Capcom’s got a great blog post today about the localisation process behind Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies. “…we’ve labelled him a samurai instead of a rōnin (which are technically a subset of samurai).
This deliberate choice was made because samurai are simply more easily recognisable and readily understood by a Western audience than rōnin, especially when some people don’t even see a difference between the two in the West.”
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney — Dual Destinies Localization: TRIVIA TIME! [Capcom]
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5 responses to “Learn About Localisation With Capcom And Phoenix Wright”
Don’t let the stub article deter you; there’s a really interesting piece on the other side of the link!
I wish they would localise Ace Attorney Investigations 2 as well. Wouldn’t bet on it happening at this point though…
Wait, there’s an EASTERN hemisphere?! Learn something new every day.
They need to justify the cost of localisation to the suits in the boardroom, the easiest way to do that is to go on about how “accessible” they are making it for foreign audiences. When it works we usually can’t tell much of a difference, when it’s botched we get the Yakuza 3 fiasco.
It’s always interesting to read about localisation processes and how they decide what can stay and what needs to be changed. I know a bit of Japanese and a bit about Japanese culture and mythology so when I play with the Japanese voices on, I can sometimes pick up when they’ve changed the translation and wonder why at times. Honestly, I don’t envy them their jobs. They need to translate in a way that makes it more accessible to Western players but doesn’t become too Westernised such that the original storyline and characterisations are lost.