I don't get it at all. I mean, I get it if some small studio says it. I get it if TaleWorlds says that, because there's like, under a dozen people in the company. But I don't get it when some of the biggest names in the industry say it. They have the resources in abundance, and it's not like you can change the guys who design NPCs and quests and towns to working on art.

What I really double-don't-get is how with FFXIII they said "Towns are too hard" before sending you running through what, four, five different urban environments? They had everything they needed except a handful of interiors and NPCs. Heck, they had to add a dozen NPCs to the game and that was Oerba as a nice little town.

And Western developers aren't saying this. BioWare aren't, and DA and ME have plenty of settlements. Bethesda aren't, and Oblivion and Fallout 3 have plenty of settlements. Obsidian aren't, and New Vegas etc. etc.