The director of Final Fantasy 14 has made a request for fans to refrain from making personal attacks towards the voice actors or localization team of Dawntrail, specifically those who were involved in the production of Wuk Lamat.
The Dawntrail expansion of Final Fantasy 14 required players to journey to the continent of Tural, where they found themselves caught in a succession war between rival heirs. The Warrior of Light aligned with Wuk Lamat, one of the claimants to the throne of Tuliyollal, and aided them in completing tasks to demonstrate their suitability for ruling.
Wuk Lamat stands out as the central figure in Dawntrail, surpassing even popular characters like the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, who have only a minor presence in the narrative. The Warrior of Light, while still important, often plays a supporting role in quests that focus on Wuk Lamat’s journey.
As a result, there was a negative reaction towards Wuk Lamat within the fanbase, specifically towards her voice actor, Sena Bryer. Bryer has previously opened up about receiving death threats and transphobic comments on social media. This issue was acknowledged by Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida in an interview with JP Games, where he directly addressed the fans’ reaction.
Naoki Yoshida: Please refrain from attacking the voice actors or localization team for Wuk Lamat.
Wuk Lamat had a polarizing fan response and some are taking it out on the production team
“I have a request that I would greatly appreciate if it were honored. Please refrain from directing personal attacks towards the voice actors and individual members of the localization team involved in the development process. They are dedicated to creating something that contributes positively to the creative process and deserve our support.”
He continued, “Their intention is not to argue for or against a specific movement. They are simply striving for development and I kindly request that players refrain from personally attacking them.”
Yoshida offered some potential explanations for the lack of positive reception towards Wuk Lamat among certain players. One factor could be attributed to Wuk Lamat’s relative lack of experience, particularly when compared to the renowned Warrior of Light and the esteemed Scions. This may have caused frustration for players who had just successfully saved the universe from destruction, only to then have to address Wuk Lamat’s confidence issues. Such a drastic change in the scope of their actions could be unsettling for some fans.
Despite Dawntrail’s slower first half, much of it is still dominated by Wuk Lamat. For those who were not fans of her character in the Endwalker patches, her presence in lengthy cutscenes and tedious fetch quests may be even more disliked.
It is acceptable to have negative feelings towards a character. However, in regards to Final Fantasy 14, I personally do not want to encounter Hien from Stormblood again. Despite this, it is important to remember that it is never okay to harass anyone involved in the making of a game, regardless of personal opinions. At the end of the day, it is just a video game.
Unfortunately, Yoshida felt the need to publicly address the issue, which is regrettable. This type of negative conduct tends to spread quickly within passionate and sizable fan communities. Hopefully, there will be no further need for him to address it in the future.
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