
and released in an incomplete state, further displeasing fans on how the franchise had been treated under Baba's leadership. Zestiria was also the third mainline game in a row to have suffered a Troubled Production note Tales of Xillia was cut short to release for the franchise's 15th anniversary, and its sequel was developed and released in just a year to rectify that, resulting in many issues with its own story.

When Japanese fans were outraged, Baba made multiple contradictory statements trying to explain why it made sense, some of which were perceived as blaming the fans themselves for not understanding the game.

Infamously, the character of Alisha Diphda had been very prominently featured in pre-release marketing as the game's Deuteragonist and female lead, but ended up only being a Guest-Star Party Member who left early in the game.
