?

It's an RPG. why does its creation location make a difference?

Because said style of RPG in video game format originated from....wait for it.....Japan!

Shocking, I know. This constant need to look for things to be offended by has gotten completely out of control.

 

[3volv3d]

Racism would probably have more chance of dying out if as Morgan Freeman once said, if people stop talking about it, and making it a hot topic.
And so many people are offended by so many terms. Even these gender fluid people cry if they get called he or she, and it's not a mistake that someone with a beard is accidentally misidentified as a he/him/dude. No its now like a hate crime.
Seriously this world has become full of snowflakes. Just because one plum takes offence at something doesn't mean we should all pander to the little Princess.
You tell them to shut up and grow a pair. The world is getting soft.
Its probably why aliens sent balloons to spy on our world, soft and floaty like most of the new age residents.

TLDR, JRPG is a style of RPG made popular by Japan. Helps to clarify the game style to newer RPGs.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Sounds more like he's overly sensitive over the term, but JRPGs only really got the negative image after they had more or less settled into a pretty standardized design formula which they've been trying to break out of that mold since. Early on though they introduced a lot of changes to the RPG design in video games and experimented creating a lot of different kinds of RPGs and like anything as they matured and became more standardized they also unfortunately ended up tending to come off as stale and cookie cutter. But this is a problem that inevitably happens to all genre of games, can see how the RTS genre has struggled, so it's not really anything unique to JRPG style RPGs.

IMO he's overly sensitive because he's been getting constant flack for the FF series being totally lost. The last one with major positive appeal was, what, 12? Each one since has seen major flack and it's been getting worse as they move further away from the turn based roots of the series.

Of course, it's easier to scream about oppression and labels then it is to improve ones work, so guess what's real popular right now?

 

[ChipBoundary]

I'd say it's borderline racist. Do we say USARPG? or UKRPG? no? Why should we have JRPG then?

It's an RPG. why does its creation location make a difference?

It's a style of RPG. JRPG's are very distinctly different than other RPG's, to the point that they are easily considered a sub-genre. Exactly like how hard rock and metal are considered sub-genres of rock. Celtic music is called such to pay respects to the culture that originated it and it is a distinct genre of music.

By your logic the word "anime" is racist. It references a specific style of animation that originated in Japan. In both cases it's giving credit to where it is created and the culture it comes from. You can't preserve culture while eliminating the language that does exactly that.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I've honestly never read or heard the term before but I'm pretty sure that if I did I'd probably react negatively to it. It's like he says, who cares where an RPG is based? Lots of RPGs are based in Europe but I've never read or heard the term "ERPG".

I have no problem with retiring the term because it's a term that never should've been coined in the first place.

 

[Inthenstus]

I’ve never once heard JPRG used in a negative way.. it just describes a RPG.. this guy needs to check his feelings.

 

[Inthenstus]

Racism would probably have more chance of dying out if as Morgan Freeman once said, if people stop talking about it, and making it a hot topic.
And so many people are offended by so many terms. Even these gender fluid people cry if they get called he or she, and it's not a mistake that someone with a beard is accidentally misidentified as a he/him/dude. No its now like a hate crime.
Seriously this world has become full of snowflakes. Just because one plum takes offence at something doesn't mean we should all pander to the little Princess.
You tell them to shut up and grow a pair. The world is getting soft.
Its probably why aliens sent balloons to spy on our world, soft and floaty like most of the new age residents.

TLDR, JRPG is a style of RPG made popular by Japan. Helps to clarify the game style to newer RPGs.

Morgan Freeman is literally a god, he is right, and I wish others would agree with him.