Faster Localizations Coming for Trails & Ys

NIS America aims to bring Falcom’s lauded Trails and Ys series to Western audiences more rapidly. Read on to learn more about the publisher's efforts to expedite the localization of both series.

NIS America Steps Up Localization Efforts for Trails and Ys GamesFaster Falcom Games Coming to the West

Excellent news for enthusiasts of Japanese RPGs! During last week’s digital presentation for Ys X: Nordics, NIS America’s Senior Associate Producer, Alan Costa, declared the publisher’s dedication to expediting the Western release of Falcom’s cherished Trails and Ys series.

"I can’t really discuss specifics regarding our internal processes," Costa stated in an interview with PCGamer. "But I can confirm that we’ve been diligently working to ensure faster localization [of Falcom games]," citing Ys X: Nordics and Trails Through Daybreak II, launching this October and early next year respectively.

Although Trails Through Daybreak II launched in Japan in September 2022, its Western release planned for early 2025 represents "a significant reduction in… the timeframe we previously allocated for Trails games."

Historically, the series has suffered from notoriously lengthy waits for Western fans. For instance, Trails in the Sky, released in Japan on PC in 2004, didn’t reach a global audience until the PSP version in 2011 when it was published by XSEED Games. Even more recent titles like Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure took twelve years to make their way West.

The extensive localization process for these games was explained by former XSEED Games Localization Manager, Jessica Chavez, in 2011. She revealed in a blog post, talking about Trails in the Sky II, that the immense task of translating millions of characters with a team of only a few translators was the primary bottleneck. Given the sheer volume of text in Trails games, it’s no wonder localization has historically taken years.

While the localization for these games remains a two to three-year undertaking, NIS America prioritizes quality over speed. As Costa explained, "we want to bring [games] out as quickly as possible, but not at the expense of the localization quality… Finding that balancing act is something that we’ve been working on for years at this point, and we’re getting better."

It’s understandable that localization requires time, especially when handling games with extensive text. The notorious one-year delay of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana due to translation errors serves as a stark reminder to NIS America of the potential problems inherent in localization. However, with Costa’s comments, it appears NIS America is achieving a balance between speed and precision.

The recent launch of Trails Through Daybreak signals a positive change for NIS America’s capacity to deliver high-quality localizations of the series more quickly. And with the game’s enthusiastic reception from both fans and newcomers, perhaps this bodes well for NIS America's future endeavors.

For more on our opinions on The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak, you can read our review below!