Following the release of Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae, one of the biggest talking points outside of game mechanics fans seemed to be talking about was its English localization. The subject is a fair one – after all, Final Fantasy localizations have seen their ups and downs over the years and people understandably would like to see things improve alongside ever increasing production values.
Over on the game’s official forums, these fans have since caught the attention of director Hajime Tabata – who has since responded to a fan discussing the drastic difference between Noctis and Ignis’ relationship in the Japanese and English versions of the game as well as the mechanic Cidney and her regional name change.
Your point about Ignis in the English language version is a valid one. Using the intricacies of language to make the experience more fun for players is fine, but if the character’s personality changes across languages and becomes someone else, the original intent is lost.
We’ve put a lot of care into making the unique character that is Ignis, and to ensure the character is communicated as intended, I’ve seated the Localization Lead, Dan Inoue, right by me in the development area.
As to your point about Cidney/Cindy, a minor name change may not have created issues in past FF games, but it does for FF XV. I think it has to do with the fact we are targeting a simultaneous global launch.
Rest assured that we’re discussing these issues internally and working out the best way to improve things, so I hope you can look forward to what you’ll see in the final product.
Final Fantasy XV is due out next year with a release date expected to be revealed around March 2016.
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