ASTRA: Knights of Veda Bids Farewell to English Dubbing
Following a trend among gacha games, ASTRA: Knights of Veda will be removing its English voiceovers after maintenance on January 23, 2025. This decision, announced by developer FLINT on January 20th, aims to improve game stability and enhance the quality of other language localizations.
The upcoming maintenance will result in the removal of German, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, and Italian language support. However, Korean, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, French, Thai, and Russian will remain. While English text will still be available, in-game voice acting will default to Japanese for players outside of Korea. FLINT assures players this change won't affect in-game chat functionality in any previously supported language.
This move follows similar decisions by other gacha developers. Square Enix's War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius removed English dubbing from future content in May 2024, citing a prioritization of Japanese. Yostar Games' Aether Gazer eliminated its English dub entirely in February 2024 due to financial constraints, redirecting resources to gameplay and future content. Snowbreak: Containment Zone by Amazing Seasun Games also dropped English voiceovers in December 2023, citing an evaluation of player preferences and optimization of the gaming experience.
The trend suggests a focus on either player preference (prioritizing the most commonly used language) or resource management (reducing the long-term costs associated with maintaining multiple voice-over languages). This allows developers to allocate resources towards improving other aspects of the game, ultimately aiming for enhanced player experience and the game's long-term sustainability.
