Why MS buying all of these Studios is bad for Gaming

[nguyen]

I don't know your age and I hope you don't feel excluded. I just know in my time how we treated people who were different, how teens and colleges do it and now how my kids do it. From an overall perspective it seems each generation does a better job of inclusion.

By inclusion you mean exclusion of people who don't share the same world view .

As an Asian exchange student in USA back in the 2000s, things were awesome back then. People could make a joke just about anything back then, now everything is offensive LOL.

 

[kapone32]

By inclusion you mean exclusion of people who don't share the same world view .

As an Asian exchange student in USA back in the 2000s, things were awesome back then. People could make a joke just about anything back then, now everything is offensive LOL.

What does that have to do with Video Games.

 

[nguyen]

What does that have to do with Video Games.

Well it does involve MS

Microsoft warns game devs about stereotypes & "exaggerated body proportions"

Microsoft wants the developers to watch out for gender equality and political correctnes in their games. How will that affect the games?

windowsreport.com

So now people who enjoy sexualized female bodies are excluded LOL, way to go for more "Inclusion"

 

[GhostRyder]

in manner of speaking similar just like critical race prior to it. Does it ever stop? I hope in my kids time it does but I won't hold my breathe. Hate sells and gets clicks but I do believe every generation does a better job than the previous one for inclusion.

All those different phrases (DEI, WOKE, Critical Race) are very similar yet all have different areas where they each fit. The problem with game companies is most of these people forcing this make it priority one and focus on it constantly slowing down the process of making said game. Wanna know why costs to make a game are exploding, well I can safely tell you having a staff that are focused on subbing every character that does not meet their specifications is going to extend the process. When that becomes a big department and a huge focus, they eventually are going to have to cut somewhere else to save money on development and it has shown in the quality of games being released. The overwhelming majority of gamers are not concerned with this stuff, they want good games and dont care, but when you see developers and companies dissing old games, gamers, and saying this was a huge focus for them it tends to turn people off and makes people believe that when a game is bad its because too much development time went into things like that.

I don't know your age and I hope you don't feel excluded. I just know in my time how we treated people who were different, how teens and colleges do it and now how my kids do it. From an overall perspective it seems each generation does a better job of inclusion.



the PC gaming community, PC hardware, (really any community) is at its strongest when more people feel they have a seat at the table.

Inclusion is good, but its being implemented wrong and used as a club instead of a way to bring people together.

As for Microsoft buying games studios, are we just going to ignore Sony doing the same thing for years? Does not matter how small or a big a company is, its the same thing. Just because Microsoft bought Activision/Blizzard which is a huge company does not mean that buying up smaller companies like Bungie is ok.

 

[kapone32]

Well it does involve MS

Microsoft warns game devs about stereotypes & "exaggerated body proportions"

Microsoft wants the developers to watch out for gender equality and political correctnes in their games. How will that affect the games?

windowsreport.com

So now people who enjoy sexualized female bodies are excluded LOL, way to go for more "Inclusion"

Are you serious? What is it Aloy from HZD? Have you seen any of the RE7 mods? Should we all be Witcher in Games. I think you forget that Games are not Playboy Magazines. Arcade Games like Redout 2 and Orcs Must Die 3 are just Games (Free on Epic this week too).

You should try Dragons Dogma 2 then. You can hire pawns that are half naked. or fully clothed. Oh wait that is an example of inclusion.

 

[dirtyferret]

People could make a joke just about anything back then, now everything is offensive LOL.

Well I'm glad we live in a time where not everyone & everything should be a joke when they find it offensive.

So now people who enjoy sexualized female bodies are excluded LOL, way to go for more "Inclusion"

if you try hard enough I'm sure you can find some sexualization of the female body on the internet or in 90% of all video games previously made and many of those currently made

 

[kapone32]

All those different phrases (DEI, WOKE, Critical Race) are very similar yet all have different areas where they each fit. The problem with game companies is most of these people forcing this make it priority one and focus on it constantly slowing down the process of making said game. Wanna know why costs to make a game are exploding, well I can safely tell you having a staff that are focused on subbing every character that does not meet their specifications is going to extend the process. When that becomes a big department and a huge focus, they eventually are going to have to cut somewhere else to save money on development and it has shown in the quality of games being released. The overwhelming majority of gamers are not concerned with this stuff, they want good games and dont care, but when you see developers and companies dissing old games, gamers, and saying this was a huge focus for them it tends to turn people off and makes people believe that when a game is bad its because too much development time went into things like that.


Inclusion is good, but its being implemented wrong and used as a club instead of a way to bring people together.

As for Microsoft buying games studios, are we just going to ignore Sony doing the same thing for years? Does not matter how small or a big a company is, its the same thing. Just because Microsoft bought Activision/Blizzard which is a huge company does not mean that buying up smaller companies like Bungie is ok.

Where is your evidence that making the Character creator in a Game as inclusive as possible adds more time? What you are saying makes no sense in Games where you can create every aspect of your character down to skin colour, gender and body type.

Sony and MS are fundamentally different Companies in the Space. I also have a opinionated feeling for Sony. That is the secert that people who had consoles know. Japanese Games on average have a much higher fun factor in them than American comparisons

 

[dirtyferret]

The problem with game companies is most of these people forcing this make it priority one and focus on it constantly slowing down the process of making said game. Wanna know why costs to make a game are exploding, well I can safely tell you having a staff that are focused on subbing every character that does not meet their specifications is going to extend the process. When that becomes a big department and a huge focus, they eventually are going to have to cut somewhere else to save money on development and it has shown in the quality of games being released. The overwhelming majority of gamers are not concerned with this stuff, they want good games and dont care, but when you see developers and companies dissing old games, gamers, and saying this was a huge focus for them it tends to turn people off and makes people believe that when a game is bad its because too much development time went into things like that.

Game development staffs have certainly ballooned but I disagree with your reasoning for it but you have a right to your opinion. If the market does not care for their games they will vote accordingly with their wallets.

 

[64K]

All those different phrases (DEI, WOKE, Critical Race) are very similar yet all have different areas where they each fit. The problem with game companies is most of these people forcing this make it priority one and focus on it constantly slowing down the process of making said game. Wanna know why costs to make a game are exploding, well I can safely tell you having a staff that are focused on subbing every character that does not meet their specifications is going to extend the process. When that becomes a big department and a huge focus, they eventually are going to have to cut somewhere else to save money on development and it has shown in the quality of games being released. The overwhelming majority of gamers are not concerned with this stuff, they want good games and dont care, but when you see developers and companies dissing old games, gamers, and saying this was a huge focus for them it tends to turn people off and makes people believe that when a game is bad its because too much development time went into things like that.


Inclusion is good, but its being implemented wrong and used as a club instead of a way to bring people together.

As for Microsoft buying games studios, are we just going to ignore Sony doing the same thing for years? Does not matter how small or a big a company is, its the same thing. Just because Microsoft bought Activision/Blizzard which is a huge company does not mean that buying up smaller companies like Bungie is ok.

I can think of one Publisher that stands out with this. Ubisoft issued a statement a few years ago that diversity was their number one goal going forward. They actually have an Inclusion and Diversity dept with a Vice President Raashi Sikka.

Ubisoft Brings Together Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Into One Team

Reporting to VP of Global Diversity and Inclusion Raashi Sikka, the Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility team’s combined efforts seek to ensure that Ubisoft’s games, workplace, and services are for everyone.

news.ubisoft.com

Remember when hiring new employees the number one goal was hiring based on talent and experience?

 

[thesmokingman]

So it is the same thing as the Campaign against DEI. Does it ever stop?

MSFT is the definition of it. It starts with that douche they have for CEO. He's racists to anyone white. Look at their hiring practices, it used to be 70% white now is barely 50% due to their DEI policies. No wonder MSFT is shite now lol. It's like hey lets not hire the most qualified pilots cuz DEI.

 

[kapone32]

I can think of one Publisher that stands out with this. Ubisoft issued a statement a few years ago that diversity was their number one goal going forward. They actually have an Inclusion and Diversity dept with a Vice President Raashi Sikka.

Ubisoft Brings Together Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Into One Team

Reporting to VP of Global Diversity and Inclusion Raashi Sikka, the Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility team’s combined efforts seek to ensure that Ubisoft’s games, workplace, and services are for everyone.

news.ubisoft.com

Remember when hiring new employees the number one goal was hiring based on talent and experience?

Probably why the F35 took 3 times more to come to production than the F15,F18 and F22 combined.

 

[nguyen]

if you try hard enough I'm sure you can find some sexualization of the female body on the internet or in 90% of all video games previously made and many of those currently made

Well just not in any game that MS is publishing I guess .
No matter though, like you said I can buy games made from other game companies, just not game company that is owned by MS

Are you serious? What is it Aloy from HZD? Have you seen any of the RE7 mods? Should we all be Witcher in Games. I think you forget that Games are not Playboy Magazines. Arcade Games like Redout 2 and Orcs Must Die 3 are just Games (Free on Epic this week too).

You should try Dragons Dogma 2 then. You can hire pawns that are half naked. or fully clothed. Oh wait that is an example of inclusion.

Huh, this is a thread about MS buying game companies and it make gaming worse right?
Why are you derailing your own thread?

 

[kapone32]

MSFT is the definition of it. It starts with that douche they have for CEO. He's racists to anyone white. Look at their hiring practices, it used to be 70% white now is barely 50% due to their DEI policies. No wonder MSFT is shite now lol. It's like hey lets not hire the most qualified pilots cuz DEI.

I am not saying that you must hire people based on race but that you should not exclude them because of it too. My father worked with people from China (refugees), Ukraine and Africa. Their team was the best team at creating PCBs with ICs for military and commercial applications. I also live in Canada and the Toronto area is anathema to anyone that thinks DEI is bad. I personally celebrate growing up in a place where I have been exposed to so many different cultures that I can have every food culture and has made things like Skip the Dishes uber successful.

It is like the only original content from the Tolkien universe in 50 years is lauded for having Dwares and Elves that are have a darker complexion. I can tell you that when Galadriel rides that horse into battle in that particular scene none of the noise mattered.

Work places should reflect the makeup of the community.

Well just not in any game that MS is publishing I guess .
No matter though, like you said I can buy games made from other game companies, just not game company that is owned by MS



Huh, this is a thread about MS buying game companies and it make gaming worse right?
Why are you derailing your own thread?

You mentioned woke as a bad word.

I am not saying that you must hire people based on race but that you should not exclude them because of it too. My father worked with people from China (refugees), Ukraine and Africa. Their team was the best team at creating PCBs with ICs for military and commercial applications. I also live in Canada and the Toronto area is anathema to anyone that thinks DEI is bad. I personally celebrate growing up in a place where I have been exposed to so many different cultures that I can have every food culture and has made things like Skip the Dishes uber successful.

It is like the only original content from the Tolkien universe in 50 years is lauded for having Dwares and Elves that are have a darker complexion. I can tell you that when Galadriel rides that horse into battle in that particular scene none of the noise mattered.

Work places should reflect the makeup of the community.


You mentioned woke as a bad word.

I am not derailing but this woke and DEI argument is very tiring

 

[thesmokingman]

I am not saying that you must hire people based on race but that you should not exclude them because of it too. My father worked with people from China (refugees), Ukraine and Africa. Their team was the best team at creating PCBs with ICs for military and commercial applications. I also live in Canada and the Toronto area is anathema to anyone that thinks DEI is bad. I personally celebrate growing up in a place where I have been exposed to so many different cultures that I can have every food culture and has made things like Skip the Dishes uber successful.

It is like the only original content from the Tolkien universe in 50 years is lauded for having Dwares and Elves that are have a darker complexion. I can tell you that when Galadriel rides that horse into battle in that particular scene none of the noise mattered.

Work places should reflect the makeup of the community.


You mentioned woke as a bad word.

You're missing the point of DEI then. It's not hiring on merit regardless of RACE. DEI is hiring based on race regardless of merit, lmao. Look at colleges with their delusion, even they have stopped this shit recently and are now reinstituting SAT testing, waves hi to Ivy leagues.

 

[nguyen]

I am not saying that you must hire people based on race but that you should not exclude them because of it too. My father worked with people from China (refugees), Ukraine and Africa. Their team was the best team at creating PCBs with ICs for military and commercial applications. I also live in Canada and the Toronto area is anathema to anyone that thinks DEI is bad. I personally celebrate growing up in a place where I have been exposed to so many different cultures that I can have every food culture and has made things like Skip the Dishes uber successful.

It is like the only original content from the Tolkien universe in 50 years is lauded for having Dwares and Elves that are have a darker complexion. I can tell you that when Galadriel rides that horse into battle in that particular scene none of the noise mattered.

Work places should reflect the makeup of the community.

You mentioned woke as a bad word.

I am not derailing but this woke and DEI argument is very tiring

So your father worked with Chinese, Ukrainian and African, meaning they were never excluded in the first place? weird.

Anyways I already said why I think MS is making gaming worse, and that set you off on a tangent course somehow

 

[GhostRyder]

Where is your evidence that making the Character creator in a Game as inclusive as possible adds more time? What you are saying makes no sense in Games where you can create every aspect of your character down to skin colour, gender and body type.

Sony and MS are fundamentally different Companies in the Space. I also have a opinionated feeling for Sony. That is the secert that people who had consoles know. Japanese Games on average have a much higher fun factor in them than American comparisons

I never mentioned character creator, I spoke in reference to a specific character in a game not having a huge list of options when building a custom character. Character creators being diverse is a good thing. However, that does as well add to costs because of extra artists and time needed (Though I am not arguing against it as I think character creators having more options is a good thing).

Well Japanese media is also much more willing to take risks and do not obsess over things that are not influencing the fun of said media. But Sony has been more obsessed early on with exclusivity of big games like Final Fantasy for years and buying up small companies to make their games Playstation exclusive. Microsoft just happens to be a much bigger company and is buying up bigger ones now to compete.

Game development staffs have certainly ballooned but I disagree with your reasoning for it but you have a right to your opinion. If the market does not care for their games they will vote accordingly with their wallets.

My problem is gamers are and instead we get hate filled comments and articles talking about how terrible gamers are if they don't buy the games that focus on these things instead of making a fantastic game. Its why Japanese media has risen to new heights in the last decade over other countries as they don't care about that kind of stuff (at least enough to make it a high priority). I am not saying thats the only reason, just saying it has not helped.

Microsoft under Satya Nadella has definitely been a mixed bag. He mostly seems to be obsessed with buying things and that's all the good I can say he's done for the company.

 

[dirtyferret]

My problem is gamers are and instead we get hate filled comments and articles talking about how terrible gamers are if they don't buy the games that focus on these things instead of making a fantastic game.

Ive not seen such things but no one should A) receive hate comments or B) made to feel they should buy something. Frankly, I personally find most games the past 10+ years to be rather mediocre.

Microsoft under Satya Nadella has definitely been a mixed bag. He mostly seems to be obsessed with buying things and that's all the good I can say he's done for the company.

He has a fiduciary responsibility to the stock holders and the easiest way to increase the stock price is generate new revenue streams (buy up other companies) and cut overhead (lay people off). I'm not going to say I'm a fan of MS and I despise the practice but I'm not naive to say he's acting in a way that's different than the other CEOs in large public corporations looking to monopolize in their own sector. It's a huge problem in every industry.

 

[kapone32]

My problem is gamers are and instead we get hate filled comments and articles talking about how terrible gamers are if they don't buy the games that focus on these things instead of making a fantastic game. Its why Japanese media has risen to new heights in the last decade over other countries as they don't care about that kind of stuff (at least enough to make it a high priority). I am not saying thats the only reason, just saying it has not helped.

Microsoft under Satya Nadella has definitely been a mixed bag. He mostly seems to be obsessed with buying things and that's all the good I can say he's done for the company.

The Japanese have always dominated. Just look at historical sales. The Commodore 64 was the last Western based system that was not Japanese based but the NES supplanted that and the SNES buried it. The truth is that we have been given access to them on PC in the last 10 years. This could actually be the silver lining in the dark cloud that is MS.

I guess because I have been a subscriber to Humble choice since the beginning that I have an appreciation for good Games. You want some nice Arcade Action. Load up Redout 2, Orcs Must Die 3 or AMS2.

 

[GhostRyder]

Ive not seen such things but no one should A) receive hate comments or B) made to feel they should buy something. Frankly, I personally find most games the past 10+ years to be rather mediocre.


He has a fiduciary responsibility to the stock holders and the easiest way to increase the stock price is generate new revenue streams (buy up other companies) and cut overhead (lay people off). I'm not going to say I'm a fan of MS and I despise the practice but I'm not naive to say he's acting in a way that's different than the other CEOs in large public corporations looking to monopolize in their own sector. It's a huge problem in every industry.

He does and I am not faulting him for trying to expand and make the company more money. I am just saying he has not done much else and has been around for alot of the failures and issues in the last decade including with the slump the Xbox has gotten itself into out of the legendary space the Xbox 360 left it. I just don't think hes been the best of the CEO's Microsoft has had.

The Japanese have always dominated. Just look at historical sales. The Commodore 64 was the last Western based system that was not Japanese based but the NES supplanted that and the SNES buried it. The truth is that we have been given access to them on PC in the last 10 years. This could actually be the silver lining in the dark cloud that is MS.

I guess because I have been a subscriber to Humble choice since the beginning that I have an appreciation for good Games. You want some nice Arcade Action. Load up Redout 2, Orcs Must Die 3 or AMS2.

They have not always, alot of the industries are in a major slump due and its not just because the Japanese are great at making entertainment. Its a problem with priorities. Focus needs to be on the overall product first and foremost and people will return which has not been their focus for a decade now.

 

[thesmokingman]

lol, don't forget Xbox head tweeted she hates whiteys!

 

[Veseleil]

This thread went off tracks fast enough.

On topic: it's bad because this practice is making the two extremes in the industry even more pronounced. One being the corporate empire with bunch of slave studios under, and the other are indie studios of two and a half employees on an average. And they do that (extremes) by purchasing those that fit somewhere in the middle between them.
The first one creates faceless, senseless worlds without any innovation whatsoever. Boring repetitive gameplay, stories written by showbiz level writers, lack of basic gameplay mechanics and features in order to hide its emptiness, and filler content to forcefully prolong gameplay time. All this effectively killing the quality of the games, and yeah, the complete absence of separation line between games for kids and games for adults. I could go on.

Meanwhile my poor indie devs are almost alone in the innovation department, make interesting stories, amazing worlds, introducing fresh or well proven gameplay mechanics, politically totally incorrect characters and well you know, just practicing freedom without jeopardizing anyone else's. But there's a problem which is kinda obvious, the lack of funds to finish their projects. So we have games with insane potential and genious ideas bogged down sometimes even by decades of nail-pace development. Some get nearly finished, some not even close to it. Some get hyped and earn a lot of cash even in the early access (oh how I despise that term...) of their early access (see?), directors cashing out and moving to another project, killing the further development. It's like common stuff in life, when you have great ideas, you lack funds, and while you're busy earning and saving for a project, the idea is gone with the wind.

Monopoly is never a good thing, and especially when a form of art is in question (and games should tightly fit that category IMO or GTFO), just look what happened to the music in the last 40-50 years, Who would've thought such a quality degradation is possible, but here we are.

 

[Flogger23m]

I feel we need more 20-40 hour story telling/adventure games available than giant open world RPGs, I dunno about you guys but I feel fatigued from them and which is why Armored core 6 was my GOTY last year.
There are certain games that were 20-40hours get turned into a slog like Jedi survivor, that game has no right to be a giant open world game in my opinion.
Assassins creed needs to go back to being a 20-40 hour game as well.

Agreed. Few games can get past 36 hours without feeling stale or drawn out. The games that are generally the most engaging aren't open world. Open world often kills any sense of urgency and pacing. Most open world games feel like a roller coaster of interesting and mundane parts. Where you can't wait to get back to the highs, but end up spending a lot of time playing the low, boring parts that are just barely interesting enough to string you along. The problem is most games are side content these days. Ideally side content should be 20-33% of all content. But many modern games are 50-60% side content. it also creates some other oddness, like oddly small scale areas or enemies roaming just a 45 second walk away from a "safe" area.

Without a doubt there are some good open world games, but most of them would be better without being open world.


The Microsoft article linked below is a bit odd and contradictory.

• Are you unnecessarily introducing gender & gender barriers into your code or design?
• Are you creating playable female characters that are equal in skill and ability to their male peers. Are your female characters equipped with clothing and armor that fits their tasks? Do they have exaggerated body proportions?

The first part in bold is odd. How can a game be coded in a way that only one gender can play or add code to it? I'm not even sure what they are talking about.

As for the second part, being equal in skill/ability isn't quite realistic. On one hand they ask for believable clothing and armor that fits their task. That certainly makes sense for many games with a more serious setting and design. But if you're going for a realistic/authentic game, women will be inferior in skill and ability for many genres. Anything physical will put women at a disadvantage just like in the real world. You can either go the route of games like Final Fantasy where women are excellent fighters, but is entirely unrealistic and likewise the attire of both the men and women aren't realistic or sensible either. Or you can go for a more realistic type of game, but then women should be inferior fighters. Anything infantry, fighting, melee, would put women at a disadvantage. You can't have it both ways. There is of course a place for both types of games and styles.

But when you see some a woman with twig arms talking about beating up a man, in a serious tone, it comes off as unintentionally funny or awkward. Example, from Horizon Forbidden West, this woman talks about sparring and beating up a man:




This is the man:

His arms are twice as thick as hers. It would be like having an 8 year old boy beat up a 25 year old body builder in a game that is intended to be serious. It will come off as unintentionally comical or awkward.

 

[Noyand]

A person that worked on Forza responded to questions like why are they using the same assets from the previous Game?

From what I read, that's a strategy widely used in the industry, even in the 90's. Unless you are going for a wildly different art direction, reusing assets, is in theory beneficial. Majora's Mask extensively used the work done on OOT, and that allowed the team to focus on added content.

...But while I was typing I saw that they are reusing 14 years old assets...that's...too much, holy shit why ?

Ngl, Xbox as a brand is feeling a bit soulless right now. I'm sure that there's still passionate people working there, but the way it's being managed doesn't really convey the passion, beyond a few select exceptions

He does and I am not faulting him for trying to expand and make the company more money. I am just saying he has not done much else and has been around for alot of the failures and issues in the last decade including with the slump the Xbox has gotten itself into out of the legendary space the Xbox 360 left it. I just don't think hes been the best of the CEO's Microsoft has had.

The Xbox One fiasco was under Ballmer. Another fiasco that happened under his watch (failed phones, failed pocket multimedia device) .

Nadella has been a subdued CEO. Didn't shake Microsoft much, but kept it steady, and didn't fall behind in the markets that make tons of money. Safe and steady. The wildest thing that happened under his watch was the surface line-up, but again, they are taking it very easy. 1st gen was insanely ambitious for the time, but then... that brand is really low priority for them, it seems.

 

[kurosagi01]

Agreed. Few games can get past 36 hours without feeling stale or drawn out. The games that are generally the most engaging aren't open world. Open world often kills any sense of urgency and pacing. Most open world games feel like a roller coaster of interesting and mundane parts. Where you can't wait to get back to the highs, but end up spending a lot of time playing the low, boring parts that are just barely interesting enough to string you along. The problem is most games are side content these days. Ideally side content should be 20-33% of all content. But many modern games are 50-60% side content. it also creates some other oddness, like oddly small scale areas or enemies roaming just a 45 second walk away from a "safe" area.

Without a doubt there are some good open world games, but most of them would be better without being open world.


The Microsoft article linked below is a bit odd and contradictory.



The first part in bold is odd. How can a game be coded in a way that only one gender can play or add code to it? I'm not even sure what they are talking about.

As for the second part, being equal in skill/ability isn't quite realistic. On one hand they ask for believable clothing and armor that fits their task. That certainly makes sense for many games with a more serious setting and design. But if you're going for a realistic/authentic game, women will be inferior in skill and ability for many genres. Anything physical will put women at a disadvantage just like in the real world. You can either go the route of games like Final Fantasy where women are excellent fighters, but is entirely unrealistic and likewise the attire of both the men and women aren't realistic or sensible either. Or you can go for a more realistic type of game, but then women should be inferior fighters. Anything infantry, fighting, melee, would put women at a disadvantage. You can't have it both ways. There is of course a place for both types of games and styles.

But when you see some a woman with twig arms talking about beating up a man, in a serious tone, it comes off as unintentionally funny or awkward. Example, from Horizon Forbidden West, this woman talks about sparring and beating up a man:

View attachment 345684


This is the man:

His arms are twice as thick as hers. It would be like having an 8 year old boy beat up a 25 year old body builder in a game that is intended to be serious. It will come off as unintentionally comical or awkward.

The whole "gender" thing from my point of view, every creative people are just approaching it "wrong", some may disagree with my opinion and thats ok.
I don't know what it is but if they want to make it semi-believable/realistic with their approached of a physique, they should look at people in bodybuilding or physical sport activity(wrestling, UFC, martial arts, olympic competitors in like triathlon or something) if they want to "portray" a "strong" or "athletic" female.
Heck even designing male characters is always blown out of proportion when they design a "semi-believable/realistic" physique, not every guy needs to look like Arnold or Kratos or a typical steroid built physique.
In terms of using "real" facial models, again if they are going to do that..why change it to the point it almost doesn't look like the original captured face?(Looking at you Spiderman 2 and now Star wars survivor).
Microsoft and Xbox are as good as dead to me in terms of the gaming field, not just because of the whole gender or politics crap but they have 0 offering in games in general now.

 

[Assimilator]

The first part in bold is odd. How can a game be coded in a way that only one gender can play or add code to it? I'm not even sure what they are talking about.

It can be designed and/or coded in a way that discourages people of a particular gender from playing it. For example, if women are represented in a game as nothing more than their sexual characteristics, most real women with this thing called a brain are going to be offended by that game and won't want to play it. Should be obvious...

As for the second part, being equal in skill/ability isn't quite realistic.

... we're talking about videogames. You know, things that exist for escapism?

Anything physical will put women at a disadvantage just like in the real world.

You should really read a Jack Reacher novel sometimes - the protagonist is built like a brick shithouse yet frequently comes up against groups of bigger and stronger enemies, and he usually wins those brawls not via his own strength but by using his experience of street fighting to move quickly and decisively to take all his opponents out before they can ever hit him. Speed and skill are massive force multipliers, raw dumb muscle is only useful if you can land a blow on your opponent... if they've kicked your legs out from under you and stepped on your windpipe before you've managed to take a swing, no amount of muscle is gonna get you off the ground.

But when you see some a woman with twig arms talking about beating up a man, in a serious tone, it comes off as unintentionally funny or awkward. Example, from Horizon Forbidden West, this woman talks about sparring and beating up a man:

Bro is claiming to expect realism from a game about robot freaking dinosaurs. Are you even for real?

Also, LOL at "twig arms". Those are all muscle and just because Aloy hasn't been chowing down on steroids like the dude she's up against, in no way means she cannot easily beat his ass given her past experience in literally saving the world.