Ubisoft Does Not Plan to Add Ukrainian Localization to Future Games – Here’s Why

In a recent interview with Forbes Ukraine, Olga Senzuk, Managing Director of Ubisoft’s Ukrainian branch, clarified that the company has no immediate plans to introduce Ukrainian language support in its upcoming releases. This decision, she explained, comes after evaluating the relatively low number of players choosing Ukrainian in Ubisoft games where it is already available.

The Reasoning Behind the Decision

Ubisoft previously invested substantial resources in providing a high-quality Ukrainian localization for the game XDefiant. However, the outcome showed a limited uptake among players. “Unfortunately, the number of players selecting Ukrainian in XDefiant was very low, even though we put a lot of effort into making the localization top-notch,” Senzuk stated. “It required the collaboration of several Ubisoft teams and significant involvement from Ukrainian studios.”

Senzuk emphasized that the addition of Ukrainian was never intended to boost revenue or serve commercial interests. Rather, it was a gesture of solidarity with the Ukrainian community. “Our localization efforts were meant as a show of support and solidarity,” she explained, “but for now, we don’t plan on localizing other games in Ukrainian.”

Industry Trends: Fewer Languages, More English Proficiency

Senzuk pointed out that the gaming industry has recently seen a shift toward reducing the number of languages offered in games. Localization demands considerable resources, and Ubisoft, like many other companies, is choosing to streamline this aspect. She also noted a rising trend where more players are fluent in English and prefer it to connect with a larger gaming audience.

Potential Acquisition of Ubisoft

In related news, Ubisoft confirmed prior press reports indicating that the Guillemot family, the founders of Ubisoft, may be exploring the possibility of selling the company to Chinese tech giant Tencent.

This update highlights Ubisoft’s localization approach and sheds light on the broader industry trends impacting language support in games.