Localization of Square Enix video games Square Enix , the video game company behind the " Final Fantasy " franchise , relies on its international subsidiaries for the localization of most of their games for North American , European , and Australian game players . Staff . Square Enix holds regional international operations , with subsidiaries in North America and Europe . Square Enix , Inc . is the North American subsidiary , and is located in El Segundo , California , in the United States . Square Enix Ltd . , the European and Australian subsidiary , is located in London , England , in the United Kingdom . When the Japanese game developers decide to release a game internationally , they send it to their international subsidiaries ; it is first sent to North America , and from there to Europe and Australia . The staff works mainly from Japanese to English and the other way around , and from American English to British English , French , German , Spanish , Russian , and several other languages . Approach . Before a translation is greenlighted and translators are allocated , the localization , QA and marketing staff play through a build of the game and sometimes do a focus group study . The localization team ' s playthrough can sometimes take over 100 hours of gameplay . Once the company greenlights a localization project , a period of brainstorming starts in which glossary , style , naming schemes , fonts , etc . are chosen . During the translation phase , voiced sections are translated first . Text files are crosschecked by multiple translators and editors . The text is then integrated along with any graphic and sound changes , and the game goes to quality assurance . During a period of several weeks to up to three months , Japanese QA teams look for bugs while Western QA teams check linguistic issues . The localization team often replays the game during this phase , translates the manuals and help out on the guidebooks if these are made . Finally , the game is sent to the hardware manufacturers to be approved . Challenges for the localization teams include space limitations ( due to data storage and / or on - screen space ) , achieving a natural dialogue flow despite multiple plot branches and script lines being stored out of order , and , when voiced footage is not rerecorded for lip movement , dealing with file length and lip - sync limitations . However , recent technological advancements have made it possible to reprogram the lip movements to match spoken English dialogue . For example , in " Final Fantasy X " , which was released in North America back in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 , lip movements were still in Japanese , even though the audio was in English . However , more recent games such as " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " and " Dissidia Final Fantasy " , both released in North America on the PSP in 2008 and 2009 , respectively , now have the lip movements reprogrammed to match up with audible English dialogue in storyline cutscenes . Most English voice actors cast for the characters tend to come from the United States , which is why their characters tend to have American accents . However , more recently , a few characters have began to display various other foreign accents in their voices . For example , in " Final Fantasy XII " , some characters , such as Balthier and Larsa , have British accents , and in " Final Fantasy XIII " , two of the main playable characters , Oerba Yun Fang and Oerba Dia Vanille , have Australian accents . Changes . When translating its video games , Square Enix tries to take into account the cultural differences between Japan and the Western countries . This sometimes involves rewriting dialogue or altering graphics , animations , and sounds . For instance , in " Chocobo Racing " , visual references to the Japanese folk heroes Momotarō and Kiji were changed to depict Hansel and Gretel instead , since the game was destined mainly to children , and Hansel and Gretel are better known to Western children than Momotarō and Kiji ; references to Japanese folklore and pop culture are often replaced with references to American folklore and pop culture . As another example , in " Final Fantasy X " , Yuna ' s last line to Tidus was changed from " Arigatō " ( literally " Thank you " ) to " I love you " , due to different cultural sensitivities concerning the subject of romance . Censorship can also affect the localized versions of the games , due to the United States having higher censorship standards than Japan , and require obscuring mature themes , altering graphics , or removing parts of some scenes . This was common in the NES and SNES eras , but less drastic later on once video game content rating systems were established , although censorship is still fairly common ; most games and other forms of entertainment from Japan often gets slightly censored for American audiences , aiming at slightly younger demographics in the United States than those in Japan . Gameplay may also be altered when it is felt that a game might be too easy or difficult for the Western audience . Characters ' abilities are adjusted , toning some up , and others down , to rebalance the playing field , preventing any character from having a clear advantage over another . Additional content . The localized versions of the games may sometimes expand on the original games . For example , the Westernized version of " Dissidia Final Fantasy " contains an Arcade Mode , an additional gameplay mode that is not found on the original Japanese release . Generally , gameplay content left out of the original game due to time constraints may be completed and added in the localized versions ( such as extra boss fights , events , and cutscenes ) . Sometimes , the expanded , localized games , usually the North American ports ( due to similar technology in both Japan and North America ) , are re - released in Japan ( with only text translated back into Japanese and the addition of Japanese subtitles to audible English dialogue ) , and are branded as " International Version s " , and if the North American release has been censored , the international version of the game might possibly get a lower content rating than the original Japanese version . Releases . Recently , Square Enix has expressed willingness to make " worldwide simultaneous releases the norm " . Concerning " Final Fantasy XI " , producer Hiromichi Tanaka had stated that while Japanese / North American / Australian simultaneous releases are possible due to only translating Japanese to English , it was not possible for European countries ( except for the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland ) due to the difficulty of finding good Japanese - to - European - languages translators . The time gaps between Japanese and Western releases vary from game to game ; in some cases , the Westernized games may be released mere days after the original Japanese release , while in other cases , the time gap may span several months . A notable example of this is " Dissidia Final Fantasy " ; the original Japanese release was on December 18 , 2008 , while the Western release in North America was on August 25 , 2009 , some eight months after the Japanese release , due to content additions and edits . External links . For more information , see the .