Final Fantasy VII Remake co-director Motomu Toriyama has said that Naughty Dog set a benchmark for diversity in video games with The Last of Us Part II.
Speaking to TheGamer, Toriyama praised Naughty Dog’s approach – from the inclusion of diverse characters in the game down to its accessibility features. He believes that The Last of Us II‘s “consideration for diversity” makes it “a great game that “sets a benchmark for the industry.”
Toriyama said:
The Last of Us Part II really delivered on its consideration for diversity, right down to the UI, and I would imagine that the cost of debugging on that game was massive. However, having achieved that makes it a great game that sets a benchmark for the industry. I think that expressing diversity with LGBTQ+ inclusion is an important issue for everyone involved in making content, not just people making games. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, we rebuilt the original game using the latest technology, but we felt that it should not stop at the technical side and we needed to update the story content being shown in line with modern sensibilities.
That’s quite the praise coming from Toriyama. The latter part of his statement to TheGamer seems evident in Square Enix’s handling of the iconic Honey Bee Inn in Final Fantasy VII Remake. Speaking of which, Toriyama recently revealed that the remake originally featured a pole dancing scene that was cut due to its potential impact on rating. However, he was happy with the final product and fans’ response to the Honey Bee Inn.
[Source: TheGamer]
