Capcom Localization Team Smugly Exposes Itself
Want a look at what video game localizers do? Capcom is more than happy to let you know; today, the Capcom Localization Team’s X account posted a list of a game localizer’s responsibilities – gussied up in rosy words with a condescendingly smarmy tone – and it’s stunning in its audacity. They’re straight-up admitting what they do, then denying that it’s what they do, like politicians telling their voters to shut up and take it in press-conference-speak. How do you wrap your head around both “preserving context” and administering a “cultural remix” and making sure it has “inclusive storytelling”? (That second one is in the same exact sentence as “preserving context.”) Savvy|Artist made a video that goes into detail about how these examples are put into practice and the effect they’ve had on games, and it’s a great watch:
One Take. 12 minutes. Excuse my passion, but respectfully, YOU are what is wrong with the industry. https://t.co/mepdI157gy pic.twitter.com/sjCEt13vJz
— Savvy | Artist (@MadamSavvy) April 12, 2024
What makes me laugh is that these are the same people who whine non-stop about “colonialism” and “cultural appropriation,” yet they’re perfectly fine with taking art from another culture and molding it to their liking for a (theoretical) profit. But don’t worry; they’re putting a stop to known white supremacist Lara Croft and her tomb raiding hate crimes. I’m glad Savvy made that video because she gives specific examples where localization hurt games by changing the stories and characters, accomplishing the opposite of what the Capcom localizers say they do. Not only that, but the changed dialogue is in keeping with their ridiculously woke worldview, like mocking “the patriarchy” and having someone apologize for “being a chad.” Do you know any normal person who talks like that? How does this even qualify as a “cultural remix”? The answer is that it’s not American culture they’re attuning it to (not that they should); it’s the culture of the weirdo hippie commune that gaming development has turned into. As Savvy keeps saying, these people are offended by everything, and they warp whatever they get their deformed claws on to such an extent that only they would find it entertaining. The truth is that the culture accepting this game would like it just the way it is, made for the culture that created it. You know how you can tell? Because now that gaming localization has been dragged into the light, Capcom’s localization team had to make a post like this trying to appease angry gamers who want a pure experience. And if the post’s ratio and comments are a fair assessment, it’s not working.
