Ask Localization Megathread

[Zubis]

One example I like to give is what anime fans will recognize as the "tsundere" character. You know, the stereotypical "B-but it's not like I like you or anything!" This works for a Japanese audience. This works for an anime-enjoying Western audience. The problem is that it's a character trope that is incredibly vexing if you're not a Japanophile--and we don't create games for Japanophiles, we create games for a broad Western audience. We don't want you to have to have any prior understanding of Japan to enjoy yourself.

Gotta say I appreciate this a lot, there's nothing worse than playing a game and having an incredibly dry story because someone decided that a direct translation from Japanese to English was better than localising it.

I think FFXI's quest and mission dialogues are certainly more fun and quirky in the last couple of years - some of the very early stuff was not perhaps as entertaining as it could have been.

Some related questions:

• Is there a huge story bible for the game?
• What happens if a quest is added involving a NPC that maybe hasn't been in use in 5 or 6 years? Do you have to go back to the original quests involving the NPC to get a feel for how they speak?