As games have slowly started to open up to inclusivity in recent years, Luminous Productions' choice to have a woman of color take the starring role of Frey Holland inForspokenis a huge step forward for the medium. This comes as one of very few examples of the protagonist of a mainstream title being non-white, especially with thecharacter being from New York Cityand traveling to the European-styled Athia.
More important than just the introduction of a person of color in a new IP likeForspokenis the fact that this doesn’t come as a customization option, but as the only way to play the game. Given some more recentcontroversies from publisher Square Enix over diversity, this casting choice shows the constantly evolving state of representation in games from the largest companies all over the world.
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Why Representation Matters
The conversation about representation and inclusion in all forms of media is as diverse as the people arguing over the topic. Many consumers of this media are simply asking to be seen and to see themselves in the characters that they watch onscreen, either on a gaming monitor or on a large projector in the cinema. However, the most important point to be made about representation, like what is seen for Black fans with Frey Holland inForspoken, is that it matters when people see themselves in media.
In many cases, if the main character of any media looks like the viewer, it is significantly easier for that viewer to then relate to the protagonist. This is obviously why the vast majority of artwork from any culture is made specifically for the majority population, so that it will have the opportunity to resonate with the widest audience. The problem is that only focusing on the cultural or ethnic majority can wind up outweighing the proportion of characters that the minority population can more easily relate to. So, keeping thecast of games likeForspokendiverse, instead of focusing on only the majority population, shows that everyone is seen and has a seat at the table.
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Ethnic Customization Vs Mandatory Diversity
Now, something to note about the state of diversity in games does bring up the question of character customization and the ability for players to tune their protagonists to their preferences. In fact, a significant amount of mainstream titles allow players to make their character match their own ethnicity, such as buildingMike Tyson inElden Ring. However, there is a significant difference between playing as a blank slate with an optional color palette and having a game built around the character’s ethnicity.
The difference in question for acharacter likeForspoken’s Frey Hollandis that building the character as a woman of color in modern America has the opportunity to inform both their personality and their personal struggles. A customized character has to be vague enough that their being a representative for any ethnicity or culture doesn’t get to shine within the game. Even this racial informing of the story comes off as little more than lip service, as there wouldn’t even be an opportunity for that minor amount of representation without the mandatory diversity.
On a more superficial note, character customization also leads to a lack of cinematic scenes that allow the protagonist to be as expressive and visually impressive as possible. Choosing to make Frey Holland the only choice of character means that Luminous Productions can take full advantage of high-end PC andPS5 hardwarein order to makeForspokenlook as beautiful as possible. Considering that the Luminous Engine and producer Square Enix are well-known for making visually stunning cinematic sequences, this should be a great example of diversity in gaming.
Forspokenis set to release on July 13, 2025, for PC and PS5.
