Much has been made about developer DontNod Entertainment running into funding resistance, mostly because publishers were afraid of a female protagonist.
Thing is, I'm not sure there's that much validity to the idea that male heroes automatically sell more copies of games. I'm fairly certain quality is the determining factor. If the game sucks, it won't sell. If it's great, it will. I really believe it's still that simple in this industry.
I have yet to come across anyone who balked at playing a game because the main character was a woman (or even a young girl). There are lot of die-hard JRPG lovers out there who really love the Atelier series, which almost always has you running around as a cutesy teenage girl. Furthermore, while it's certainly true that the vast majority of those who buy a game like Remember Me will be male, it isn't true that most of them simply prefer to play as a man. I believe a lot of them are interested in seeing how developers approach a story with a female protagonist, mostly because we're so used to playing as men.
And hey, let's not forget another interesting little psychological/sociological tidbit- Has anyone noticed that a fair amount of males prefer representing themselves as women in virtual worlds? Like those who have female avatars for PlayStation Home? Or those who opt to play MMOs as a female? Are you trying to tell me that doesn't exist? And really, I'd like someone to point out a gamer who absolutely refuses to play game because the lead character is a woman. I bet you'd have difficulty finding that gamer. In the end, if Remember Me flops, it will have little or nothing to do with Nilin.
Related Game(s): Remember Me
