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Tales of Series Producer Baba Addresses Zestiria's Controversy

Tales of series producer Hideo Baba posted a message on the official Twitter account for the franchise on Friday. The message reads:

I sincerely apologize for causing worry for everyone about the Tales of franchise. I have participated in an interview in regards to the speculations and rumors with Famitsu, who serve as a representative of the players. I hope you will understand our thoughts and feelings through this interview.

Note: The rest of this article contains minor spoilers for the Tales of Zestiria video game.

In the interview, Baba explained that he wanted for players to experience the surprises and twists within the Tales of Zestiria game themselves, so he withheld information before the game's release. He admits that while this might have caused misunderstandings, he insists that he never said in any interviews or promotional materials that the character Alisha was the heroine. Fans had complained that the game's promotion indicated that Alisha would have a major role, but she would only have a minor one in the main game.

Baba added that while Alisha does not spend much time in the party, she plays two main roles in the game: First, as the person who leads Sorey to the outside world, and secondly, as a motivation for Sorey to become more powerful when he felt powerless after seeing her position.

In regards to Alisha's profile in the Tales of Asteria mobile game that listed her as the "heroine of Tales of Zestiria" before an update removed the mention of her being the heroine, Baba apologized to fans for the confusion, and explained that the development team of Tales of Asteria is completely different from Tales of Zestiria, causing the confusion. In regards to the incident, Baba commented, "For us at the Zestiria team who developed the game, it ripped our hearts apart just as much as it did for the players."

He also clarified that the "to be continued" in the Alisha epilogue DLC refers to the ending of the main Tales of Zestiria game, and does not indicate a future sequel. He also noted that despite fan rumors, scenarios are not being tailored to let one voice actor appear more than another, as the focus is on story and the game system. He also confirmed that he has received much fan feedback through things like surveys, and he will take the opinions into consideration when moving ahead with the franchise.

Baba already apologized to fans for their worries about the franchise at a screening of the Tales of Zestiria: Dōshi no Yoake special anime at the Machi Asobi Vol. 14 event on Tuesday.

The game shipped on January 22 in Japan. Bandai Namco Entertainment will ship the game for the PS3 in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Australasia this fall, and it will include both Japanese and English audio tracks. The anime special inspired by the game premiered in Japan last December. Tales of Festival, the annual official event celebrating the franchise, will be held on June 6 and 7.

Update: Added spoiler warning.

Source: Famitsu via Hachima Kikō