Interview with Snowball Studios

Content provided by the official fan site "Chronicles of Kaer Morhen"

When the localizer for The Witcher 2 was just announced, there was an idea to conduct this interview. It became even more interesting because the localizer was changed, and fans were concerned about the fate of the sequel. However, there was little information, and the work process consumed all available time... But some time ago, a decisive decision was made to get answers to burning questions. I caught Vladimir Tortsov and bombarded him with a set of questions. Huge thanks to him for approaching the interview with full responsibility. He not only obtained all the necessary information from his colleagues but also prepared a small photo presentation of the working moments. What we produced can be read below.

Tell us, was it difficult to obtain the rights for publishing and localizing the second part of The Witcher 2? How did you win over the Poles?

Snowball has long and strong relations with CD Projekt. Through them, we published Mass Effect in Russia, and they successfully released the domestic “Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword” in Poland.

For CD Projekt, the quality of the localization of their “Witcher 2” is very important, and Snowball Studios has an excellent reputation in this regard. It also played an essential role that we know how to find common ground with fans and successfully recruit newcomers to the ranks of game enthusiasts. In general, by handing their flagship over to Snowball, CD Projekt could rest assured that their game would be well-received in Russia.

Photos from the studio where the voice recording takes place

Snowball has quite an extensive portfolio. Which of your past projects would you place alongside The Witcher 2?

“The Witcher 2” is truly an outstanding project for us. It's not even about the complexity of localization, as our portfolio includes such heavyweights as Mass Effect, “Endless Journey,” and the first “Gothic.” “The Witcher 2” is primarily an ideal sequel to an excellent game, raising this role-playing series to a whole new level. Therefore, the approach to localization is very serious – the Russian version of “The Witcher 2” must fully correspond to the “star quality” of the game itself.

The walls in the office are decorated with “correct” posters.

Let's start with the technical aspects. How is the localization process divided into stages? At what stage are you currently?

Localization begins with writing a localization concept. This is a document in which the translator and editor together try to formulate the main principles of translation and various details important to the game as a whole. Thus, we try to understand how the speech of dwarves differs from that of gnomes, city elves from Scoia'tael, and so on. We gather all possible information about the main characters. We aim to articulate - verbalize - what we want to achieve in the localization process. This is the most crucial document for the localization process. After that, the foundation of a glossary is gathered, which over time (and with the introduction of new information) is supplemented and changed. Once a base for the glossary is assembled, translation can begin.

This is where Russian voices for Geralt and the gang will be recorded

The Witcher 2 is undoubtedly a major project; how many people are involved in the localization of the game (not counting the actors)?

Thousands of them.

Is localization done from English or Polish?

From Polish. Otherwise, it would be impossible.

Fan goodies. Expect contests.

Sometimes games are not just translated, but adapted for the audience. Names are changed, some dialogues are rewritten. Is anything similar planned for the Russian version of The Witcher 2?

Names are changed according to the translations of Vaysbrot. Overall, thanks to Vaysbrot (and not only Sapkowski), the Russian “Witcher” is perceived as a kind of “Slavic fantasy.” This is absent in the English/European translations, and we, of course, must consider this specificity.

Are only internal resources of the studio involved in the localization process, or do you use the services of outsourcers, such as Lazy Games, who were involved in the voiceover of the first part?

Us. All by ourselves.

A board is an essential tool in the localization process. You can pin something to it or draw.

Have you started selecting actors for the voiceover yet?

Yes, casting for actors has already begun.

Do you plan to involve the same actors as in the first part? In particular, will Vladimir Zaitsev voice Geralt?

We are negotiating with them. How it will turn out in the end - we will know soon.

Are there any difficulties in working on The Witcher 2?

It’s large, complex, and it has many narrative branches (let’s remember the epic flowchart of the game script from the Cologne presentation of the project). These branches, or rather, clusters, greatly complicate the work.

Have you discussed with CD Projekt RED the possibility of DLC release?

There is currently no official information about DLC for “The Witcher 2.”

How do you assess the prospects of The Witcher 2 in terms of sales?

More than optimistic. The second part of the game not only possesses all the merits of the original, which made “The Witcher” so popular, but also surpasses it in many aspects (graphics, level of interactivity, combat system, and most importantly – non-linear narrative). Therefore, the commercial potential of the sequel is excellent.


Creativity is flowing and flowing

What types of editions of The Witcher 2 do you plan to release, will there be a collector’s edition?

There will definitely be a collector’s edition. As for the total number of types of editions and their contents, we will tell you closer to the game’s release.

There is an opinion that the era of single-player games is ending. What do you think?

There are different opinions. What varieties of games and entire gaming platforms haven't been buried alive? At Snowball Studios, we primarily work on the good old PC projects that are often played solo, and we understand how important a solid plot and engaging gameplay are in such games. If these two components are present, there will be success. Good games will always be in demand, regardless of the allowable number of players and distribution models. I guarantee it™.

Labor weekdays :)

Recently, there was a fuss regarding the protection of The Witcher 2 from piracy and copying. What policy do you plan to pursue in this regard?

Yes, that story with the high-ranking official from Namco Bandai regarding the merits of Ubisoft's protection indeed stirred up the public. No one among gamers in their right mind likes Ubisoft's protection, and we at Snowball do not favor it either. Copy protection shouldn’t ruin the lives of customers with licensed products. When owners of the licensed version of the game cannot launch it due to activation issues, while those who bought or downloaded a “pirate” version are playing without a hitch - that’s an incorrect situation. Our task with “The Witcher 2” is to delight fans as much as possible, i.e., those who are ready to honestly pay for the hard work of the developers and localizers and purchase a licensed copy of the game, meaning that the protection system will be applied in a non-intrusive manner.

What can you say to all the fans of The Witcher 2 in conclusion?

Thank you for your support and genuine interest in “The Witcher 2,” which we at Snowball distinctly feel. We ourselves are huge fans of this game and will certainly put in our best efforts to release it in the best possible form to please all devoted fans (and ourselves, of course, too).

The team www.KaerMorhen.ru thanks Snowball Studios for the interesting information and great sense of humor. We believe in you.