ASTRA Drops English Dub, Embraces Subtitle-Only Format

ASTRA: Knights of Veda Bids Farewell to English Dubbing

Following a maintenance update scheduled for January 23, 2025, ASTRA: Knights of Veda will be removing its English voice-over option. This decision, announced by developer FLINT on January 20th, is part of a broader language support adjustment aimed at improving game stability and localization quality.

The January 23rd maintenance will also remove support for German, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, and Italian. However, Korean, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, French, Thai, and Russian will remain. While English text will still be available, in-game voice acting for players outside Korea will default to Japanese. FLINT assures players that this change won't affect in-game chat functionality in any previously supported language.

This move follows a trend among gacha games. Several titles have made similar adjustments, including:

• War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius: Square Enix removed English voice-overs for new content starting in May 2024, prioritizing Japanese for future updates.
• Aether Gazer: Yostar Games completely removed English dubbing in February 2024 due to cited financial constraints, focusing resources on gameplay and future content.
• Snowbreak: Containment Zone: Amazing Seasun Games removed English voice-overs in December 2023, citing an evaluation of player preferences and a focus on optimal gameplay.

The reasoning behind these decisions often boils down to resource allocation and player preference. Prioritizing the language preferred by the majority of players is a logical choice, and the long-term cost of maintaining English voice acting for ongoing content updates can be substantial. By reallocating resources, developers aim to ensure the game's continued success and improve other aspects of the player experience.