14 DAY TRIAL // Volume developer Mike Bithell initially wanted to have a female protagonist for his upcoming game Volume, but in the end the story dictated that a male one was more appropriate.
Bithell told Polygon that Thomas Was Alone fans reportedly liked the character Claire, who he also liked writing for, and that he was determined to have his next game play out with a female protagonist.
He informed that once he settled on Volume's story, which is a futuristic adaptation of the legend of Robin Hood, of a man of privilege who sets out to balance the scales between the rich and the poor, he felt the need to have a male hero.
However, he still wants to explore a new way to portray masculine heroism, as he feels everyone is sick of always playing with the same "standard chiseled beefcake with the big gun." He describes his hero as "smarter, non-violent and a bit arrogant."
He ends by saying that male heroes should no longer be the default option, and that gender should be an option that accounts for the story being told, expressing his hope that people will understand his decision to go with a male character once they play the game.