ASTRA: Knights of Veda Bids Farewell to English Dubbing
Following a trend among gacha games, ASTRA: Knights of Veda will be removing its English voice-over option after maintenance on January 23, 2025. Developer FLINT cites the need for "improved game stability and higher-quality localizations" as the reason for this change.
This language adjustment, announced on January 20th, will also affect German, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, and Italian voice-overs. However, Korean, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, French, Thai, and Russian will remain. Importantly, while English text support continues, the in-game voice option for players outside Korea will default to Japanese. FLINT assures players that this change won't impact in-game chat functionality in any of the removed languages.
A Growing Trend in Gacha Games
ASTRA: Knights of Veda isn't alone in this decision. Several other popular gacha titles have made similar moves, including:
- War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius: Square Enix removed English voice-overs for new content starting in May 2024, prioritizing Japanese for future updates.
- Aether Gazer: Yostar Games completely removed English dubbing in February 2024 due to cited financial constraints, focusing resources on gameplay and future content.
- Snowbreak: Containment Zone: Amazing Seasun Games removed English voice-overs in December 2023 after evaluating player preferences and aiming for optimal gameplay experience.
The Rationale Behind the Changes
These developers' decisions highlight two key factors: player preference and resource management. Prioritizing the language used by the majority of players is a logical business decision. Furthermore, the long-term cost of maintaining English voice-overs across years of content updates can be substantial. Reallocating these resources allows developers to focus on enhancing other aspects of the game, ultimately aiming for a more sustainable and enjoyable experience for the player base.
