.hack Fans Campaign to Get Final Game Localized

.hack fans are rallying online to pressure Namco Bandai to localize the final video game of the franchise for the PlayStation Portable, .hack//Link. There's been roughly a 9 month gap in between the Japanese release to the current date, and Namco Bandai has been completely silent about its whereabouts. For those of you unfamiliar with Namco Bandai and .hack, they localized ALL of the major .hack video games for the United States and Canada. Namco Bandai is also responsible for localizing the "Tales" JRPG franchise in the United States, in which the entire fanbase is also campaigning for Namco Bandai to localize the new games in the series.

Namco Bandai as a video game company has downsized dramatically over the last 9 months, with an estimated 650 jobs to be lost when all is said and done. The current rumor is that the American Namco Bandai division has gotten out of the JRPG localization business - which leaves .hack fans and our fellow "Tales" fans in the dark, and those Narutards stealing a poor translators’ precious time/life. Just recently it was announced that all development of new Namco Bandai IP will be shifted back to Japan, which leads to the question - how stable is Namco Bandai right now?

Visit the .hack//Link US Campaign website to help .hack fans campaign: http://linkus.dothackers.net

(8)

Chris Hoadley

December 17, 2010

I'm not a fan of .hack, but I hope your campaign succeeds. I think the major Tales games will still be coming to the states in one way or another since it's probably the biggest RPG franchise outside of Square Enix. As for the Naruto games wouldn't FUNimation have some hand in the localization process?

Dave Torrez

Thanks Chris. I know there's a ton of Naruto games, but I believe CyberConnect2 (.hack's studio and creators) has the license for a bunch of their varied fighting games. Namco Bandai and CC2 have been in bed together for a while. Funimation does the anime dub I believe, they aren't involved in video game localization.

Shandi Wagner

I would very much like to complete the .hack cycle with this game. As a die hard .hack fan, I was disappointed in not hearing any news about localization. Please Namco Bandai, the fans would love some closure to this saga! .hack//LINK for localization!

Darren Wilson

The games have been pretty awesome so far and its not like the fans are asking much,just finish the game series you started Namco,besides its only one game and not 3 or 4 like previous installments of the .hack// games. Plus there are alot of fans worldwide who would buy it since its on the region free PSP.

Daniel Collotte

I think localizing .hack//Link is one of the few guaranteed ways Namco Bandai has to stablize it's unsteady economic base. Localization is considerably less costly than making a new game, and the built in base of .hack fans will surely offset it's costs.

roxane camus

Yes, I think like that to.

. hack allowed them to flourish, and this continues. Otherwise, why go out there always manga or novels already several years old in Japan? No need to conquer the fans, they are already here! And by the end of the project, will not deny, if it comes out in English I think! Besides, if they do not (although we are mobilized), I think they will lose, fans ...

Nathan Lindley

With most game series, there are installments that I like and installments that I don't care for. Not so with .hack. I've loved every game in the series. I was sad when I heard Link would be the last, but not nearly as sad as when I heard it might not even make it to the US. I hope this campaign succeeds. Plan B is to learn the entire Japanese language so I can play this game.

December 18, 2010

read it in Japanese? too inaccessible! I am disgusted about Namco and CC2' s egoist decision! They have no consideration for the fans! it's just a matter of money!

WHAT THE HECK IS A BITMOB?