Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn's upcoming expansion Heavensward will introduce the dragon-like race Au Ra, and today we learned that the Viera from Final Fantasy XII were initially considered as a candidate.

Yet, the process from the initial Viera concerpt to the Au Ra was long and laborious, made of several different ideas that were eventually scrapped or evolved in the race we're going to play on June 23rd.

During a broadcast from Nico Nico Tokaigi in Chiba, near Tokyo, the game's developers showcased many pieces of concept artwork, representing the evolution from Viera to Au Ra.

Some ideas veered towards the fully monstrous, others were sexy, there was even a lalafell-like version of the Viera.

Below you can see the artwork that was showcased in order, giving you an idea of how the different concept stages, from the Viera all the way to the Au Ra. Be aware that some of the images show characters without clothes, and could be considered not safe for work depending on your workplace.

If you want to see the final result in-game, you can also check out the Au Ra character creation video we published today.