With “Squadron 42” showing signs of active movement toward its release—such as the launch of its Steam store page—a particular post on the official forums has become a hot topic.
Is It Love for ‘Star Citizen’ or a Side Effect of Long-Term Development? Arguments Against Localization Emerge
The topic of discussion is a post on the official forum of Cloud Imperium Games (CIG), the developer of *Star Citizen* and *Squadron 42*, which begins with the headline, “I don’t want to see CIG spend resources on translating SQ42.”
The poster begins by noting that “translation involves costs, such as lip-syncing and QA checks,” and, given the investment in the star-studded cast, suggests, “Isn’t CIG more interested in letting us hear the raw voices rather than translated ones?”
They argued that “it would be a waste to replace the actors’ performances with translations at the expense of their hard work.” While eagerly awaiting the completion of *Squadron 42*, they noted that *Star Citizen* still lacks many core features and insisted that “resources must be allocated to SC.”
It should be noted that while the Steam store page lists plans for subtitles and interface support in 10 languages, including Japanese, the audio will be in English only. Additionally, in interviews with international media, CIG has clarified that, given the use of a star-studded cast, it plans to prioritize subtitle support over multilingual voiceovers at launch.
This has sparked mixed reactions from other users and become a hot topic of discussion.
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Some users have raised counterarguments, such as “Treating this as a cost issue is a short-sighted view that overlooks the mechanisms of international business expansion” and “For non-English speakers, it’s uncomfortable to keep reading subtitles amid fast-paced action,” as well as criticisms labeling the decision “arrogant” and “self-centered.”There have also been sarcastic comments suggesting, “They should release it in Chinese, the language with the most speakers on Earth.”
On the other hand, citing the 12-year development cycle and one delay after another,some users have expressed agreement with the poster’s viewpoint—arguing, “Put translation on the back burner and release it as soon as possible” or “I don’t want to hear excuses like ‘we need another year for a full voice-over translation’”—and this post has thus caused quite a stir.
It’s interesting that even regarding localization—which one would normally expect to be welcomed—opinions such as “I’d rather see those resources used elsewhere” are emerging against the backdrop of the prolonged development period. Perhaps the 12-year development history has influenced players’ perspectives.
*Squadron 42* is scheduled for release on Steam for PC in the second quarter of 2027.
