Masahiro Sakurai posted a group photo of game directors on social media, describing the gathering as an "Avengers"-style assembly. All members in the photo were male, leading some commenters to acknowledge these creators' achievements while expressing hope to see female creators at similar events in the future.
The discussion extended to the visibility of female game directors and the opportunities for women to enter roles such as director. Hideki Kamiya shared his questions and impressions regarding the number of female directors. A female speaker who identified herself as a former director mentioned that her generation may have been influenced by factors such as starting points for creators, hiring tendencies, wage gaps, and educational opportunities.
Other industry professionals mentioned the long working hours prevalent in the gaming industry in the past, while noting that they were aware of women serving as producers or directors at small and medium-sized development companies as well as at Capcom. These comments offered different perspectives and should not be used to conclude the industry-wide reasons for the number of female directors.
The discussion also saw strong rebuttals regarding gender observations, with some citing female creators like Ayako Kyogoku and Yumi Nakamura as examples. Opinions surrounding this photo varied; it is impossible to determine the gender structure of the entire gaming industry based solely on the photo and social media discussions.