• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
  • We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.

Confirmed: iQue (Nintendo subsidiary) is now a localisation team

ggx2ac

ggx2ac

Sales Heaven or Sales Hell?
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,504
It took a while to figure this out but it's finally confirmed. Back when Nintendo released their Annual Report for 2017, they had iQue listed as a Development subsidiary as shown below.

- Development
Nintendo Co., Ltd., Nintendo Technology Development Inc., Nintendo Software Technology Corporation, Retro
Studios, Inc., Nintendo European Research and Development SAS, iQue (China) Ltd., ND CUBE Co., Ltd., 1-UP Studio Inc., MONOLITH SOFTWARE INC., Mario Club Co., Ltd.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

However, we didn't know what they were doing and also, in previous annual reports, they were a Sales subsidiary, not a Development one. Quoting one of my old posts:

What's interesting I've noticed is that iQue has a different role now.

In the previous year they were listed as a Sales subsidiary, this year they are now listed as a Development subsidiary.

Last year their business transactions were described as "Purchasing parts from the Company and entrusted license of manufacturing and sale"

Now it says, "Entrusted development
of software"
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Now, we finally have proof of that. ARMS recently had an update to v4.1 that added Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional) and Korean to the language options ahead of the Switch launch in South Korea and Taiwan (It has been available in Hong Kong since March.)

Here is a snapshot of the Credits:

DP2y9lTUQAAVpDz.jpg


NHL Localisation is referring to Nintendo Hong Kong Localisation.
iQue Localisation is listed there and, NOK Localisation is referring to Nintendo of Korea.

So it's likely that iQue handles Simplified Chinese for localisation while Nintendo Hong Kong does Traditional Chinese.

Edit:

Posting from my other thread, this is a list of only the first party games for Switch with Chinese language options available ahead of the launch in Taiwan, I haven't confirmed that they contain both Simplified and Traditional Chinese but the language options and/or staff credits in these first party games will confirm it.

Super Mario Odyssey
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Fire Emblem Warriors
Snipperclips
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2018)

Update regarding the list of games I posted:

Resetti said:
ARMS is also Chinese-Ready ahead of the launch in TW.
All of them support Traditional and Simplified Chinese.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
Last edited:
Datajoy

Datajoy

use of an alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,081
Angola / Zaire border region.
Interesting. I hope that means more Chinese language titles released in the Mainland. I was showing pocket camp to my coworker the other day and she was really bummed that there is no Chinese version.
 
OP
OP
ggx2ac

ggx2ac

Sales Heaven or Sales Hell?
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,504
Posting from my other thread, this is a list of only the first party games for Switch with Chinese language options available ahead of the launch in Taiwan, I haven't confirmed that they contain both Simplified and Traditional Chinese but the language options and/or staff credits in these first party games will confirm it.

Super Mario Odyssey
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Fire Emblem Warriors
Snipperclips
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2018)
 
Resetti

Resetti

Member
Oct 25, 2017
930
Nice catch!
By the way is NHL new? Don't recall seeing the name before.
Even in SMO they credited them as Tradition Chinese Localization but not NHL Localization
Also in SMO they credited iQue Engineering so they are likely still doing development work?

SMO Credit

Edit: Fixed the link
 
Last edited:
Hero of Legend

Hero of Legend

Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,610
What about Pokemon XY/SuMo? Didn't one have both Simplified and Traditional Chinese? Who did the Simplified Chinese localization then?
 
Resetti

Resetti

Member
Oct 25, 2017
930
ggx2ac said:
Posting from my other thread, this is a list of only the first party games for Switch with Chinese language options available ahead of the launch in Taiwan, I haven't confirmed that they contain both Simplified and Traditional Chinese but the language options and/or staff credits in these first party games will confirm it.

Super Mario Odyssey
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Fire Emblem Warriors
Snipperclips
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2018)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
ARMS is also Chinese-Ready ahead of the launch in TW.
All of them support Traditional and Simplified Chinese.
 
okayfrog

okayfrog

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,968
I see information regarding a Switch launch in China in a couple days, but that's only in Taiwan, correct? Is there a mainland China launch planned? I'm like 100% ignorant on China and its goings-on, so I'm sorry if I'm asking anything particularly dumb.
 
OP
OP
ggx2ac

ggx2ac

Sales Heaven or Sales Hell?
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,504
Resetti said:
Nice catch!
By the way is NHL new? Don't recall seeing the name before.
Even in SMO they credited them as Tradition Chinese Localization but not NHL Localization
Also in SMO they credited iQue Engineering so they are likely still doing development work?

SMO Credits
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I'm not too sure, it is new but the NHL abbreviation threw me off.

Also, that link you posted has a 404 error.

Edit: Now I'm not too sure how many still work at iQue then if they also have a software engineering team.
 
OP
OP
ggx2ac

ggx2ac

Sales Heaven or Sales Hell?
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,504
okayfrog said:
I see information regarding a Switch launch in China in a couple days, but that's only in Taiwan, correct? Is there a mainland China launch planned? I'm like 100% ignorant on China and its goings-on, so I'm sorry if I'm asking anything particularly dumb.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

There's no confirmation of an official launch of the Switch in Mainland China at this time. It's only available in China via the grey market by retailers importing it from HK.

Nintendo like any other foreign company has to deal with the protectionism of China in which they would have to partner with a Chinese company to be allowed to release their products in China. This can complicate things because the partner may stipulate things they want control over whether it be IP, online services, manufacturing and distribution process, etc.

It's going to be a long process so I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
okayfrog

okayfrog

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,968
ggx2ac said:
There's no confirmation of an official launch of the Switch in Mainland China at this time. It's only available in China via the grey market by retailers importing it from HK.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Are these Chinese localizations just intended for the Taiwan market, or are they also trying to make money off the grey market as well?
 

Deleted member 5535

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,656
Nice catch, good to see Nintendo investing in the chinese market with simplified and traditional chinese in their games
 
CaviarMeths

CaviarMeths

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,655
Western Canada
The same iQue that used to make specialized hardware for the Chinese market right? Makes sense to re-purpose it as a localization team now that Nintendo is officially launching in China.

Edit: planning to officially launch*
 
Resetti

Resetti

Member
Oct 25, 2017
930
Saw a tweet on Twitter,
NHL Localisation is probably referring to
Nintendo (Hong Kong) Ltd. Localisation haha

Nintendo HK was only responsible for sale right?
Glad to see them becoming a localisation team.

Ah, just remembered seeing this last week


Now it makes sense.
 
ZhugeEX

ZhugeEX

Senior Analyst at Niko Partners
Verified
Oct 24, 2017
3,099
I could have told you all this two years ago if you asked, lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.