Somehow I doubt big companies are ideologically driven and idealistic enough to sacrifice profit. I would guess that they misinterpreted the market or are striving for something bigger.

The alternative, that they're idealists who willingly sacrifice profit to get their message out, seems more farfetched.

Trying to market diversity is probably a high risk/high reward scenario from their perspective. If they can reach untapped demographics they will strike gold.

Perhaps both berk? Political correctness doesn't matter here, diversity is the factor.

You are an absolute moron if you think I am sprouting SJW narrative.

Gaming isn't limited to nerds/gamers anymore, so you are going to market it to anybody you can. Diversity? Nothing but good marketing to appeal to the wider audience. Power of "nationalism". Hardcore gamers aren't economically viable anymore (if Battlefield fans can be called hardcore gamers).

You forget one thing - even biggest corporations consist of people. And some of those people can be idealists, who think that their fight for "social justice" is more important than profit of corporation they work in. Imagine such people in HR department - they will hire even more SJWs, instead of skilled workers, to facilitate their course, instead of increasing profit, and tell their superiors BS about

You said it better than I did. Although I wouldn't say high risk, big companies like to play it safe.
No. No big shareholder is interested in "social justice" as in anything else but means to more money. You are delusional.

Did I say anything about shareholders? It's you who is simply refusing to look at what I'm saying.

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/wow_youre_all_absolutely_incredible/post28

Point, and counterpoint. You go, grrl! lol

Then why are you repeating this:
This IS SJW narrative - narrative that somehow having LGBT characters or some other "diverse" characters makes a game more appealing.

You just repeating that SJW BS again and again. PROVE me that your claim is legit. EXPLAIN me, why for an Online FPS game to be appealing to me it has to have a character of my race, gender, whatever?

And just to be clear, I'm not against diversity as in various roster of characters. I'm against "diversity and inclusion" agenda - censoring female characters/poses for being too sexy, retconning characters as LGBT, making a policy of banning players for things they say, not even in the game. I'm asking you - how THAT makes Overwatch to sell better?

Marvel, DC, and Star Wars were cash cows until very recently. Was there an honest mistake in failing to realize that the number of social media accounts is grossly inflated, or does Hollywood have a vested interest in marginalizing everything related to white males?

I'd say the most logical answer is, all of the above.

Are you seriously trying to tell me that you can't fathom that:
A) to someone appeals character of their own social group? Why the fuck do we have right wing idiots and SJW-s in the first place? Identities are powerful thing. Heck, even I who don't identify with social groups, like ubermensch characters like Akuma, Kreia or Steven Armstrong. You are telling me you are exception?
B) Appealing to marginalized demographics automatically appeals to SJW-s. More demographics covered!
C) Political correctness makes it family friendly. Wider appeal. And safer.
D) Attractive lesbians targeting both yuri fans and LGBT people
E) That previous gaming demographics don't mean jack shit in world of mobile gaming and whales?

If this is true, you'd expect them to resist the SJW gatekeepers in game "journalism", because it's not an either/or proposition. Reaching out to new demographics doesn't necessitate abandoning traditional "gamers".

Swoosh

"AAA companies try to produce same shit they always did, but also market themselves to different groups."
You can have your cake and eat it. Or so they think. I never said they are abandoning old demographics, only that they aren't the only and primary concern in AAA industry.
My non gaming friend bought Battlefront 2 (the new one), after all. Think about it.

A1 "Why the fuck do we have right wing idiots and SJW-s in the first place? Identities are powerful thing."
That's kinda my point. It's mostly SJW and nationalists who can't play characters, who are not of their race, gender, sexuality, etc.

A2 "You are telling me you are exception?"
You tell me. I've enjoyed playing Beyond Good and Evil and BloodRayne, while being a man and Jade and Rayne - women. I liked the story in Dreamfall Chapters, despite Kian was gay, unlike me. When I played Unreal 2 I didn't even pay attention that John Dalton was black (and I'm white). And I like Duke Nukem despite him being blond and strong, unlike me. Oh, and Tails is one of my favourite character, despite being antropomorphyc fox.

Yes, in MMO I do tend to customize my character in my liking (though not entirely), but I don't have a problem relating to a character of different social group. And I've actually played Overwatch, but it was a short session, so I was able to play only as Winston.

B) And how large is SJW demographic? Is it big enough to compensate alienation of players who are agains "political correctness"?

C) It doesn't. It isn't. It's not.

D) I don't argue with that.

E) Am I the only one who is confused seing "whales" and "marginalized demographic" to have (supposedly) huge overlap?

As I said in my other post, I think it's wanting to broaden the market, but also a case of grossly exaggerating the significance of social media "outrage". Thankfully, that seems to have peaked and is now in it's death throes.