Game "ASTRA" Removes English Dub, Follows Gacha Trend

ASTRA: Knights of Veda Bids Farewell to English Dubbing

Following a trend among gacha games, ASTRA: Knights of Veda will be removing its English voiceovers after maintenance on January 23, 2025. This decision, announced by developer FLINT on January 20th, aims to bolster game stability and enhance localization quality.

The upcoming maintenance will also remove support for German, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, and Italian. However, Korean, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, French, Thai, and Russian will remain. While English text will still be available, in-game voice acting will switch to Japanese for players outside of Korea. FLINT assures players this change won't affect in-game chat functionality in any previously supported language.

This isn't an isolated incident. Several other gacha games have made similar adjustments:

• War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius: Square Enix removed English voiceovers for new content starting May 2024, prioritizing Japanese for future updates.
• Aether Gazer: Yostar Games completely removed English dubbing in February 2024 due to cited financial constraints, refocusing resources on gameplay and future content.
• Snowbreak: Containment Zone: Amazing Seasun Games eliminated English voiceovers in December 2023 after assessing player preferences and optimizing the gaming experience.

The common thread appears to be a balance between player preference (favoring the dominant language) and resource management. Maintaining English voiceovers for extended periods in gacha games, with their ongoing content updates, can become a significant financial burden. By reallocating resources, developers aim for long-term game health and improved player experience in other areas.