Recently, at the Gamescom Developer Conference, Kim Belair, co-founder and CEO of Sweet Baby Inc., delivered a keynote speech. Using the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, including Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, as case studies, she criticized the character design approach of AAA titles.
Belair pointed out several phenomena prevalent in many modern games: the overuse of white male protagonists; sexualized and highly charismatic female characters (i.e., sexy beauties); and development teams predominantly composed of white heterosexual men.
Belair believes the gaming industry has neglected diversity in race, gender, and culture. Major game companies exhibit "corporate cowardice," unwilling to truly change long-entrenched creative patterns. She also spoke out against sexualized female characters in games, shouting: "Ban this sick filth."
Her remarks sparked a wave of negative reactions online. Many players accused Sweet Baby Inc. (SBI) of imposing an ideology, disparaging the classic Japanese RPG creation culture, and attempting to "ruin" popular game franchises. Supporters of SBI countered that SBI serves only as a narrative consulting service, with collaborations being voluntarily hired by studios, and that final creative decisions remain in the hands of the development teams. Belair herself has repeatedly emphasized that the company's goal is to help works achieve cultural authenticity and create a better environment for developers from minority groups, rather than forcibly interfering with game content creation.
As of now, there is no complete recording or official transcript of Belair's speech. Neither Gamescom nor the event organizers have issued any public statements regarding the content of her talk.