okay me typing it out bc i haven’t typed so much in so long
okay so obvs this has probably been typed out, analyzed, had videos made, etc. but i’m writing this for myself bc if 6am me couldn’t let it go how is 10pm me in the future supposed to
and also a cw that this whatever writing focuses on gender binaries of masculine/feminine in the cis sense
if you look at the fire emblem games from radiant dawn back they basically look like very masculine-targeting games in which the colors are muted and it’s not like every character had a gimmick or very colorful, vibrant designs. the darker/muted colors used create a mature and serious tone to the games. i mean all/a lot of the games pertain to themes of warring kingdoms and defeating the fell dragon etc. and while there could be humor found in some of the dialogues, overall there was more emphasis on the lore, the details/conversations of military combat, and of course the brutality of the actual combat. like even if you look at the splash/promo art it just has a very gaunt and serious look to it that isn’t targeting a personable look.
i think with some marketing studies (throws some in here) when marketers consider targeting feminine audiences they do closeups, vibrant colors, attractive poses, focus on personality and less about complex details and overall a more playful vibe. and of course taking out the complexity means no need for hour long conversations in the game itself about military strategies, the lore of each region, nuanced power dynamics, and just other stuff that doesn’t fit in the box of appealing features. in addition, i think the death scenes in some of the former games had more... of a disgusting feel to it?
and just coming from kpop - feminine fans are more likely to have more buying power/are more likely to buy from a brand they trust. the sense of emotional commitment to purchasing merchandise and showing different ways of support is starkly contrasted and usually more safe to cater to feminine demographics. especially with the low sales of radiant dawn/path of radiance there was probably a turning point in discussions (esp as development costs rise with inflation) that the devs should take the risk and try shifting the demographic appeal of their next game - fe awakenings.
and of course we all know how that goes and how that leads up to now. if there are masculine fans that stay for the combat and like some of the designs, that’s cool from the dev’s pov. their main focus is still the feminine, devoted fanbase and hence i don’t think they’re going to change up the formula anytime soon. esp bc the branding correlates so well with fe heroes that rakes in the money - investors are just want more money and if that’s where it is then it stays. like i have no idea how big intelligent systems is, but i guess not big enough of a dev team like atlas to wring out niche games/spinoffs alongside their staple games.
like would it be nice to bring back the writers that don’t have to be tied down to what the fe branding is like now? sure - and also give them a talk about providing healthy queer representations while they’re at it. but i really think nintendo/intelligent systems cannot (investors) and will not (don’t want to piss on investors/lose money) utilize mature, masculine concepts in future fe games until there’s some dystopian future where feminine demographics stopped supporting fe and there’s some global rise in demand for masculinity/military lore concepts... very much not a possibility
anyway i’m sad and i’ll play future fe games but just coming back from path of radiance/radiant dawn i want to be able to follow the writers and see if they’re still involved in making similar lores with just as much depth.
edit: i also forgot about the part where additionally since tactical jrpgs, esp previous fe games are so brutal in the difficulty, to make it more accessible and continue to broaden/retain audience (esp in the coming ages of dlc/season passes) to have generous ranges of difficulty levels, casual modes, grindable areas outside of regular missions, etc.
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