Larian Studios says it has been in contact with a localization company that failed to provide complete credits for the Brazilian translation of Baldur's Gate 3, and promised that all missing credits will be added in a future hotfix.
The issue of the missing credits first came to light last week on Twitter. "Congratulations to the heroes who translated @larianstudios' Baldur's Gate 3!" @MittoVac tweeted. "Sorry you couldn't get proper recognition, but ctrl+C/ctrl+V is still way too complex for @Altagram_Group."
Some Altagram Group localization credits did make it into the game, but as @katrinaltrnsl8r noted in a separate tweet, they included only the names of company executives and leads, not the localizers who worked under them.
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She also theorized—guaranteed, actually—that Altagram Group, and not Larian, was responsible for the apparently missing credits. "Larian Studios likely asked them for their credits, Altagram gave them their 'full credits,' intentionally omitting translators, and Larian trusted them without checking," she tweeted. "After all, who doesn't credit their writers?"
In a statement sent to Eurogamer, Larian director of publishing Michael Douse said that this is in fact what happened. "This was all Altagram Group," Douse told the site. "We reached out, and compelled them to fix this. Full credits will be coming in Hotfix 3. As soon as we were made aware, we took steps with Altagram to remedy this immediately."
The importance of proper crediting in videogames has taken on a heightened significance in recent years, in part because it's become clear that it often doesn't happen. In 2023 alone, games including The Callisto Protocol, Marvel Snap, Persona 3 and 4, Cyberpunk 2077, and the Yakuza games on GOG have all taken heat for excluding developers who worked on them. In an industry that regularly lays off large numbers of employees when projects are completed, being able to show your past work to prospective employers is vital.
That's especially true of a game like Baldur's Gate 3, which has an absolutely massive script: Fernando Moreiras, a translator who worked on the Spanish edition of the game (which was properly credited) said it took nearly four years to complete the job.
Unfortunately, this doesn't appear to be the first time Altagram Group has done this: The same thing reportedly happened with the German translation of Diablo 4.
We're truly sorry for the trouble. Credits can be complex and we've been working on it ourselves to do our share in supporting your work. We've PMed you on LinkedIn and would love to learn more from your overall experience to ensure the best outcome for you and other translators.June 7, 2023
In a message posted to Twitter a few days after the initial complaint, Altagram Group apologized for the "unfortunate and frustrating experience" and said that the credits will be updated to include the names of everyone who worked on the Brazilian localization of Baldur's Gate 3 "in an upcoming patch." It also said it will be launching an "internal crediting committee" to ensure everyone who works on games in the future receives proper credit, and promised to adhere to International Game Developers Association guidelines on game crediting in the future.
