What's Happening?
Hollow Knight: Silksong, a sequel to the popular Metroidvania-style game, is facing criticism from Chinese players due to translation issues. While the game maintains a 'Mostly Positive' rating on Steam across all languages, reviews filtered for Simplified Chinese show a 'Mostly Negative' rating. Players have expressed dissatisfaction with the translations, describing them as a mix of ancient and modern Chinese, which detracts from the game's intended tone. Tiger Tang, a translator for another indie game, noted that the translations resemble a Wuxia novel, a genre known for martial arts and ancient settings. The development team, led by Matthew Griffin, has acknowledged these issues and is working to improve the translations.
Why It's Important?
The translation issues in Silksong highlight the challenges of localizing video games for diverse linguistic audiences. Poor translations can significantly impact player experience and satisfaction, potentially affecting sales and reputation in key markets like China. The negative reviews from Chinese players underscore the importance of accurate and culturally sensitive localization in the gaming industry. As China represents a substantial portion of the global gaming market, addressing these translation concerns is crucial for the game's success and for maintaining positive relations with international players.
What's Next?
The Silksong development team is actively working to resolve the translation issues, as confirmed by Matthew Griffin. Improvements to the Simplified Chinese translation are expected in the coming weeks, which may help restore the game's reputation among Chinese players. The team's response to these concerns will be closely watched by the gaming community, and successful resolution could lead to improved reviews and increased sales in the Chinese market. Additionally, this situation may prompt other game developers to prioritize high-quality localization efforts in future projects.
