kyonshi
2024-02-26 12:44:53 UTC
Dungeons & Dragons Discontinues Portuguese Translations
Dungeons & Dragons will no longer be published in Portuguese after this
year.
By Christian Hoffer - February 24, 2024 09:50 am EST
Wizards of the Coast has announced they will stop translating Dungeons &
Dragons books into Portuguese, less than 2 years after launching its
Portuguese language line. Late last night, Wizards of the Coast
announced that they planned to discontinue Portuguese translations of
Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks after releasing three books originally
published in English in 2022. In a statement published to D&D Beyond,
Wizards of the Coast blamed "rising costs and shifts in global demand"
for the decision, stating that Portuguese-language D&D books had not
kept pace with "rising costs across the board." Wizards said they still
planned to publish D&D books in English, French, German, Italian,
Japanese, and Spanish, although not every book would be released in
every language.
The move comes less than three years after Wizards of the Coast seized
control of its foreign language publications after a brief lawsuit and
eventual settlement with former license holder Gale Force Nine. After it
had taken control, former executive producer Ray Winninger touted the
move as a way to expand Dungeons & Dragons' reach and build a "global
community" of D&D fans. Winninger noted in a blog post posted to D&D's
webpage that Wizards had made a "long-term commitment" to the
publication of these books, stating that they were hiring dedicated
teams to work on these projects, and make reviews and updates to
localized content.
In 2022, Wizards announced that they were adding Portuguese-language D&D
books to its foreign language lines, focusing on the Brazilian
Portuguese dialect. "This announcement is extremely important for the
Brazilian D&D community, which has been following Dungeons & Dragons for
decades," said Reynaldo Barbella, then head of LATAM for Wizards of the
Coast. "D&D fans in Brazil can be sure that we will be listening to
them, providing all the necessary support, and working to offer new
localized content. In addition to the core rulebooks, we will launch new
and localized products throughout the second half of 2022."
However, less than a year after this announcement, Hasbro laid off
several Wizards of the Coast staff members in Brazil and Mexico,
including its community managers hired to grow the D&D community. Other
staffers were reassigned or given new roles, such as Barbella, who now
is listed as a senior e-commerce manager with no direct mention of RPGs
in his job description on LinkedIn.
The Brazilian Portuguese RPG community is a growing one, despite lengthy
delays in receiving official material. For reference, an official
Portuguese version of the D&D Player's Handbook for Fifth Edition was
only released in 2019, five years after the release of 5th Edition in
English. Portuguese-speaking players have often had to resort to either
fan translations or piracy to obtain official releases.
Reaction to the announcement has largely been met with criticism and
scorn among Portuguese-speaking players, with several commenting to
ComicBook.com that they felt Wizards had "abandoned" the Brazilian and
wider Latin American community with the move. Others have commented on
Reddit and elsewhere that the Portuguese tabletop RPG community was a
niche one and that most players could use the English language books and
content reasonably well. The timing of the move comes less than 2 months
after Hasbro laid off numerous staffers, including some at Wizards of
the Coast, in a preemptive response to weak 2023 revenue.
" This date will be marked as the day WotC turned its back on one of
the largest and most passionate D&D communities. It's a shame that the
grandeur of this game that inspires so many Portuguese speakers doesn't
fit into the small minds of Wizards of the Coast's current board.
https://t.co/PmWPtFIASv"
— Guga, sembi e além.... (@sembiano) February 24, 2024
Dungeons & Dragons will no longer be published in Portuguese after this
year.
By Christian Hoffer - February 24, 2024 09:50 am EST
Wizards of the Coast has announced they will stop translating Dungeons &
Dragons books into Portuguese, less than 2 years after launching its
Portuguese language line. Late last night, Wizards of the Coast
announced that they planned to discontinue Portuguese translations of
Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks after releasing three books originally
published in English in 2022. In a statement published to D&D Beyond,
Wizards of the Coast blamed "rising costs and shifts in global demand"
for the decision, stating that Portuguese-language D&D books had not
kept pace with "rising costs across the board." Wizards said they still
planned to publish D&D books in English, French, German, Italian,
Japanese, and Spanish, although not every book would be released in
every language.
The move comes less than three years after Wizards of the Coast seized
control of its foreign language publications after a brief lawsuit and
eventual settlement with former license holder Gale Force Nine. After it
had taken control, former executive producer Ray Winninger touted the
move as a way to expand Dungeons & Dragons' reach and build a "global
community" of D&D fans. Winninger noted in a blog post posted to D&D's
webpage that Wizards had made a "long-term commitment" to the
publication of these books, stating that they were hiring dedicated
teams to work on these projects, and make reviews and updates to
localized content.
In 2022, Wizards announced that they were adding Portuguese-language D&D
books to its foreign language lines, focusing on the Brazilian
Portuguese dialect. "This announcement is extremely important for the
Brazilian D&D community, which has been following Dungeons & Dragons for
decades," said Reynaldo Barbella, then head of LATAM for Wizards of the
Coast. "D&D fans in Brazil can be sure that we will be listening to
them, providing all the necessary support, and working to offer new
localized content. In addition to the core rulebooks, we will launch new
and localized products throughout the second half of 2022."
However, less than a year after this announcement, Hasbro laid off
several Wizards of the Coast staff members in Brazil and Mexico,
including its community managers hired to grow the D&D community. Other
staffers were reassigned or given new roles, such as Barbella, who now
is listed as a senior e-commerce manager with no direct mention of RPGs
in his job description on LinkedIn.
The Brazilian Portuguese RPG community is a growing one, despite lengthy
delays in receiving official material. For reference, an official
Portuguese version of the D&D Player's Handbook for Fifth Edition was
only released in 2019, five years after the release of 5th Edition in
English. Portuguese-speaking players have often had to resort to either
fan translations or piracy to obtain official releases.
Reaction to the announcement has largely been met with criticism and
scorn among Portuguese-speaking players, with several commenting to
ComicBook.com that they felt Wizards had "abandoned" the Brazilian and
wider Latin American community with the move. Others have commented on
Reddit and elsewhere that the Portuguese tabletop RPG community was a
niche one and that most players could use the English language books and
content reasonably well. The timing of the move comes less than 2 months
after Hasbro laid off numerous staffers, including some at Wizards of
the Coast, in a preemptive response to weak 2023 revenue.
" This date will be marked as the day WotC turned its back on one of
the largest and most passionate D&D communities. It's a shame that the
grandeur of this game that inspires so many Portuguese speakers doesn't
fit into the small minds of Wizards of the Coast's current board.
https://t.co/PmWPtFIASv"
— Guga, sembi e além.... (@sembiano) February 24, 2024