Call of Duty: Black Ops getting separate subtitled and dubbed SKUs in Japan

by Ben Gilbert on Sep 1st 2010 1:30PM

Are you in Japan, and simply aren't satisfied with only being able to purchase one version of Call of Duty: Black Ops? Chill out! Square Enix, the game's Japanese publisher, is localizing the game in two separate SKUs. According to the Call of Duty: Black Ops Japanese blog, the subtitled version will be released first on November 18, while the dubbed one -- featuring a "major voice cast" -- won't arrive until December 16.

The dual release comes as a result of a survey of Modern Warfare 2 buyers in Japan, which found a split among consumers (60 to 40 percent, favoring subtitles) when it came to language options. Both versions will carry the same ¥7,980 ($95) price.

Via: Andriasang
Source: Call of Duty: Black Ops Japanese blog

Tags: activision, Call-of-Duty-Black-Ops, japan, localization, microsoft, pc, playstation, ps3, square-enix, treyarch, xbox

Reader Comments (16)

What a loss for the Japanese community. /sarcasm

Um.....Why can't they just put dubbed or subtitles as an option in the actual game?

@Grey
They could, but it appears it will take them a month to get the recording done. They apparently would rather release the game sooner rather than later; hence the two SKUs.

How major of a cast are we talking about

@Jawmuncher I hear Aya Hirano's voicing Reznov.

If I was Japanese, I'd just get the subtitled version. I imagine The Call of Duty community will just plow through the campaign or just skip it to head for the multiplayer aspect. Even the cinematic MW2 was not very strong plot wise.

@KillerBell

Likewise, I like hearing voices the way it was intended. It usually doesn't quite sync up correctly when you see that Japanese guy speaking with a white tough-guy voice or vice verca.

They really missed a trick on this one, if they where smart they would have released the dub track as DLC.

Saves on extra manufactering, distrubtion and advertsing of a second SKU and if they charged for it they could even make money on it.

@Hybridchld

But they'd still have to bug/QA test it for use in the full game, which may mean that the DLC will have to arrive at a later date. This doesn't exactly seem like a title that will destroy Japanese sales charts, so releasing it ASAP is better than disappointing a large chunk of their audience and just kinda hoping they still buy the game while waiting for DLC.

So 6 people wanted it subbed and 4 wanted it dubbed?

I always prefer original language voice work with subtitles. Somehow I guess that makes me seem elitist, but I just want to respect the integrity of the original work.

I guess Black Ops isn't in the normal tier of stuff I want to artistically respect, but my point is still valid.

why dont they just learn english?

@shadowhowl1900 Congratulations, you win the Joystiq Weekly Bigoted Ignoramus Award! The next time if ever you're begging for a Japanese-only release to come out in the West, remember this trophy =)