Phil Rogers: “[Final Fantasy Type-0 is] one of the first questions I’m going to tackle”

Two weeks ago, Phil Rogers (CEO for Square Enix in the Americas and Europe) posted on the European Square Enix Blog in order to share his vision with all the fans around the world.
But more than that, he also asked to be flooded by feedback from fans. It was of course a great opportunity for our cause to be heard. So I grab my keyboard and sent him an email about Final Fantasy Type-0. I also asked you to do the same. And the good news is: he answered me.

 

Hi Khalia,

Thanks for the note and I’ve done a ‘lot’ of reading, which has been great actually to read what people think and feel. On the one hand it’s great that people care so passionately about our games, but on the other it’s clear we’ve frustrated some people out there which certainly is not our intention.

So to your point, I’ve seen your Facebook page and I hear your question clearly. I’ve posted on the blog that this is one of the first questions I’m going to tackle. It’s not a quick question to answer but I’m looking into it and I’ll update everyone when I can. But I mentioned (again on the blog) that I don’t want to get hopes up as localising previously released games sometimes isn’t possible when the team have moved onto other projects. But I will look into this thoroughly.

Thanks for the email,

Phil

 

Even if he can’t promise us anything, knowing that Final Fantasy Type-0 is one of his priorities is great. Also, knowing that the game is already localized, it should not be an issue that the Type-0 team is working on something else.

Operation Suzaku will keep trying to convince Square Enix and Sony to release Final Fantasy Type-0 for the West. With more than 1,000 followers on Twitter and 25,000 likes on Facebook, we now need 1,377 petition signatures in order to meet our third milestones. Once meet, I will reach Square Enix JP and Sony. More about it here.

The 25,000/15,000/1,000 campaign!

Today I am glad to announce our new Operation Suzaku campaign:

25,000 LIKES/15,000 SIGNATURES/1,000 FOLLOWERS

As you might guess, these numbers are milestones to reach on Facebook, our petition and Twitter. Once the milestones reached, I will send a package to Square Enix JP and Sony containing a letter about our cause (in Japanese for SE of course), some sort of certificate for the milestones and… anything you want me to add! I will accept almost everything related to Type-0: a love letter about the game, a picture of you cosplaying as a Class Zero student, a picture of your collection of Type-0 merch, a Type-0 fan-art or your little brother cosplayed as Kurasame’s Tonberry (note: he has to fit the package).
You can send me your pictures at khaliachivalvi@gmail.com

Of course this can’t be done without you, so you are all invited to share:
– our Facebook page
– our petition
– our Twitter account

Let’s spread the word! Every fan is needed!

Type-0 was on its way for the West on December 2010. And still is…?

Some (a lot I hope) of you might know two legitimate voice actors reached me in the past (here and here), letting us know that they worked on the English version of Final Fantasy Type-0. Of course, because they are under a Non-Disclosure Agreement, I can’t reveal their names (as they can lose their job).
Some people are sckeptical about it, and I can understand that. I mean, I can’t give any proof of those conversations. So maybe I am just another attention-whore.

But today, I can give you a proof that Final Fantasy Type-0 was on its way for the West. On LinkedIn, Robin Kodaira (Localization Specialist/Project Manager at Square Enix Square-Enix Co., Ltd since 2004) has Final Fantasy Type-0 as a project, starting December 2010.

Now, the question is: is the game still coming? Robin’s LinkedIn profile may say so, but it may be outdated.

Anyway, no one can deny now Final Fantasy Type-0 was planned for the West. And the best thing we can do is to spread this information. You are also all invited to join us on Facebook/Twitter and sign our petition. Showing Square Enix a strong demand for Final Fantasy Type-0 is still the best way to get something from them.

P.S: Thank you Anthony.

We Have Arrived Campaign

Today, Operation Suzaku is proud to announce our next action: the We Have Arrived campaign.
We Have Arrived is a song from Final Fantasy Type-0. Epic as hell, it can be purchased for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy on iOS for $0.99/0.89€. In order to show Square Enix we actually have money for their game, you are all invited to download Theatrhythm on your iOS device, buy We Have Arrived (Music Stages > Purchase Songs > Bottom of the list), give the game a try and leave a fair comment on the App Store. At the end of your comment, add “And please release Final Fantasy Type-0 for the West”.

For the owner of a 3DS, you are of course invited to buy We Have Arrived too. But if you own both a 3DS and an iOS device, please consider buying the song for your iOS device as each country has a “Top In App Purchase”. This way, we can see if We Have Arrived could reach the Top 10 Theatrhythm DLC.

Because this is actually our main goal for this campaign: making We Have Arrived the first Theatrhythm DLC in as many countries as possible. A topic on the Square Enix official Forums will then be created so they can see how strong the demand is.

So grab your iOS device, download Theatrhythm, spend $0.99/0.89€ and leave a comment on the App Store. More, ask your friends to do so too. Let show Square Enix we want give them our money for this amazing game!

Operation phone call

Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone!

As promised last week, Operation Suzaku moves forward today with a brand new action: Operation phone call.

Starting next Wednesday (January 23), you are invited to give Square Enix NA a call in order to ask them if there is something new concerning Final Fantasy Type-0. The phone number is 310 846 0400 and their offices are opened from 9am to 6pm Pacific Time (GMT -8). Of course, please remember to be polite and respectful during the call.

This action will be our third weekly action. So be ready to grab your phone every Wednesday!

New information on Final Fantasy Type-0’s English localization following our milestone of 10,000 signatures

Good news everyone! We have reached 10,000 signatures! As a fan organization, we can all be proud of having reached this major milestone.

As promised, I will send Square Enix 10,000 pennies – one for each of you – to show them how many people are currently behind the operation. But this is not the end – no, this is just the beginning. We’ll be planning even more actions that will hopefully lead to even more support and greater results.

Before we plan our next move, I wanted to share some new information about the English localization of Final Fantasy Type-0.

A few days ago, I received a private message on Facebook from another voice actor claiming to have worked on the English version of FF Type-0 (remember “English localization almost done, but…”). Of course, I verified their credibility through various sources and concluded this person can be trusted based on the type of work they have done before. Our conversation was not via phone call, but through Facebook this time so I’ve decided to share with you the most interesting parts.

“Last year I voiced one of the main characters in this game,” said the voice actor to me. “Though I’ve done several cartoons and video games, this was a major geek moment for me to be in a FF game. You can imagine my disappointment when I found out it was canned, or shelved or whatever. I hadn’t thought about it in a while, but I Googled it today on a whim and came across your page. I appreciate your passion and hope it has an impact.

“I’m not surprised to see that another VO person reached out. You’re more or less the definitive force when it comes to a fan-based movement trying to get this thing stateside. I’m not sure what info I can give you other than what you already know. Yes, the work was done in December of 2011 and some pick-ups in 2012. I’d guess the whole process took five weeks or so to re-dub. I finished my portion top to bottom, and from what I heard through the grapevine, so did everyone else. They were syncing to picture with time codes as we went, so it was pretty tedious, but near a final form for each section that we finished, day to day. From this, I can only assume the dubbing was finished. Most all of the actors were experienced anime and video game dubbing artists.

“From what I heard (through cut scenes) it sounded really solid. Also, it was recorded at Skylark Sound in Burbank. Everyone on the production side was very talented, nice, and professional – especially the Japanese folks from SE. It’s a shame their hard work can’t be appreciated either. Anyway, that’s about all I know. It’s always a mystery when a project gets shelved.”

So there you have it. All this waste is sad indeed, but at least we know the English localization is done. It’s up to us as fans to convince Square Enix that this game must be released overseas.

Look forward to it Campaign

Today on the Square Enix Forums, Robert Peeler, Community Manager, asked what is your most anticipated “Look forward to it” for 2013. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to let Square Enix know Final Fantasy Type-0 is the most anticipated game this year.

So grad your keyboard, log in on the Square Enix Forums and show them your love for Final Fantasy Type-0! And again, please remember to be respectful and polite: wish them a happy new year.

Operation Anniversary

As you may know, the Final Fantasy series will turn 25 next Tuesday (December 18). To celebrate it, Operation Suzaku will invite you to join our special Operation Anniversary and its four actions:

– Special Twitter action

Like every Friday, you will be invited to send Square Enix a tweet. This tweet will be a bit different, so on December 18th, please send:

To celebrate #FinalFantasy 25th anniversary please @1stPD_PR @SQEX_Members_NA @SQUARE_ENIX_EU release #Type0 for the West #OperationSuzaku

No Twitter action on Friday December 21.

– Special Facebook action

Like every Tuesday, you are invited to let Square Enix a comment right here. You are free to let the comment you want, but please at least wish Final Fantasy a happy anniversary and be polite (example: “Happy 25th anniversary Final Fantasy series! A western release for Final Fantasy Type-0 to celebrate it would be great!”).

– Special email action

A brand new action. You will be invited to send Square Enix NA an email wishing a happy birthday to Final Fantasy and requesting a western release for Final Fantasy Type-0. To make this action easier, and if you don’t know what to say, here is some help:

“It’s been one year since the release of Final Fantasy Type-0 in Japan, and fans are still waiting for an overseas release. The game deserves to be localized for the west and should simply not be ignored due to current market conditions.
As such, please change your position regarding the localization of this title. Final Fantasy Type-0 is an amazing game and all fans – even those outside of Japan – deserve to play it. More, it will be a wonderful gift to your fans for this 25th anniversary.

Thank you, and happy birthday Final Fantasy!”

You are of course free to write your own email. But please remember to be nice and polite! They are human beings with feelings just like us.

Anyway, on December 18, sent your email to rbrennan(AT)square-enix.com (Senior Director of Public Relations) and mfischer(AT)square-enix.com (Square Enix US CEO).

– Special mail action

Because the more the better, Operation Suzaku invites you to send a mail to Square Enix NA offices. Yes, mail are old-school, but mail are more concrete too. So grab your keyboard
(or even your pen!) and write your thoughts. But please remember to be polite and wishing Final Fantasy a happy anniversary. If you don’t know what to write, feel free to use the email example. But again, if you want to write your own letter, please remember to be nice and polite!
Also, please send your mail on December 18th to optimize the reception by Square Enix. And if you are unable to send them something, send me an email with your text at khaliachivalvi(AT)gmail.com and I will send it for you (just try to sign your mail please).

Square Enix mail address:
Square Enix Inc.
999 N. Sepulveda Blvd, 3rd FL
El Segundo, CA 90245

So this is it. On December 18, every single fan will be needed, so spread the word and let Square Enix know how much we love Final Fantasy and how hard we want Final Fantasy Type-0!

one signature = one penny campaign

Today Operation Suzaku will officially announce its first “physical” action.

As you may know we currently have an on-going petition. So far we’re doing well with more than 7,500 signatures and counting (1,450 signatures are still missing since Avaaz has not fully recovered from Hurricane Sandy.) This milestone was achieved in just 25 days. As we near closer to 10,000 signatures, we’ve decided to move forward with something new. By spreading the word about our operation and inviting your friends to sign the petition, we’ll donate one penny to Square Enix.

That’s right – a penny. As soon as the petition reaches 10,000 signatures, 10,000 pennies will be sent to Square Enix’s offices in Los Angeles, CA. Square Enix will then be invited to give this money to the charity of their choice. Of course, we’ll be requesting proof of that action.

This action is designed to increase Square Enix’s awareness of our operation. Receiving 10,000 pennies will be hard to ignore. This action might be followed up by an even more radical action involving innocent chocobos, or something… It will be up to them.

Please count on us and spread the word! Every signature is a penny sent to Square Enix. Let’s show them that western gamers are standing together and will never give up until they localize Final Fantasy Type-0!

Sign it and share it!

English localization almost done, but…

Last Friday I received a private message on the Operation Suzaku Facebook page from someone who had information on the localization of Final Fantasy Type-0. Out of respect for their privacy, they will remain anonymous for the time being.

Of course, I checked out their profile on Facebook, Twitter and Google to be certain they were legitimate. In my opinion, this source is someone who can be trusted based on the type of work they’ve done before.

I ended up giving them my phone number and we started talking about the localization of the game. Our conversation was brief, but by far the most interesting part is this:

According to our source, who recorded voice-over for one of the characters in the game, at least 90% of the English localization is complete. The dubbing sessions took place in the last quarter of 2011, just after the release (October 27th) of Final Fantasy Type-0 in Japan. The entirety of the English dub recording is said to be complete.

But things went wrong near the beginning of 2012. PSP software and hardware sales had not been doing very well in the US–namely SE’s own PSP titles which had failed to perform at retail earlier in 2011. Square Enix reacted to this by essentially shelving Type-0 for good, which is evident from the lack of any sort of dialogue on the game since hints of an overseas version were last shared in the game’s Ultimania guide book.

Our source claims that Square Enix is now waiting for a strong show of interests from fans. Recently, director Hajime Tabata shared some concerning comments on Type-0 with GameSpot, and this is what prompted action on part of the voice actor. According to them, the project is “currently on hold.”

What’s more is that we have confirmation from a second source that Square Enix is having a hard time coming to any sort of resolution regarding a western release. They claim that Sony Computer Entertainment hasn’t been much help either, and so the title is at a standstill as they’ve exhausted all options. They did not elaborate further, but admitted their frustration in all this mess. At this point they wouldn’t be surprised if Type-0 never saw an overseas release.

After chatting with several others involved in past rumors surrounding the project, we’ve come to the conclusion that everything said about the localization’s status is quite solid. We hope to hear from even more sources who’ve worked on the game as the operation moves forward. It’s just surprising that it took so long for this information to come to the surface.

The whole point of Operation Suzaku is to convince Square Enix to release the game. We know that our battle is worth the effort now and we invite all Final Fantasy fans to join us by signing the petition and joining our weekly actions on Facebook and Twitter.