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Post by Colonel Kurtz on Aug 29, 2015 10:23:33 GMT -5
First of all, the necessary recap, coming from Gamespot News. I deseved to be fired! Then... how do you feel about it? Is saying that the number of people asking for translations is too low, demeaning to these people? (I think no); ... Is talking about the localization process a breach of an NDA? (that one seems more credible, alas). What are your thoughts about that guy's ordeal, do you think the punishment fits the (disputable) crime? Do you think he should leave Japan altogether? Feeling sad for the guy? A bit of an extreme move by Nintendo, or not? Don't be shy, contribute!
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Post by moran on Aug 29, 2015 10:41:06 GMT -5
From how I understand it, he spoke on record about company policies without company permission and came off as a spokesman for Nintendo. Most corporations have rules against that and they probably fired him on those grounds. And he most likely signed off on that when he was hired.
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Post by Colonel Kurtz on Aug 29, 2015 10:47:46 GMT -5
From how I understand it, he spoke on record about company policies without company permission and came off as a spokesman for Nintendo. Most corporations have rules against that and they probably fired him on those grounds. And he most likely signed off on that when he was hired. I agree. My point of contention is that I don't see describing the communty asking for a localization as "small" puts him afoul of the company's ways. For the rest, yeah, his post seems pretty realistic. But what does it say about Nintendo?
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Post by moran on Aug 29, 2015 11:26:27 GMT -5
It says they are a business first like any other company. The community thing fits into it. Some members of Management probably feels the same way, and it is true to av degree, but it's a PR nightmare to say so publicly. If they didn't feel that way, everything would be translated. It's similar to Microsoft and Adam Orth. The company more than likely has the same thoughts, but it's not Adam Orth or Chris Pranger's place to say so.
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Post by Scylla on Aug 29, 2015 11:55:36 GMT -5
Well, nothing he said was wrong. Whether we're talking retro games or current games, or expanding it to anime, manga, light novels, and other products from Japan, most consumers generally have no clue about what localization really is, how much work it takes, how much money it costs, how challenging licensing can be, and so on. And while I can't hold this ignorance against people, especially when localizers often don't share much info about the process to the public, the indignation that is so often expressed is indeed frustrating. Releasing these products is not a charity, and no publisher is passing on a localization just to spite you. If there is money to be made and it fits within the scope of what the company localizes, pretty much any localizer would be happy to take on a project. I can think of very few instances where I feel a publisher made a bad call on passing on a title. Even if it's a title I very much would've have wanted to see localized, I can virtually always see understandable reasons as to why it probably wouldn't have been profitable. And yes, it sucks if your interests are niche and not profitable, but that's on you to do what you can to deal with that.
That said, people who make childish, meme-ish complaints like "Why do you hate money?" unironically are probably just kids, and Pranger should've been the adult here and not take such comments so personally and go off on a public rant about the complainers. He strikes me as a guy who gets too emotional and doesn't know when to zip his lip, like how he also shared an excessive amount of personal detail about his family and finances and all his self-pitying.
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Post by Colonel Kurtz on Aug 29, 2015 12:14:18 GMT -5
Yeah... the family situation and money problems, we can do without.
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Post by derboo on Aug 29, 2015 13:00:05 GMT -5
Just another example of our rotten to the core corporate culture. Yes, the company has every legal right to fire him above those statements, but they're childish assholes for doing so, and they're childish assholes for demanding that amount of secrecy in the first place.
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Post by Ike on Aug 29, 2015 15:33:22 GMT -5
Just another example of our rotten to the core corporate culture. Yes, the company has every legal right to fire him above those statements, but they're childish assholes for doing so, and they're childish assholes for demanding that amount of secrecy in the first place. So firing an employee for insubordination is childish now? If the company deems information a trade secret, why does it make them childish for getting rid of someone who talks openly about them even when he (presumably) signed a contract to not do that thing?
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Post by wyrdwad on Aug 29, 2015 15:50:59 GMT -5
I've said SO MUCH WORSE where I am, and not only have I not been fired, I'm one of the most senior staffers at the company. It was entirely within Nintendo's legal right to do what they did, but I don't think it was called for, whether or not Chris Pranger does. I guess it's a matter of size -- Nintendo's a much larger company, so they're much more guarded about what they say -- but I wish it were different, as I don't think being THAT guarded about what you say is beneficial to anyone. I really think transparency is something every game company should strive for, as it's the only way your fans will feel reassured that you're still concerned about what they think, and not solely motivated by monetary gain. -Tom
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Post by cj iwakura on Aug 29, 2015 17:08:58 GMT -5
I really think this was uncalled for, and had it been any company but Nintendo, people would have been out for blood. Since they're so 'beloved', though(especially on GAF), they get away with murder.
Nintendo are just as cutthroat a company as any other, like any Sega fan can attest, and every so often they remind us of that.
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Post by Sturat on Aug 29, 2015 17:31:54 GMT -5
If you can't follow standard company policies, you have failed at your job at the most basic level possible. When you get fired like this it means you signed a document explicitly saying you wouldn't do something and then you did it anyway. This guy doesn't deserve any sympathy or attention. We should feel sorry for his supervisor who probably had to waste several hours putting together the paperwork to can this guy instead of doing something worthwhile.
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Post by cj iwakura on Aug 29, 2015 17:36:52 GMT -5
If you can't follow standard company policies, you have failed at your job at the most basic level possible. When you get fired like this it means you signed a document explicitly saying you wouldn't do something and then you did it anyway. This guy doesn't deserve any sympathy or attention. We should feel sorry for his supervisor who probably had to waste several hours putting together the paperwork to can this guy instead of doing something worthwhile. If every employee who candidly spoke about localization was fired, the industry wouldn't exist.
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Post by derboo on Aug 29, 2015 18:08:05 GMT -5
So firing an employee for insubordination is childish now? If the company deems information a trade secret, why does it make them childish for getting rid of someone who talks openly about them even when he (presumably) signed a contract to not do that thing? Antagonizing employees and the general public alike by enforcing pointless secrecy is childish. Firing an employee over trivial statements is childish. There's no shred of commensurability here, let alone compassion. If you can't follow standard company policies, you have failed at your job at the most basic level possible. That is very much true. He has completely failed serving the sick corporate psychopathy that created these policies.
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Post by Scylla on Aug 29, 2015 18:10:50 GMT -5
The smart thing to do would just be a little more tight-lipped about who you work for and where you give your real name. Pranger easily could've spoken his mind without consequence, I imagine, had he just done it a bit more anonymously and in a more private space. I mean, unless he was super-secretive about it, people could maybe put the pieces together, but who knows if Nintendo would've reacted the same way if it wasn't quite so blatant.
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Post by Joseph Joestar on Aug 29, 2015 18:35:30 GMT -5
Has anyone listened to the episode of that podcast he was on? Just reading his comments, he kind of came off as a tool. At any rate, if that's how Nintendo views fans of the "financially unviable" games, maybe they should get rid of the fucking region locking shit. I really think this was uncalled for, and had it been any company but Nintendo, people would have been out for blood. Since they're so 'beloved', though(especially on GAF), they get away with murder. Nintendo are just as cutthroat a company as any other, like any Sega fan can attest, and every so often they remind us of that. My n-word. I know it's not important, but it's definitely a pet peeve of mine seeing the sort of blind devotion a lot of Nintendo fans have. I mean there's obnoxious fanboys everywhere and for every possible thing to have a fanbase, but Nintendo fans are a breed of their own. I don't think there's a subset of fandom that's so quick to lose their shit over criticism or fast to blindly defend the object of their devotion anywhere on this earth, short of maybe Patriots fans. Or Disney fans, holy shit. Like for instance, aside from being a massive tool for other reasons, I'd be willing to bet Bob Chipman would knife you and spit in the wounds if you walked up to him and said "Mario sucks." I guess on the Patriots line of thinking, people love a winner, and Nintendo was the winning team in the 80s and arguably the early 90s. People also seem to hate acknowledging that things they love have a dark side or a less-than-perfect aspect compared to the perfect image they build up. I mean, I love their handheld systems, I love the Famicom, and I enjoy a lot of their games, but I also have a lot of negative memories associated with Nintendo that will keep me from ever seeing them as a beloved childhood icon of worship. It was not fun growing up in the 80s without a Nintendo - as if I needed another reason for kids to pick on me, being the only kid without an NES was another reason for them to treat me like shit. I mean hell, that Nintendo Master Race shit continued into fucking high school. Granted, part of it was because everyone I had to deal with growing up in Indianapolis was a petty piece of shit, but it still sucked.
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