Pragmata Developers Considered a Cost-Cutting Haircut for Diana

Capcom’s action title Pragmata has sparked quite a bit of conversation since its launch earlier this year. A lot of this chatter has centered around whether it qualifies as a “sad dad game” (spoiler: it doesn’t). However, much of the focus has been on the design of Diana, your robot companion who resembles a young girl. Regardless of opinions on Diana, it’s safe to say that a poorly executed bob haircut would have made her look even worse—a fate that was almost considered.

At the 2026 Computer Entertainment Developers Conference (CEDEC), developers Kenji Irie and Serina Ohara discussed the intricacies of hair and facial animations in Pragmata. One of the standout points from their presentation was the extensive effort put into animating Diana’s hair. While many games utilize hair cards—flat polygons with hair textures—Pragmata opted for individual hair strands for Diana. This method offers a more lifelike appearance but demands significantly more resources. To animate Diana’s hair with cards would require around 22 joints, whereas using individual strands involves approximately 430,000 animation points.

Despite the increased workload and costs associated with animating Diana’s flowing hair, Capcom deemed it essential for the game’s aesthetic. The developers noted that the movement of her hair contributes to “conveying a sense of life on the moon,” as players observe it swaying in the low-gravity setting. However, there were moments during development when the team contemplated giving Diana a drastic haircut to save on expenses. This idea was even discussed during the 2D art phase, with some concept art showcasing what that bob could have looked like—spoiler alert: it wasn’t pretty! The bob cut resurfaced as a topic during mid-development, leading to a test model to evaluate its cost-saving potential.

In the end, Diana kept her long hair, and Capcom found ways to manage the costs associated with her voluminous locks. The final design features, on average, fewer than 20,000 individual strands. Interestingly, the unfortunate bob cut did make an appearance in Pragmata, but on Diana’s sister, Eight, who sports a rather messy bob. This hairstyle is a clear indicator of her villainous nature; it definitely gives off some bad vibes.

Capcom’s shooter stands as the second greatest lunar achievement of 2026.