Loekalization Blog
Japanese/Chinese/Korean/English/Dutch game localization
Month: March 2025
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手を出す
Today’s word, 手を出す (te wo dasu), is essentially Japanese for “doing something you probably shouldn’t,” which, let’s face it, is pretty much everyone’s favorite hobby these days. Take our first kanji, 手 (te, hand). A surprisingly straightforward pictogram—so straightforward, in fact, it looks like someone tried their best to doodle a claw and ended up…
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“The Gods Are Fake—and So Are You”: How Shinma Kari no Tsukuyomi Makes AI the Villain in Its Own Game
Imagine you’re new at your job. You walk into the office, sit down at your desk, and casually say hi to your coworkers—only to realize they’re sneaking sideways glances at you like they’ve just seen a ghost. Or worse, a legend. That’s basically what happened when Kazuma Kaneko, the artist who designed half the pantheon…
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“No Mifune, No Musashi”: Capcom’s New Onimusha Built Around a Dead Samurai Movie Star
After nearly 20 years of radio silence, Capcom has finally remembered that samurai exist — and they’re bringing them back with style, blood, and a healthy dose of nostalgic sword-slicing in Onimusha: Way of the Sword. The game was officially revealed in late 2024, and thanks to an epic (and sometimes delightfully nerdy) interview on…
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Ubisoft Sells a Quarter of Its Soul to Tencent for €1.16 Billion and a Shot at Not Imploding
Ubisoft, the proud parent of Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six, has done what any franchise-fatigued AAA studio facing 80% stock decline and investor lawsuits would logically do: it threw its biggest IPs into a shiny new subsidiary and sold 25% of it to Tencent for a casual €1.16 billion. This isn’t just a…
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Exploitation Never Dies—It Just Merges: Blu Digital’s Escape Into TransPerfect
Just when you think you’ve seen it all in the festering swamp of media localization, another grotesque development unfolds. Blu Digital Group, the poster child of non-payment, deception, and exploitation, has found a way to wash its hands clean. Not by paying its debts. Not by reforming its predatory practices. But by being fully acquired…
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How Japan Sees Assassin’s Creed Shadows: A Game That Reached the National Diet
Ubisoft’s latest title, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, has become an unexpected focal point of controversy in Japan, even reaching the floor of the National Diet. While Western audiences have largely viewed the game as an exciting step for the franchise, it is not up to us to determine whether it properly represents Japan. Instead, today’s perspective…
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The Dark Side of Live Streaming: A Tragedy in Japan and My First-Hand Experience
On March 11, 2025, in Tokyo’s Takadanobaba district, a horrifying incident unfolded. A 22-year-old live streamer known as “Mogami Ai” was brutally stabbed during a live broadcast by a 42-year-old man named Kenichi Takano. His motive? He claimed to have lent her over 2.5 million yen (about €15,000) over the years—money she had promised to…
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Niantic Sells Off Its Gaming Empire: The Great Pokémon GO Paywall Saga?
In the world of mobile gaming, where players routinely risk tripping over curbs in pursuit of virtual monsters, something colossal has happened. Niantic, the mastermind behind Pokémon GO, has decided to pass the Poké Ball to Scopely for a staggering $3.5 billion. That’s right—three and a half billion dollars, which is enough to buy every…
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