NIS America apologizes for Ys Eight translation, hints at December release on the PC

Ys Eight: Lacrimosa of Dana was supposed to come to the PC in mid-September. But one day prior to its scheduled release it was delayed, with no word of a new release date, "due to continued efforts in improving gameplay quality." Exactly what that meant wasn't made clear, but it may have something to do with the English translation. Via DualShockers, the president of NIS America has apologized for its poor quality, and said that an updated localization is in the works. 

"It has come to my attention that the quality of the Ys VIII localization has not reached an acceptable level by our own standards, but most importantly by yours," Takuro Yamashita wrote. "As president of NIS America, Inc. I want to apologize to you personally for this grave error. This situation should not have happened – especially to a game as wonderful as Ys VIII and by a company that strives to deliver the very best customer experience in each title." 

Yamashita said that an internal investigation has been undertaken to figure out how the shoddy translation was allowed to pass, and to ensure that it doesn't happen again. He added that a new translator and editor will go over the entirety of Ys Eight "to fix grammatical errors, typos, inconsistencies, and also to take a fresh look at the dialog and characterizations," and edit—with updated voice acting—wherever necessary. 

"We plan to have this work done by the end of November and will offer the updated localization free of charge for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita versions of the game via patch," he wrote. "The Steam version of the game will include this localization in its initial release." 

The Google translation is very rough, but Japanese site Automaton (via NeoGAF) suggested that at least some of the problems with the translation are the result of the move from XSeed Games, "a marvelous affiliate company," to NIS America. It also includes a link to an email posted to Pastebin which breaks down the issues more clearly. 

"There is a clear lack of editing, which has resulted in stiff and awkward text in tutorials, item and area names and dialogue, as well as homogenization of character personalities and quirks. This harms the fantastic character writing and compelling plot," it says. There is also "an occasional lack of consistency with terminology established in past Ys locations." 

Assuming nothing else gets in the way, the end-of-November timing on the localization update would suggest that the PC release of Ys Eight: Lacrimosa of Dana will take place sometime in December. I've reached out to NIS America for more information, and will update if I hear more.