At the recent Tokyo Game Show, Toshihiro Kondo, President of Falcom, mentioned in an interview with 4Gamer that the company might consider using artificial intelligence to shorten the localization time for games in the future. He specifically addressed his views on AI translation, believing that such technology could help quickly translate Japanese games into multiple languages.

Image Source: Image generated by AI, authorized service provider Midjourney

His remarks came after demonstrating a software named ELLA, which aims to facilitate localization of game texts across multiple languages. The game mentioned in the demonstration was Falcom's "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of the Sea."

President Kondo pointed out that while AI translation can enhance efficiency, he believes that the final translation still needs human review and revision to ensure accuracy. He also acknowledged the cultural resistance to AI in game development, particularly regarding potential job losses, which everyone is very sensitive about.

Additionally, he mentioned that some employees within Falcom who are not in localization departments, such as designers and artists, have expressed dissatisfaction with the use of AI, fearing that their artistic works might be used for AI learning without consent.

He said, despite these concerns, he hopes to find solutions in the future because he firmly believes that AI will bring benefits in localization. Falcom's localization cycle is indeed relatively long, such as "Ys X: Nordics," which is set to launch in the U.S. a year after its release in Japan.

In 2018, another Falcom game, "Ys VIII," faced widespread controversy due to translation issues, leading to the responsible translation company, NISA, having to officially apologize and re-translate, thus highlighting the importance of finding a balance between efficiency and quality.

Key Points:

🌍 Falcom President Toshihiro Kondo proposes the idea of using AI to accelerate game localization at the Tokyo Game Show.

📝 He believes AI translation can improve efficiency, but the final draft still requires human review to ensure accuracy.

🤖 Despite resistance and concerns about AI, Kondo hopes to overcome these issues in the future and leverage AI for greater benefits.