Final Fantasy XIV players have been waiting for more Hrothgar hairstyles for ages. The catlike folks have tended to have more limited cosmetic options than other playable races – we’re still awaiting female Hrothgar, too – so today’s reveal of new hairstyles had fans of the MMO excited. Until the devs actually showed off those hairstyles, that is.

You can see an example above, but suffice to say, something about that hair with those leonine faces just doesn’t quite seem right. Live Letter 70 happened to land on April Fools Day, and that’s led some players to speculate – or hope – that these looks are, in fact, pranks. But there’s no real indication here that that’s the case.

A big part of why these hairstyles seem so uncanny is down to the ears. Or, rather, the lack of them. Director Naoki Yoshida provided a few comments on that in the livestream, as translated by iluna minori of the FFXIV Discord. Yoshida says the “ears and the head are integrally moulded” for the Hrothgar, so the team has “no choice” but to implement the hair this way.

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