Final Fantasy Type-0 Fan Translation Shut Down

[Klaw117]

Who here is following Final Fantasy Type-0? If you're not aware, it was, up until June 10, a Japan-exclusive Final Fantasy game for the PSP that was apparently really good unlike most recent non-remake Final Fantasy games. Short story: Game releases in Japan in 2011 with great sales and reviews, Western fans beg for translation, Westernization announced at E3 2014 (seriously, three years later, wtf?) for PS4 and new Xbox, Vita fans pissed that there's no Vita port despite them being the ones who supported Westernization the most, and fan translation for PSP released the day before, Vita fans rush to play fan-translated version.

Now a month later, Square Enix uses legal threats to shut down the project. It's not just a cease-and-desist letter either, people who know the project lead said that a much more severe threat was issued. For the sake of neutrality, Square Enix actually has a somewhat believable case. Apparently, users of the fan translation said that the fan patch, apart from translating game text and in-game dialogue, actually takes some original assets, edits them (something like hardsubbing pre-rendered cutscenes), distributes them with the rest of the fan patch (this is where the problem comes in I believe), and replaces the original assets. If you ask me though, this is a pretty stupid reason to base the possible lawsuit on. The fan patch still requires the actual ISO, which is not distributed in the fan patch, and the project lead makes no mention of acquiring one through unofficial means.

Your thoughts, my Escapist friends? What I want to know is why the hell Square Enix took its sweet-ass time with this and by extension, all other fan projects (Chrono Trigger comes to mind). Square Enix has never gotten rid of these projects early. It's only shut them down when they're weeks away from or after being released (to put things in perspective, these projects generally take over a year). It's like Square Enix is deliberately trying to make people waste time and money on these projects before shutting them down.

Sources:
http://www.skybladecloud.net/type-0-translation-patch-unavailable/
http://www.reddit.com/r/vita/comments/2b1lr0/square_enix_demands_takedown_of_type0_fan/cj0wbuh
http://www.reddit.com/r/JRPG/comments/2b1ew0/final_fantasy_type0_translation_patch_no_longer/cj0ua8t

 

[Roxas1359]

What I want to know is why the hell Square Enix took its sweet-ass time with this and by extension, all other fan projects (Chrono Trigger comes to mind).

It's because Square Enix is translating and localizing another version of the game to western audiences. Square Enix can be stupid at times, and if they go after the Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix+ patch then they'll be raising hell. Square also ends up sending out mass copyright claims whenever an HD remake comes out. Happened to me with my original Kingdom Hearts episode 1 once HD 1.5 came out in Japan, and I had to redo the episode which was already a year old at the time. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be brushing up on my copyright dispute templates, as I have the feeling I'm about to be coming into another storm with that crap again. >.>

 

[shrekfan246]

Square Enix can be stupid at times

I don't think you really needed that qualifier.

People think Nintendo and Sega are out-of-touch with the modern world of the internet and fan communities, man, they've got nothing on Square Enix.

I hadn't heard of Type-0 being released for the home consoles, though... that's... surprising. Handheld games being brought to home consoles have a long history of being well-received after all, right... ? Eh... I mean, I want the damn thing, but I want it on my Vita if I'm going to get it for anything. If Square Enix doesn't want my money yet again, then I'll be perfectly pleased to not give it to them, I suppose.

 

[Roxas1359]

Square Enix can be stupid at times

I don't think you really needed that qualifier.

People think Nintendo and Sega are out-of-touch with the modern world of the internet and fan communities, man, they've got nothing on Square Enix.

They are out of touch in certain areas. When it comes to internet, Nintendo are the worst offenders, especially when it comes to YouTube. SEGA is second on this list, with Square Enix being third. Square Enix only implemented some of the claims, and then reversed them later. No, when it comes to main themes, anything by Utada Hikaru is automatically flagged by EMI Studios Japan. Take this from someone who has to deal with copyright crap all the time. XD

Anyway, most fan projects by all the companies are allowed, but in this case I think Square is trying to up play the fact that Type 0 is being remade for the PS4 and Xbox One. Really surprised you didn't hear that from E3 because they had a trailer and announcement for it.

 

[Klaw117]

It's because Square Enix is translating and localizing another version of the game to western audiences. Square Enix can be stupid at times, and if they go after the Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix+ patch then they'll be raising hell. Square also ends up sending out mass copyright claims whenever an HD remake comes out. Happened to me with my original Kingdom Hearts episode 1 once HD 1.5 came out in Japan, and I had to redo the episode which was already a year old at the time. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be brushing up on my copyright dispute templates, as I have the feeling I'm about to be coming into another storm with that crap again. >.>

Why would it wait this long though? It was planning the localization for quite a while, so this can't be something that it just decided to do recently. Some members of the English-speaking voice cast even had the project listed on their resumé for a few years. You would expect Square Enix to legally stop the fan translation or announce an official localization ASAP to prevent further development of fan translations. Most fan translations will just stop anyway if the project leads know that an official localization is coming. With the amount of time and force Square Enix used against the fan project, it seems like Square Enix acted intentionally out of malice against its own fans.

I hadn't heard of Type-0 being released for the home consoles, though... that's... surprising.

The announcement was botched pretty badly too. A Sony rep announced it would be coming to Vita only to edit the announcement less than half an hour later to say it was only coming to PS4 and the new Xbox. Thirty pages of comments and it only took until page two for the comments to start turning nasty at this revelation. Now there's this whole #NOVITANOBUY thing going on among Vita owners. Honestly, I can't blame them. I think Sony also wanted the game on Vita to try to save the handheld a bit, but Square Enix wouldn't have it.

Source: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/06/10/final-fantasy-type-0-hd-coming-to-ps4/

 

[shrekfan246]

Really surprised you didn't hear that from E3 because they had a trailer and announcement for it.

I had moved just before E3, and as such didn't have internet during that time.

I hadn't heard of Type-0 being released for the home consoles, though... that's... surprising.

The announcement was botched pretty badly too. A Sony rep announced it would be coming to Vita only to edit the announcement less than half an hour later to say it was only coming to PS4 and the new Xbox. Thirty pages of comments and it only took until page two for the comments to start turning nasty at this revelation. Now there's this whole #NOVITANOBUY thing going on among Vita owners. Honestly, I can't blame them. I think Sony also wanted the game on Vita to try to save the handheld a bit, but Square Enix wouldn't have it.

Source: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/06/10/final-fantasy-type-0-hd-coming-to-ps4/

Well, yeah, I don't blame us either. Handheld games rarely transfer gracefully over to consoles, especially when the system it's ported from was so drastically weaker. Unless it's a complete 100% overhaul, I can't even bloody fathom why Square Enix would insist upon it being a console game, other than... branding, I guess? Because it's still going to be a handheld game by its design, and it'll probably be received more harshly for it.

I mean, I guess it'd be nice to eventually have it, but I'd appreciate it being released on a system I already own, not one I likely won't be buying for another two-five years.

 

[Klaw117]

I just realized something that might explain why Square Enix waited this long. It's only a theory, but I'm curious how likely you guys think it is.

Square Enix finished the localization a while ago and has just been sitting on it until recently. Or Square Enix had the localization ongoing until just a little while ago. Either way, Square Enix probably had the localization finished or worked on when the fan translation was announced. Given that the patch needs to edit and redistribute original game assets, giving Square Enix a semi-legitimate case in court, how likely is it that Square Enix waited for the fan translation to be released just to sue the project lead for money, and then make more profit selling its own copy?

There are enough coincidences behind all this that lead me to believe Square Enix did this out of malice. The release of the fan patch and announcement of the official localization was only a day apart, and Square Enix worked on and/or finished its localization while the fan translation was announced and covered in the media. Square Enix had to have known about this. If Square Enix figured out that the fan patch would require modifying original assets, it seems likely to me that Square Enix let this project get completed so that it could sue the project lead to get a competing product out of the way (but it's the Internet, there's no way this will happen), sell its own version for profit, and then make even more money by squeezing it out of the project lead for legal "damages" out of malice.

 

[shrekfan246]

Because it's still going to be a handheld game by its design, and it'll probably be received more harshly for it.

Because Peace Walker played so terribly on PS3/360, didn't it? Assuming the game's user interface, controls, and gameplay in general will not only be completely unchanged, but bad altogether, because... reasons? Have you even played Type-0 to even be entitled to a say on whether its design is "too suited" for portable play? Is whether a game being too portable for console play even a thing?

Man, <url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8PxG5zvgOM#t=155>look at you go.

I sure hope you meant that Youtube link to be aimed at yourself. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man]

I never said the game would be bad. I said it would be viewed more harshly for being released on a home console rather than a handheld system. And Peace Walker HD was not released as a single title; it released alongside Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 (which also itself contained Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2, just as the Subsistence re-release of 3 originally had) in a combination package. But it still nicely encapsulates the point I was making -- In comparison to the other Metal Gear Solid games, Peace Walker is vastly smaller. Its levels are more piecemeal and broken up into smaller, more reused areas, it uses a mission-based progression structure, and quite obviously had a smaller budget for the story/cutscenes, which is dramatically different in style, presentation, and permeation. If I were to hazard a guess then I'd say that released as-is, Peace Walker probably would've been received more harshly as a solo home console game as well. But Metal Gear Solid is something of an anomaly in the gaming industry anyway, so I could be wrong. People might have viewed the change in narrative presentation as something of a welcome innovation that the series sorely needed.

The fact that it plays better because of the allowance of two sticks for control of movement and camera simultaneously is a relatively minor difference, and one that likely would have no bearing on the likes of Final Fantasy Type-0, considering they're completely different genres of game and the latter has, from what I understand of it being oft compared to Crisis Core, very little in the way of gameplay focused around twitch player skill.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

Considering how Square has treated their own franchises and their fans in the past few years, they can buzz off. Chrono Resurrection was supposed to be just until the first fight with Magus in 3D, and Crimson Echoes was the bridge between Chrono Trigger and Cross. Both were made for fans who wanted answers and a new game after Cross, with no intention of profiting off the games or hurting Squares profits. But, Square had to wave their big stick and shut down those after so much effort was put into them and long after Square sat on a new "Chrono Break" trademark (which went nowhere despite obvious fan support of the franchise).

Making Final Fantasy Type-0 available only on the new home systems then killing the fan patch for PSP was just fucking stupid. They could have at least worked with the group to release the game officially with a translation based on the fan one. It would make sense to at lease release the PSP game on the PS Store with the (touched up, if necessary) fan translation so PSP and Vita owners could buy it. (Remember the guy that rewrote Sonic CD engine from scratch and Sega used his code because they lost theirs and didn't want to waste money working on a new one?)

I've been interest in getting the Steam FF7 and the graphics mods to make in look less like moving papercraft (with Popeye arms!) and more like real people and scenery. If Squenix sends out a C&D to any modders making an old game look better, I won't buy their game (again), will bust out the old PS discs, and watch as a foolish publisher continues to poor gasoline all over themselves while temping their fan base to throw lit matches at them.