Recently, footage of female characters from Marvel's Wolverine went viral. Many players disliked the specific design from Insomniac Games, and now they are criticizing the developers.
The creator of God of War also noticed the discussions and decided to speak out. David Jaffe was very unhappy with what he saw. First, he explained that he himself is "probably one of the most progressive people you know." He welcomes that some portray women not as sex symbols, but believes that in entertainment projects, a balance should still be maintained:
[…] There was too much of a male gaze [on women] in media, and I think it's good that some media are moving away from that and saying, "Listen, it's silly to assume that every woman in a video game, comic book, or anywhere else has to be like a cover model or a sex symbol for you." I am completely for that approach. However, there are times when you need to strike a balance, especially when it comes to entertainment, AAA entertainment, when you're talking about Marvel and characters you want to admire, heroes and villains, figures and heroes.
David Jaffe had questions about what he saw in Marvel's Wolverine:
I would like to know what the **** is going on? The Marvel's Wolverine trailer came out…and [the woman] looks just awful. She looks, goddamn, awful. I, for example, loved the heroine from Returnal, and people said, "She's old." But that was that kind of game — the heroine didn't need to be an ornament. It was a serious, adult project, and I liked that she was a middle-aged woman, and I liked that she looked like an ordinary person.
But in the case of Marvel's Wolverine, Jaffe doesn't understand why such a design was chosen:
This is fantasy, a comic book…well, you know, the worship of ideals. What the **** is wrong with you? What the *** are you doing? Look how bad the women look […] Most of all, I would like to know who is overseeing things at Sony right now. Is anyone there saying "no" to anyone? Do people just wake up and do whatever the **** they want? No control? Who approved this? It looks so bad, so unappealing, and so not in the Marvel style.
Jaffe believes that the blame in this case does not lie with Marvel — there are examples of games like Marvel Rivals and Marvel Snap, where there are plenty of beautiful women:
You can't blame Marvel. You have to put the responsibility on Insomniac and, ultimately, on the Sony producers who work with them and tell them "yes" or "no."
If the developers had made Marvel's Wolverine grounded in the spirit of The Last of Us Part II, Jaffe could understand such a design. However, he explains, this game "looks like an AAA blockbuster, an action-adventure" — a different type of design is expected from such projects. He would not have allowed such a design and would have demanded a redesign:
If I were still at Sony, I would be raising hell. I would say, "Are you people completely, ****, crazy?" It's so unappealing, and, and if there's someone in charge of this, I'd like to know who gave these people…the ability to say "yes" or "no."