Square Enix Crack Down on Fan Made TYPE-0 Patch

[Mirage]

I imagine the translation process is a lot more work than the actual hack needed to put the new translation in. Is it against the law to translate a work of fiction for personal use?

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD has it written it may not be edited, translated or anything. I see no reason why I would not be the same with another Final Fantasy.

I didn't know that. However, whatever a company chooses to write on their covers or in their software manuals does not override a country's own laws, so I'm still not sure if he was doing something that could be punishable by Spanish law (they were spanish, right?).

I know for example that even if a CD explicitly stated that copying, even for personal use, is forbidden, that doesn't make it illegal for me to take copies for personal use in Norway. The key word is of course personal, and what i was going to suggest was that perhaps the translator (or translators) should have kept quiet about it and done it for personal use (allegedly), then suddenly "someone" would hack them and steal their translation and make a patch in a shorter time than SE could react. Once it's been released to the internet, there is no way to make it go away, after all.

In either case, it is a shame that their hard work ended with a C&D, but at the same time, that is the only reasonable thing for SE to do when they are themselves going to release the game officially localized. They should have said it in a nice way, though.

[Freya]

Apparently they had and this was the last course. Apparently they had been in contact with him for months.

[Ayen]

I retract my previous statements about Square, then. Sounds like they tried to be reasonable after all. My heart goes out to the rest of the team who kind of got spat on by Sky.

[Mirage]

Even more things I did not know. Where do you get this info ;o

[Ayen]

Even more things I did not know. Where do you get this info ;o

Aulayna posted http://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-fan-...1608340061/all back on page two.

[Mirage]

i'm still on the first page

but all right, seems like i missed that post

[Vyk]

Just a side note, I followed/am following the translation and patching of Valkyria Chronicles 3 and Shining Blade PSP games that SEGA has been refusing to release to the West, and an interestingly large number of fans had actually purchased those games and imported them, to rip and patch. That way they could get their translation and still support the developer. I heard bits and pieces about this project as well, and while I don't think as many people did this, I believe a decent portion of the fans were doing this. Some of the videos I had watched online were from imported copies waiting to be patched. Most of those people said it was so fun that it was worth playing with the language barrier in place, just because it was so fun, and they couldn't wait for the translation patch

That being said, I heard about the translation LONG before I heard that Square had finally decided to bring the game over. Hell, I was under the impression they made that decision simply because of the positive response garnered by the fan-translation happening. I imagine Bravely Default had something to do with their decision as well. Regardless, it's an old game, released on a dead system, that was never initially brought over, nor was there ever any plans to bring over the initial game

I have little sympathy for either parties. Square is just trying to cash in from what I can tell, and Sky handled things all wrong from most accounts. But regardless of how things fell out, the fans are getting what they want in the end either way. So a win for them. I was never really interested in the game to begin with. But I may check it out. Though I'll probably join Skyblade with this patched translation. Just to spite the whole situation ¬_¬ Then again, I don't imagine I'd really enjoy the game, and would merely need to taste test it, and as it stands, there's no legitimate way to "rent" it, so meh

[Psychotic]

Ooh, that Kotaku article. Square can do PR after all! Sky sounds like a douche, sue the pants off him boys! Eagerly awaiting the next installment that shows Square sent thugs to Sky's house to kneecap him, but then it's revealed Sky burned down an orphanage, which it's later found out to be the one he grew up in and it was run by Sorceress Edea.

[Loony BoB]

After finally getting the chance to read that Kotaku article, I can only shake my head at Sky for how he acted. There's an interesting comment by someone in the translation community on the article, too, which really shows how much Sky got it wrong. Not to mention going against his colleagues to release the patch early without discussing it with them. Geez. Why do you think he would have done that without discussing it with them if he wasn't aware of What Was To Come?

[Vyk]

Yeah, I hadn't read that article before my comment. It sounds like Sky wanted his time in the spotlight, and if the game got released, then he wouldn't have the praise he wanted from his fans. It was no longer about just getting the game, but about getting credit for the work. All that hard work was about to just be voided out and he so he released it so everyone could gobble up and praise his name and whatnot. That's the impression I'm getting anyway

I think Square could have solved a lot of problems by not being so coy and evasive. Too many companies do this crap, and this is the problem it causes. They should have told everyone they had a half-translated version done, and they should have told everyone they were putting it on hold to release for the next generation. Everyone would have been happy. Impatient maybe, but satisfied at least. Other than Sky, that's all anyone on the translation team probably wanted anyway

[Aelitalily]

I have never held a high opinion of Square Enix in general. They are just lucky to have such a good game/series and blessed to have so many people who love it!

[Rostum]

I'm generally of the opinion that a company can do whatever they want with their own IP, even if that includes having tight control over it. It's theirs, they have a lot invested in it, and they have to please their stake/shareholders - so quality control over IP is fairly important and I could definitely see how this could affect potential sales of Type-0.

That and it seems the guy translating it was a dick anyways.

They are just lucky to have such a good game/series and blessed to have so many people who love it!

It's not luck and being blessed. It's decades of large financial investment and bucket loads of extremely talented designers, programmers, musicians, artists, etc., and lots of focused marketing.

[Spooniest]

It's their game, they made it, and if they want to sue the guy who hacked it and released it without their consent, then they have legal grounds on which to do so.