localization
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Mac app localization now easier with Tethras
For many independent or smaller-scale Mac developers, the promise and profits of international distribution for their apps is obscured behind a very practical challenge: internationalizing their projects, which can take months and plenty of money/resources as all the interface items are translated to the target language. Starting today, that's going to become a bit simpler. The Tethras mobile application localization service, which supported iOS along with other major mobile platforms, is extending full support to localizing OS X applications as well. Developers will be able to chat with the Tethras team at the MacTech conference in San Francisco on November 2, as we did back at WWDC this year. [TUAW is a media sponsor of the MacTech conference. –Ed.] With support for over 40 different languages, the Tethras service uses skilled human translators to help convert all the application assets from the source locale to the required alternatives. For devs looking to target the Mac App Store for distribution, the more languages and localizations they have in their apps, the more potential customers they can address. Tethras CEO & co-founder Brian Farrell is understandably enthusiastic about the opportunity for Mac developers to take advantage of expanded markets. "To truly create a better, more individualized experience for the user, each piece of a Mac app translation, from the icon to the written text, needs to be catered to the specific targeted market. A complete localization will lead to increases in downloads and revenue." Tethras is pioneering what it calls Localization as a Service (LaaS) -- the idea is that the cloud-based localization tools allow translators and developers to preview what a translation will look like within the app itself. Hosting the localization resources in the cloud also means fewer management hassles for developers and product managers as they try to maintain multiple localizations. You can see a brief video walkthrough of Tethras below.
Massively Exclusive: ArcheAge's Jake Song on consensual PvP, inflation, and more
ArcheAge news has been a bit sporadic of late, and it's also been quite some time since we talked to the devs or took a spin through one of the game's closed beta phases. Like many of you, we're dying to know more about XL Games' forthcoming fantasy sandpark, so we went straight to the source to see if we could drum up anything new. Lead designer Jake Song was kind enough to field a few of our burning questions, and we're pleased to present you with another Massively ArcheAge exclusive that touches on everything from localization and story to consensual PvP and item decay. Join us after the break for that and more.
Lord of the Rings Online still not available in China
When it comes to mammoth western themepark MMOs and the Chinese gaming market, apparently there can be only one. And that one isn't named Lord of the Rings Online (or Highlander Online, sadly). CDC Corporation initially entered into an agreement to distribute Turbine's Tolkien-inspired MMORPG to Chinese gamers in 2006. Five years later, the game still has not seen the light of day, and Turbine has pulled the plug on the arrangement as a result. CDC spent approximately $10 million on "licensing, development, and other costs," but has nothing to show for the expenditures. Don't cry too hard for Turbine, though, as the Boston-based developer pocketed the $4 million non-refundable licensing fee.
BioWare delaying Star Wars: The Old Republic's European testing
International issues with Star Wars: The Old Republic started cropping up more or less as soon as the pre-order began, and they're apparently persisting. It's recently been officially announced that European testing invitations have been delayed, missing the initial weekend and being postponed for an unspecified length of time. Fortunately for the players who are no doubt sore over the delay, an explanation was included with the announcement, which kicks off by pointing out that a new build and an associated character wipe are on their way for later in the week anyway. The new build will require testers to re-download the entire client, and with the client requiring a 27 gig download, it was suspected that any players presently invited might finish the download only to have to start an entirely new download immediately afterward. Localized French and German versions of the game will be included in the new build, which further contributed to the decision to ultimately hold off on the European testing. It's cold comfort to would-be testers left out of the game, but at least it isn't without some logic.
Wizard101 voyaging to China
Never underestimate the power of magic or kids accessing their parents' wallets. That's what we've learned from KingsIsle over the past few years, as its Wizard101 has grown into a powerhouse slugger that knocks down barriers of all types: age, social groups, and most importantly for the accounting department, world regions. Today we've learned that KingsIsle has struck a deal with Taomee Holdings Limited to bring Wizard101 to China, and in so doing greatly expand the game's market. Taomee specializes in online gaming that's angled for children, so this seems like a perfect match. Chinese players should see a localized version of Wizard101 sometime next year. KingsIsle also says that Wizard101's website netted over 13 million unique visitors during the month of July, a strong indication of just how big this game has grown.
Operation Rainfall begins phase 2, asks fans to buy Final Fantasy on Virtual Console August 19
Operation Rainfall, the fan-driven initiative to promote North American releases of Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower, begins its "phase 2" today. This phase is meant to coincide with, and take advantage of, the August 19 launch of Xenoblade Chronicles in Europe. "To all residents in the regions of Europe and Oceania," the organizers say, "we encourage you to pre-order and purchase it at your earliest convenience. In the Americas, we encourage you to promote awareness of these titles. Good sales abroad will be a strong indicator for the title making it to American shores." The initiative also includes a rally of letters to Nintendo of America, to be mailed from August 13 to August 17 in order to arrive at roughly the same time. The group also posted an open letter to Satoru Iwata urging him to greenlight the games for North America, and promising to help promote them. Finally, "phase 2" includes one (hopefully) attention-getting stunt timed for August 19. As a show of interest in RPGs, the initiative encourages people to purchase Final Fantasy on Virtual Console that day -- if you already have it, you can gift it to someone else or donate to Child's Play through a widget on the site. Can the Virtual Console's servers even handle multiple people buying a game at once? Has that ever been tested?
Gamania announces musical MMO Tiara Concerto
Have you ever thought to yourself that bards are such a supremely cool idea for a character class that they ought to have a whole game devoted to them? Apparently you're not the only one, as Gamania today announced its upcoming game, Tiara Concerto, a game focused around musical gameplay in floating castles in the sky. And with all joking aside, it seems like a pretty interesting concept at face value, although it's a bit difficult to divine how well it will play out over time. According to the game's backstory, the game takes place 800 years in the past, with humanity on the brink of eradication due to the ambiguous sinning of mankind. The Seven Wise Men helped preserve civilization in floating palaces, developing the art known as "tuning" to allow musical melodies to be used as weapons. While the localization appears to be a bit scattered, the trailer just past the cut certainly promises some interesting visuals if nothing else. You can also look at the official Facebook page, which features a series of comics translated to English to help introduce the game's concepts and play style.
Fully localized WoW launching in Brazil
Brazilian gamers will be happy to know that Blizzard has announced that a fully localized version of the World of Warcraft client, as well as localized game payment options and subscription rates, is coming to Brazil later in 2011. Brazil has grown into one of the largest video game markets in the world, despite heavy taxes on entertainment. The free-to-play market has thrived in Brazil, and Blizzard aims to grab the Brazilian market with local pricing options and support. The new client is fully localized in Brazilian Portuguese, with Blizzard changing names, places, items, monsters, and everything in between. The monthly cost associated with playing WoW in Brazil looks like it will cost 15 Brazilian Real, or about $9.67 a month, with cheaper plans for purchasing more months in advance. This probably does not take into account the taxes that are usually levied against entertainment products in Brazil. With the localization comes an official Brazilian Portuguese WoW community site and Portuguese customer support. A free language pack for players currently subscribed to the North American servers will be available in Portuguese as well. Congratulations to all of the Brazilian WoW players out there who get to experience the game in their native Brazilian Portuguese. As more information comes out about the launch and the language packs, we will be sure to let you know all of the details. Until then, check out Blizzard's WoW Brazil page for more information.
Nintendo: 'No plans' to localize Xenoblade, Last Story, or Pandora's Tower
On Sunday, Nintendo of America's Facebook page promised "more updates soon" regarding the status of Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower, the three Wii games that are the focus of the ongoing grassroots campaign for localization, called "Operation Rainfall." On Monday, it posted a Super Mario 64 trivia question. Then, today, it provided the response that fans were waiting for -- but not the one they wanted. "We never say 'never,'" the company stated, "but we can confirm that there are no plans to bring these three games to the Americas at this time." A brief response on Twitter thanked Operation Rainfall-ers for being "such incredible fans," but reiterated that "there continues to be no plans for NOA to release these 3 games right now." Not that we want to give false hope regarding the actions of a company who is always pragmatic to the point of angering dedicated fans, but "no plans right now" is far from a death knell, especially for Nintendo. Some things that there were "no plans" for in America: the black Wii, the Classic Controller Pro, the Wii Sports Resort hardware bundle. Basically, there are "no plans" until the company decides to tell people its plans. So even that denial leaves the door wide open for one of these games to be announced at a "Media Summit" or similar event in the fall. We're just mentioning that possibility, to be perfectly honest, so that we can say we totally called it should that happen.
'Operation Rainfall' campaign seeks localization of Wii RPGs
Normally, online petition efforts seem doomed from the start. But a grassroots campaign, born on the IGN forums, and aimed at getting Nintendo to localize Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower outstrips the normal, futile campaign through cleverness and pure vigor. Fans have taken to spamming Nintendo's Facebook and Twitter pages and email with requests for those three games. "Operation Rainfall" also involves coordinated physical mailings of letters to NOA headquarters, aimed at one game at a time. Even more clever -- and likely effective -- is a campaign to pre-order "Monado: Beginning of the World" from Amazon. Back in 2009, before it was even called Xenoblade, Nintendo announced this game at E3. Amazon accordingly added a pre-order listing, which has been sitting dormant for two years. Now, that orphaned pre-order listing is Amazon's top seller in video games. Unlike most petitions, this can be translated directly into purchase intent -- i.e. money on the table -- and is more likely than anything to attract Nintendo's attention. It's at least attracted the attention of Nintendo's social media intern: the company tweeted, "Hey fans, we appreciate your enthusiasm. Look for more updates to come soon!"
Darkfall possibly headed to Asian market
Darkfall's brand of FFA PvP and sandbox-style fantasy elements may be headed to the Asian market, according to a new post on Aventurine's weekly dev blog. Tasos Flambouras reports that company staffers recently traveled to the Far East for discussions with "several of the Asian majors." What became of those discussions is still shrouded in secrecy, but Flambouras does hint at more news in this regard down the road. "This will be good for the game overall since we'd be tapping into some vast development resources. Unfortunately I can't be more specific but there will be announcements when we can," he explains. Today's Epic Blog entry also talks a bit about some new PvE dungeons in the works, and there are some interesting pieces of concept art as well as a screenshot or two of the new Cairn dungeon. Read all about it at the official Darkfall site.
The Lawbringer: Where localization meets legal reasoning
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Running parallel to the games we love and enjoy is a world full of rules, regulations, pitfalls and traps. How about you hang out with us as we discuss some of the more esoteric aspects of the games we love to play? Have you ever been playing one of your favorite games, potentially developed in a foreign land, and felt an "off" feeling of oddness and wonder at word choice, phrasing, or character identity? Something within the core experience feels out of place or foreign, and you just can't put your finger on it? Welcome to the world of game localization. You've all experienced good, bad, and everything in between in terms of game localization quality. Maybe you didn't notice it. Maybe you did. Were you the kind of person taken back when wise and sage Tellah insults Edward in Final Fantasy 2/4 by calling him a "spoony" bard? Who could forget the epic spell casts of Final Fantasy Tactics -- "Life's refreshing breeze, blow in energy! Cure!" And we all remember gaming's great master of unlocking... Localization is more than changing phrases and dubbing voices. The world of localization exists to shape, mold, and conform a game and an experience to a completely new market filled with new and different expectations about the product. You also have a bevy of rules to follow and interpret, using deductive reasoning and precedent to figure out what changes need to be made to a game in order for it to pass the tests of foreign markets. You'd be surprised at the similarities between conforming a product to a foreign set of standards and the research and interpretation needed for legal reasoning.
NMA explains Locationgate in animated form
Those wild and crazy guys from Taiwan's Next Media Animation have weighed in on the Locationgate blow-up, and as usual, they haven't let the facts get in their way. The video states that the location information is sent to Apple's servers for all sorts of nefarious purposes -- but of course, it was made before Apple's announcement today. As we posted earlier, the data is used to help your phone zero in on its own location as quickly as possible, and it may represent cell towers that could be 100 miles away. Take a peek and see what you think. The video is a little bit NSFW, so think before you click.
RIFT ships off to South Korea
For as many Asian MMOs that get imported overseas, it's good to see a little love heading back that way as well. South Korean players anxious to get their hands on RIFT will now have that opportunity. Trion Worlds announced that it signed a multi-year agreement with CJ E&M Games to publish a localized version in the country. This is good news for RIFT, as it will expand outside of its current North American and European markets. Trion's Lars Buttler sees South Korea as ripe for a few dynamic invasions: "We take the Korean market very seriously as it is driven by innovation and growth in the online gaming space. By working with CJ E&M we are able to bring deep, immersive online gaming experiences to the east, and continue delivering quality games to gamers worldwide." RIFT is riding high after a recent NPD report that listed the game as the top-selling retail PC game in North America in March, according to Trion's press release.
Capcom: No plans to localize Ace Attorney Investigations 2 'at this time'
If you're eager to find out about the ongoing adventures of Miles Edgeworth, Dick Gumshoe, and Kay Faraday (like we are), we have some possibly distressing news to report. Capcom is currently denying any plans to localize Ace Attorney Investigations 2. During a recent "Ask Capcom" video, VP of strategic planning and business development Christian Svensson answered a question about the game pretty flatly: "The answer is 'no.' Sorry about that." He echoed this sentiment in a less definite manner on other occasions, telling Capcom forum members "Regarding AAI2 sorry guys, there's no plans for Western release at this time." Finally, he clarified Capcom's position in a statement to Siliconera: "Regarding the question, plans change all the time so I would probably rather use the 'There are no plans for a Western release at this time for AAI2.'" We can't help but be reminded of Atlus's recent declaration of "no plans" to localize Catherine, followed two days later by the announcement of a North American release. As for Capcom, there were no plans for a Western release of the Wii port of Resident Evil Zero, either -- Svensson even said that Capcom USA was "asked twice if we've wanted to bring it Westward and twice we've declined." The third time, it relented; the game came out in North America in 2009. So, yes, plans change all the time.
Trion signs deal with Belver to localize RIFT for Russia
Hey look, it's another RIFT tidbit! We know it's been several hours since the last one, and honestly, the void was making us all a bit weepy. Seriously, though, we do have some good news for our Russian comrades who're itching to take a peek at the Telara the rest of the MMO world has been fawning over for the past month. Trion has just announced a publishing deal with Belver to bring a localized version of the game to Russia as well as 14 Commonwealth of Independent States. Currently, there's no firm release date, though Trion's press blurb mentions a late 2011 window. "The work going into launching on Russian servers is significant, but with skilled specialists on either side of [the] Atlantic, RIFT's release in Russia is sure to be a solid product," said Belver CEO Slava Plotnikov.
TERA's Chris Lee on making a Korean MMO into an American hit
The recent announcement regarding a mind-meld between En Masse Entertainment and Atari for the purposes of bringing Bluehole Studio's TERA to North America has generated a fair bit of industry buzz. Not only does it indicate an impending release date (though En Masse remains coy about anything other than a "2011" date), but it also signifies to fans of AAA Asian-themed MMOs that they'll soon have an alternative to Aion and Lineage II. Gamasutra recently chatted up En Masse publishing vice president Chris Lee about the challenges inherent in bringing TERA to the West, and surprisingly, the "westernization" catch-phrase -- and associated deflections -- were nowhere to be found. Lee instead focused on how En Masse has a long road ahead when it comes to turning a Korean MMO into an American hit (regardless of the title's inherent quality). "One of the biggest misconceptions in the business is that a good game will sell itself," Lee says. Lee also spoke to TERA's decision to bypass the free-to-play craze as well as the title's unique combat mechanic, which is "a large departure from traditional MMOs, regardless of region."
The very short list of Yakuza 4's localization changes
The more senstive among you are probably still fuming about the US localization of Yakuza 3, which excised chunks of the Japanese version, including a quiz on the country's history and hostess clubs. For the good of all your blood pressures, we're happy to report you'll have much less to get steamed about when Yakuza 4 comes stateside. Siliconera reports that, though the quiz game is still MIA (its text is in images, which can't be changed), the only other alteration is to the soundtrack for the intro video. So relax. Take a deep breath. And get ready to ogle some hostesses, you creepy double-creep creep-o.
GDC 2011: Prius Online and the evolution of MMORPG pets
The closed beta countdown for Prius Online is in full swing, and the new MMORPG from gPotato is targeting a spring 2011 North American launch window. Prius is a new free-to-play fantasy game (new to the American market, at any rate), and no, it doesn't have anything to do with Toyota automobiles. We recently sat down with the guys from gPotato to talk about how they've spent the last little while working hard to localize Prius and how it differs from your average F2P MMO. The game has been out in Korea for a couple of years now and was one of the more unique titles we saw at this year's GDC on account of its three-character control system and an unusually elaborate narrative focus and pet mechanic. Join us after the cut for the full scoop on Gigas, Animas, and all things Prius.
The MMO Report: Now is the winter of our discontent edition
We're not sure whether he was inspired by the recent Oscars or other recent winning theatrics, but this week we're treated to a breathtaking performance from the MMO Report's very own Casey Schreiner. Admittedly, he likely won't be picking up any golden statuettes from the Academy -- this is internet video, after all. However, we feel relatively certain that he will likely find his bag quite swollen over owing to this week's subtle combination of stellar performance and particularly well-groomed facial hair. Well, that and because this week's episode is really short. Starting off running, Casey touches on the February game update in DC Universe Online while simultaneously saving us from having to look at cherubs from the game's holiday event. After that, it's a quick jump to Runes of Magic, which is determined to make it even easier to spend tons of time wandering aimlessly in the game while telling your Facebook friends all about it. Next, it's a nod to our GDC 2011 coverage with our ArenaNet localization panel writeup and an aside about the large amount of Guild Wars hardcore Norn we got to enjoy last week. Finally, the bag returns to equally rapidly disappear once again. As always, this week's episode lurks beyond yon break -- or you can catch it on G4TV every Thursday! Until then, anon good readers; anon!
