Square Enix’s ethics team instructs Final Fantasy 7 remake devs to ‘restrict’ Tifa’s bust

In a new interview with Famitsu (as translated by Eurogamer), Final Fantasy 7 director Testuya Nomura has revealed that Square Enix’s ethics department has instructed the developers involved in the FF7 remake to “restrict” Tifa’s bust size.

“It was necessary to restrict her chest,” Nomura said in the interview, exemplifying that while the character retains her tanktop and shorts costume, her body will be updated for a more “athletic look, complete with abs” in order to avoid her looking “unnatural”.

The interview also touched on the in-game cross-dressing event. While the controversial event will be reprised in the remake, the director said the updated version will be more “modern”.

Square Enix recently confirmed it has closed Studio Istolia, cancelling RPG Project Prelude Rune and redeploying employees to other projects across the company.

“Following evaluation of various aspects of Project Prelude Rune, development of the title has been canceled,” a spokesperson sad at the time. “Studio Istolia is no longer in operation and we have been taking appropriate steps to assign studio staff to other projects within the Square Enix Group.”

Studio Istolia was established in 2017 and led by Tales Of producer, Hideo Baba. However, Hideo Baba announced earlier this year that he was leaving Studio Istolia and Square Enix because of “management policies”, and Project Prelude Rune’s social media channels and website were removed without notice earlier this week.

“As of today, with the change in Studio Istolia’s management policies, I have resigned as the company president at the end of December 2018 to make way for the new generation of talent, and I also resigned from Square Enix at the end of March 2019,” Baba said at the time of his resignation. “I’d like to once again express my gratitude to the Square Enix Group for having provided various experiences. I will continue supporting from the sidelines, and wish with all my heart for the continued growth of the Square Enix Group.”