A SCRIPT REBORN

Translation director MichaelChristopher Koji Fox tells Josh Broadwell how Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn's localisation rose from the ashes

Long before the days of free trials up to Heavensward and thousands of fans eagerly waking up before dawn to run  through a new patch’s dungeons with friends, Final Fantasy XIV was in trouble. A now-renowned complete rework, FFXIV: A Realm Reborn, was eventually released to critical acclaim. There are many reasons why it succeeded – but among them is the improved English script.

FFXIV translation director and localisation editor MichaelChristopher Koji Fox tells PLAY that the project’s localisation came to life in a crucible of despair and new hope. “The mental approach [to the project] was far different from anything I have experienced in my two decades at Square Enix (before and after ARR),” Koji Fox says. “After 1.0, spirits were low, and, there was a lot of doubt about whether or not the ship could be righted. And even if it were righted, would the public give it a second chance?”

NOT SO FINAL

Koji Fox says there was an odd combination of anxiety and feelings of inadequacy mixed with a sense of liberation and a kind of “weird euphoria” throughout the office. However, producer and director Naoki Yoshida told the team he believed in them and encouraged them to believe in themselves again – so that’s what they did.

“We were getting a chance at redemption,” Koji Fox says, “and there is nothing like falling off a cliff and surviving to cure someone of their fear of heights.”