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NIS America Accelerates Western Releases of Trails and Ys Series
Good news for fans of Falcom's Trails and Ys RPG series! NIS America, the publisher bringing these acclaimed Japanese titles to the West, has announced a commitment to significantly faster localization. This follows the recent release of Ys X: Nordics and the upcoming release of Trails Through Daybreak II in early 2025.
Alan Costa, NIS America's Senior Associate Producer, confirmed the increased speed in an interview with PCGamer, although he declined to detail specific internal changes. He highlighted that the 2025 release of Trails Through Daybreak II (originally released in Japan in September 2022) represents a substantial improvement on previous localization timelines.
Historically, the immense amount of text in these games has resulted in lengthy delays. The Trails in the Sky series, for example, experienced a seven-year gap between its Japanese PC release and its Western PSP debut. Even more recent titles like Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure took twelve years to reach Western audiences. This was largely attributed to the sheer volume of text requiring translation with limited personnel, as detailed in a blog post by a former XSEED Games Localization Manager.
While NIS America acknowledges that localization remains a two-to-three-year process, they emphasize maintaining quality. Costa stated that speed won't come at the cost of accuracy, highlighting the ongoing efforts to balance both aspects.
The publisher's commitment to faster release times is a positive development for fans, particularly considering past issues such as the year-long delay of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana due to translation errors. The positive reception of Trails Through Daybreak suggests that NIS America is successfully navigating the challenge of faster, high-quality localization. This bodes well for future releases in both the Trails and Ys franchises.
Read our review of The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak for further insights!
