Over the last 5+ years, there’s been a noticeable shift in how female characters are designed in video games. Many gamers—especially on console and PC, where the vast majority of the core gaming audience is male—have picked up on this trend: female character models are being made to look less traditionally attractive.
We’re often told that “half of all gamers are women,” but that statistic is misleading without context. A significant portion of female gamers are on mobile platforms, which are typically casual in nature. When you narrow the focus to core gaming—on PC and consoles—the percentage of female players drops significantly, estimated around 10–15%. That means roughly 80–85% of the paying core audience is male. So the question is: why are studios moving away from character designs that traditionally appealed to their main audience?
It’s not about saying all female characters must be overly sexualized or exaggerated—but there’s a strange trend where attractiveness itself is being stripped away, almost like it’s something to be ashamed of. Take the example of recent character portrayals in Mortal Kombat 1—compared to earlier titles, nearly every female character has been toned down visually, both in terms of facial design and attire. This isn’t about nostalgia—it’s a deliberate creative choice, and fans are noticing.
Or look at Stellar Blade. It faced criticism not because it did something wrong, but because it dared to design a female protagonist that embraced beauty and femininity, closely modeled after the real-life actress. The backlash wasn’t from gamers—it was largely from media outlets and critics uncomfortable with the idea that a female lead could still be attractive in a game that takes itself seriously.
This isn’t just a “one-off” trend—it’s becoming a pattern in modern game development. And while some applaud these changes in the name of inclusivity or progress, we have to ask: progress for whom? Because when developers ignore the preferences of 80–85% of their core audience, it’s hard not to see it as disconnected.
Lastly, Outlaws had promise—but like many Ubisoft titles, it fell into the trap of formulaic design. And when even standout aesthetics can’t save a game weighed down by repetition, it shows that both gameplay and presentation matter—especially when you’re competing in an industry driven by immersion, fantasy, and visual impact
