A letter to 8-4, Ben Judd, and above all Inafune-san, as leaders and professionals,
I am so, so disappointed with Comcept, Inafune-san, 8-4, Ben Judd, and the artists for these new designs.
A maid(left)? An accountant(left and far right)? 2 sexy lolitas, demure or energetic? A background cheerleader(far right)? A nerdy type with visibly low self-esteem(upper-right, mid-right)? And finally, a Unicorn(which is kind of cool, but still stereotypical). 7/10 of these are incredibly sexist, terrible role models, and NOT INTERESTING designs! What girl OR guy wants to play as a shy lolita or a maid whose identity is entirely to serve the male character, the only one with actual significance to the plot? If these designs most suited Call’s role, WHY WAS IT DECIDED SHE SHOULD HAVE THAT ROLE? Ben, your counsel initiated the entire Kickstarter. Why did you not pay attention, and speak up? Did you see nothing out of place?
And only ONE of the original designs?
My favorite pink call design, and the green call loved by many young, female fan artists- never even had a chance. Their color was irrelevant. It was their excellent design and captivating personalities that inspired us. If F won against Pink and Green and Purple Call, as determined by the fans, then that would be just. But for them to be completely removed from the race, and for sexist fantasies to stand in their place? This is a horrible reversal of fortunes, and change of character for your team from thoughtfulness to inattentiveness.
I have so lovingly backed, read all the updates, watched every video, commented, shared, and listened to every podcast. Following your success made me happy. I really admired all your choices, and looked up to this as a historic moment, culminating in ACTUAL AGENCY being given to the players- but instead, we’re only being given STRAW choices, and have been denied the chance to choose from most of the designs that we really want to choose from. It’s clear from the other comments that so many feel F is the only real choice available, and that their hands have been tied.
Ben, Mark, I hope you hear me and understand how I feel as someone who cared about the characters you showed me at launch, and as a graphic novel writer who aspires to write women that young boys and girls can look up to. That we and our female friends can identify with. I was asked to contribute to a HEROINE. A girl who can inspire us. Where is she?
If Megaman were a maid, would he have inspired you as a child? Would you have grown up to want to be strong, to be a hero? Ask yourself why you would make the choices you did about Call’s design. Ask yourself if maids and shy, sex object lolis and nerds who aren’t confident about their awesomeness are the way you want your young players to think about women– about themselves — what they want to become. Is this right to them? Is this fair to the backers who have to choose?
These designs? These choices? They were a BAD CALL.
Upwards Momentum 