For all intents and purposes, corporate is right in these regards - give people a choice between Male and Female for content value, but the numbers all the way back to things like Mass Effect show that people overwhelmingly choose the Male character when given the opportunity, but that doesn't stop Bioware from trying to make FemShep the "iconic" and "popular" choice
These developers are not able to force people to change their behavior without just simply not giving them the choice in the first place, hence why they have been trying for ages to never have a Male player character again - and it's not even hyperbole when these same developers will gladly tour on interviews and social media posts over the years saying this exact thing
So deflections are most likely going to be, as always:
"Why do you hate womxn?"
"Why do you hate black people?"
"Actually, there were female samurai and Africans in feudal Japan in these specific circumstances, so it's historically accurate, bigot"
"...And if it's not, it's a video game, it's not meant to be real life, touch grass"
Ubisoft would never make a game about African history or mythology and have it star a Japanese Male immigrant - in fact, they would never make a game about African history or mythology period, they would almost immediately be eaten by their own for the slightest of slights or portrayals of anything not up to modern-day standards.