In Japan, Square Enix is the publisher of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Unlike other West to East releases they didn’t skimp on localization. The Japanese version is completely localized and even has Japanese voice acting – something fans over there are, to put it lightly, disappointed with.
Famitsu got in touch with Square Enix who explained the considered a dual language release with the original English voice acting. However, Modern Warfare 2 was built to support one language and changes to the game’s engine were deemed “risky.”
One of Activision’s goals with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was to make it accessible to FPS newcomers so they produced a localized language track, a feature that Tetsu Takahashi, the man behind Fallout 3’s Japanese localization, said was important. In the end, Square Enix believes they made the right decision because the Japanese language track widened the game’s fanbase.
What’s interesting is this debacle is parallel to what happens here with some Japanese games and fans that want original voice acting. See, there are gamers in Japan that envy the unlocalized, uncensored copy of Modern Warfare 2 sitting in a store near you.
