The Games Industry has a crediting issue: Every year, thousands of games release to worldwide audiences, and you’d be hard-pressed to find one where every single contributor was credited. This may be due to a lack of structure, time, or tools, leaving numerous workers (including many freelance contractors) uncredited for their contributions, which could span weeks, months, or even years.
For Game Localization in particular, the issue is so widespread that professionals, most of whom are freelancers, are left with no choice but to accept the status quo out of fear of repercussions. This has changed in the last few years, however, as members of the gameloc community have started reporting the good, the bad and the (unfortunately, mostly ugly) side of crediting through a special Twitter account: Loc in Credits, as well as many personal accounts.
Crediting remains a misunderstood topic within the gaming community and among the general public. This page serves two primary purposes: firstly, to explain the importance of proper crediting within our industry, and secondly, to archive press articles related to the topic.
FAQ – Crediting in Game Localization
Why is being credited important?
The majority of game translators/editors work as freelancers. Consequently, our portfolios are essential for attracting new clients. Denying us credits limits our career opportunities and diminishes the recognition of our contributions to various projects.
Why are translators often not given credit?
Several factors contribute to this phenomenon. One of the most common reasons cited is the desire to prevent “talent poaching”‘ which involves bypassing agencies as intermediaries. Additionally, maintaining anonymity for contractors serves as a strategy to discourage them from seeking better opportunities.
How can I help?
If you are a developer or publisher, consider consulting the Localization chapter of the IGDA (International Game Developers Association), as well as reputable translators. Many are happy to recommend companies that support and respect our work as professionals. For everyone else, please show your support for the #TranslatorsInTheCredits movement on social media.
Press Articles
Generalist Pieces
- They Worked On The Game You Played, But Didn’t Get Credit (Kotaku)
- Game credits are still a broken mess (Videogameschronicle.com)
- So, you worked on a video game. You might not appear in the credits. (The Washington Post)
- Industry body aims to improve game credits, as developers complain they’re being left out (Eurogamer)
- Developers anonymous: The normalization and impact of miscrediting in games (Gamedeveloper.com)
Localization Pieces
- Lost In Translation – The slalom between agencies, NDAs, and demanding clients (Insert-coin.online)
- The Armies in the Shadows (Canard PC)
- Persona 3 & 4 Translators Left Out Of Game’s Credits (Kotaku)
- Pentiment to update credits, but game workers deserve better (PCGamesN)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 developer demands full list of uncredited translation staff “immediately” (Eurogamer)
- Why are localisation workers regularly left out of game credits? (Eurogamer)
- Game translators discuss being left out of the credits & why veterans are leaving the AAA space (Automaton-media.com)
- Some translators omitted from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 credits (Gamedeveloper.com)
- Altagram to update Warcraft Rumble credits after omitting contractors (Gamedeveloper.com)
- Translators Remain Unsung Heroes in the Global Success of Video Games (Multilingual.com)
- Nintendo’s systemic policy of miscredting is harming external translators (Gamedeveloper.com)
- External translators hired for Nintendo projects bemoan lack of credit in “almost every big title” (Eurogamer)
- Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree removes Latin American translation staff from credits (Eurogamer)
- External Translators Are Frustrated With Lack Of Credit In Nintendo Games (Gamespot.com)
Italian
- I crediti nei videogiochi vengono usati per ricattare gli sviluppatori (Lega Nerd)
- Oggi come nel 1979: tante persone sono escluse dai riconoscimenti nei videogiochi (insert-coin.online)
- God Of War Ragnarok: compositrice delusa per essere stata tagliata fuori dai crediti (Multiplayer.it)
- Elden Ring: crediti finiti online, conosciamo tutti quelli che ci hanno lavorato (Multiplayer.it)
- Metroid Dread: critiche verso MercurySteam, ha escluso sviluppatori dai crediti, ecco il motivo (Multiplayer.it)
- Halo Infinite, sviluppatori rimossi dai riconoscimenti? Arriva l’accusa (Spaziogames.it)
- Persona 3 Portable e 4 Golden: SEGA non ha accreditato i traduttori, scatenando la polemica (Multiplayer.it)
- La traduzione non è mestiere da dare per scontato (Thegamesmachine.it)
French
- Les armées de l’ombre (Canard PC)
- Développeurs supprimés des crédits : Entre erreurs et incompréhensions (Jeuxvideo.com)
- Disparu·es dans la traduction (Insert-coin.online)
- En vidéo: Mais qui a fait mon jeu? (Letemps.ch)
Spanish
- #TranslatorsInTheCredits: la invisibilización de las grandes empresas (Pressover.news)
- Darkest Dungeon II: esta localización me suena… (Pressover.news)
- La localización detrás de Atomic Heart: el toque español (Pressover.news)
- Las voces detrás de Hi-Fi Rush: de Argentina al mundo (Pressover.news)
- Movimiento #TranslatorsInTheCredits (AATI)
- Los desarrolladores de Baldur’s Gate 3 buscan acreditar a los equipos de localización (Generación Xbox)
Japanese
- 3年かけた翻訳なのにクレジットに名前が不記載…『Baldur’s Gate 3』不完全なスタッフリストがあったとして修正含むアップデート近日配信 (Gamespark.jp)
- ゲーム翻訳家たちが「クレジットに名前が載らない問題」について議論。AAAからインディーまで、それぞれ異なるクレジット事情 (Automaton-media.com)
- 任天堂、大ヒットタイトルに関わった外部翻訳者のクレジットを拒否して秘密保持契約を結んでいるとの告発!「何ヶ月も働いたのにキャリアにならない」 (blog.esuteru.com)
Chinese
- 《博德之门3》本地化公司致歉:感谢拉瑞安提供补救机会 (Gamersky.com)
- 《博德之门3》巴西翻译人员名单被漏掉 拉瑞安绝不容忍 (Ali213.net)
- 为什么游戏翻译无法得到应有的“名分”?丨触乐 (mp.weixin.qq.com)
- 任天堂应该将外包翻译的名字写进游戏里吗?(mp.weixin.qq.com)
- 无良?!任天堂不给外包翻译人员署名引发众怒 (news.zol.com.cn)
- 任天堂遭多名第三方翻译人员吐槽:无法在第一方作品中留下自己姓名 (m.ithome.com)
- 号外:外包翻译人员匿名揭露任天堂翻译名单争议!(3g.ali213.net)
- 任天堂遭多名第三方译员吐槽:无法在第一方作品中留下自己姓名 (baijiahao.baidu.com)
Resources
If you’re a game developer/publisher who wishes to promote better crediting practices, we highly encourage you to consult the IGDA Game Credits Special Interest Group (SIG) guide, a 20-page document compiled by industry experts and contributors from various fields that includes best practices, toolkits and more. Click on the picture below to get redirected:
I also encourage you to check out Katie Golden’s GDC talk on the topic: https://gdcvault.com/play/1029173/Improving-Game-Credits-at-Your
Miscellaneous
Twitter thread about the Game Awards lack of Localization credits:
🧵The more things change, the more they stay the same… Wonder how bad the state of localization crediting is? Look no further than #TheGameAwards. Out of the 6 GOTY nominees, only ONE of them includes all #TranslatorsInTheCredits: https://t.co/sGiWlVAiwW pic.twitter.com/j94mEAcWCR
— Lucile Danilov (@JustAnotherTL) November 29, 2023