Square Enix Talks Localization Issues In Final Fantasy XV

Square Enix has talked in more detail about some of the problems fans had about the English version of the Final Fantasy XV demo.

Some of the things fans noticed is that Noctis and Ignis’ relationship in the game is vastly different in the English and Japanese versions.

Another issue people have is the name of Cidney. In some cases, she is known as Cindy instead. Fans just want everything to remain the same in all versions as the differences in translations can be weird.

Final Fantasy XV director, Hajime Tabata, addressed these issues by posting on the official forums.

He said: “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.”