PQube on Valkyrie Drive: Comments on the Games Localization
PQube recently announced Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni for PS Vita is coming out in the future in the west thanks to the publisher and they talk about how they went about localizing the game. They refused to censor anything in the game and discuss how they got the game approved by the ratings board & retailers stocking the game. This interview was very enlightening regarding how localization happens for some titles, so consider reading the full interview below.
Source: Dual Shockers
I can confirm that Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni will be brought to the west in its original form, with content completely intact. It will be with a Japanese dub and English subtitles.
We generally don’t take on these kinds of projects if we’re not confident we can release it in the west without cutting or changing content. Changing the source material kind of defeats the purpose of doing it in the first place, so that is not something we even consider unless we literally have no other options. In terms of platform holders and ratings boards, you’d be surprised what you can get away with. Gal*Gun: Double Peace passed quite painlessly for example.
Where issues might arise in terms of publishing, is selling the title in to retailers who might be hesitant to take it. A game doesn’t just appear at retailers when we release it; a big part of the process is to go around and sell the title to each individual retailer and negotiate numbers and prices. Trying to present a game like Valkyrie Drive to a group of executives at a major retailer, who might be in their 50’s and don’t play or particularly care about games, and convince them that Valkyrie Drive is amazing and would do really well on their shelves or their website, can be quite the challenge for the sales team.