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Interview with Khalia Chival Creator of Operation Suzaku - EoFF Exclusive!
EoFF had previously covered news of Operation Suzaku. This operation is a fan-made petition to get Final Fantasy Type-0 localized outside of Japan. Following up on the story, I got in touch with Khalia Chival the creator of the petition to find out more about the brains behind Operation Suzaku, for an Eyes on Exclusive!
GB: The dedication you've had to this petition makes it clear you are a big Final Fantasy Fan. Which is your favorite and how did you get into the series?
Khalia: Well, as a large majority of european, my first experience with Final Fantasy was on Final Fantasy VII. At this time, we used to read a lot of magazines, and the whole world was more than enthusiastic about FFVII. "Why not?" I said. And it became my favorite videogame, just before Zelda A Link to the Past.
Today, I think it is still my favorite, mostly for nostalgic reasons.
GB: Have you ever undertook a similar task or is this your first time with such a venture?
Khalia: This is my first operation, but I don't think it will be my last one...
GB: The petition is available in several different languages, did you write them all yourself? How long did the creation for this operation take?
Khalia: I got a lot of help on the petition. The original version is in English. Because I am not a native speaker, I asked for help to Erren from Nova Crystallis. I had a clear idea of what message I wanted to spread, and she did a really good job. I mean, we have to be strong, but not aggresive in our words. Our point is not trolling Square Enix, but channeling all the frustration, deception and maybe even hate if we can and turning all of these feelings into strenght and hope.
From this English version, FFBrazil translated it into Protuguese and NovaCrystallis.net into Spanish. One of our Italian supporter translated it into Italian, but Avaaz got some troubles from Hurricane Sandy and we are still not able to edit the petition. Now, I really hope getting a German version, probably within a week if everything goes smoothly. After that, the petition could be consider as fully operational.
The operation on the other hand is still "under construction" in a way. I got the idea of Operation Suzaku two months ago. Planning the whole this asked me maybe two weeks. My first first point was to get as many fansites as possible for the first phase of the operation and I am still working on it with some others people. My second frist point was to be active as soon as possible with weekly actions. That's the reason why we start the Facebook and Twitter actions just a week after our official launch.
We have still a lot of actions to put in place, but I don't want to spoil you everything.
GB: The overall goal of the operation would be to get FFType-0 released, but do you have any specific goals or hopes for operation such as a number of signatures?
Khalia: As I said, my first first objective was to gather all the Final Fantasy fansites. From them, the earliest fans gathered and promotion on forums, I expect 5,000 signatures. But getting all these people involved is not easy, and takes time.
On the other hand, this is why the petition is not our only "weapon". It was the easiest one to put in place, and the best choice to start an operation. But weekly and monthly actions are design to keep Square Enix under pressure, to let them know we will never give up.
GB: Square has never been great at localizing games throughout the world. It took years for everyone to be able to play FFII, the Final Mixes of Kingdom Hearts where never release outside of Japan, and now there is talk of an HD Remake of Kingdom Hearts that will be Japan only. What makes you think this FFType-0 be different?
Khalia: Actually, Square Enix was getting better in term of localization. I mean, this is not the Super Famicom or PSOne (european point of view) era anymore. But the last year or so, things seem to go back to a dark age where JRPG was a niche of a niche dedicated to japanese people. Games like Final Fantasy Type-0, Dragon Quest X, Dragon Quest spinoffs, Bravely Default and maybe Kingdom Hearts 1.5 may stay japanese exclusives. As a fan, "disapointment" is the softest word I can express here. And as a fan, I can't stay sit on my hands, moaning behind my screen.
I see some comments like "what's the point? You can't don anything with your operation.". Comming from the Y generation, it is more than disturbing. Operation Rainfall and Operation Moonfall in the videogame industry are quite known. Save the Voices of Futurama and "Operation Jericho" are also known and were succesful.
People have a great power through the internet, but some did not realize yet. If we all stand up together, there is no reason we fail.
-End of Interview-
Pretty inspiring words to me! If you haven't already, please sign Operation Suzaku's petition and help the cause of bringing this game outside of Japan. EoFF will continue to cover the latest of Final Fantasy Type-0 and Operation Suzaku! Stay tuned.
