Trails and Ys Localizations Promised to Come Faster

NIS America is committed to bringing Falcom's acclaimed Trails and Ys series to Western audiences faster. Read on to learn more about their accelerated localization efforts.

NIS America Speeds Up Localization of Trails and Ys Games

Faster Falcom Games Headed West

Fantastic news for JRPG fans! During last week's Ys X: Nordics digital showcase, NIS America's Senior Associate Producer, Alan Costa, announced a commitment to significantly faster release times for Falcom's beloved Trails and Ys franchises in the West.

"I can't discuss specifics of our internal improvements," Costa told PCGamer, "but we've worked hard to expedite localization of Falcom games." He cited Ys X: Nordics (releasing now) and Trails into Reverie (early 2025) as examples. Even Trails into Reverie's early 2025 release, despite its September 2022 Japanese launch, represents a substantial improvement on previous timelines.

Historically, Western fans faced notoriously long waits. Trails in the Sky, released in Japan in 2004, didn't arrive globally until 2011's PSP release via XSEED Games. Even recent titles like Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure took twelve years to reach Western audiences.

The lengthy process was explained in 2011 by former XSEED Games Localization Manager, Jessica Chavez. In a blog post about Trails in the Sky II, she highlighted the massive challenge of translating millions of characters with a small team as the major bottleneck. The sheer volume of text in Trails games explains the historical delays.

While localization remains a two-to-three-year undertaking, NIS America prioritizes quality. As Costa stated, "We aim for speed without compromising quality… Balancing speed and accuracy is something we’ve been refining for years."

Localization's inherent time demands are understandable, particularly with text-heavy games. The one-year delay of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana due to translation issues serves as a reminder of potential pitfalls. However, Costa's statements suggest NIS America is successfully navigating the balance between speed and accuracy.

Trails into Reverie's recent release signifies positive progress in delivering high-quality localizations faster. Its warm reception from fans and newcomers bodes well for future NIS America releases.

Read our review of The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie below!