Pragmata devs created a “Diana Police” division to make sure she stayed cute

Following the success of Pragmata, the game’s director has revealed that they had a team of “Diana Police” whose job it was to make sure she was cute enough.

Pragmata’s Diana has quickly become one of Capcom’s most beloved characters, with some fans claiming the robot companion was encouraging them to want kids themselves.

But according to the game’s director, making the young android companion adorable wasn’t left to chance. In fact, there was an entire group of devs who were tasked with ensuring she pulled on players’ heartstrings in the right way.

Speaking during a livestream translated by Automaton, director Yonghee Cho revealed that the development team had an unofficial group dubbed the “Diana Police,” whose job was to ensure the character remained cute in an “uncontrived and childlike way” throughout development.

Pragmata’s “Diana Police” checked her animations

According to Cho, the Diana Police consisted largely of female staff members who would closely review the character’s animations, facial expressions, and behavior.

“It’s easier for women to detect the ‘cunning’ kind of cuteness in female characters, whereas men would probably go ‘What’s the difference?'” Cho joked in an interview with Game Spark. “So I’m pretty sure all of the Diana Police members were women.”

Whenever Diana’s actions felt too forced or unnatural, the team would step in and offer feedback, whether it be in voice acting or motion capture.

Nao Toyama, who voiced the character, also revealed in the livestream that she was told “not to make it too cute, but speak like a child would naturally speak.”

Capcom

Cho has previously spoken about the challenges Capcom faced while creating Diana. Although the team originally wanted her to appear more obviously robotic, they struggled to balance those android qualities with a design that players would still connect with.

Instead, Capcom opted for a subtler approach. Diana looks almost entirely human, but small mannerisms, expressions, and vocal quirks remind players that she’s actually a machine.

This isn’t the first time that Capcom has used these kinds of tactics, as they previously used female devs to make sure Leon Kennedy was hot enough in Resident Evil Requiem.