Outsourced Workers Unacknowledged in Baldur’s Gate 3 Credits
Game Developer has reported that Baldur’s Gate III, which has already generated significant buzz despite not being fully released, is facing public scrutiny for failing to credit numerous workers who contributed to the project.
The problem was initially noticed by freelance localization producer Katrina Leonoudakis, who noted that the game’s credits did not mention the translators who worked on the Brazilian and Portuguese localizations. A company called Altagram Group handled these translations, and it’s worth noting that company directors and department heads appear in the credits. Additionally, translators who localized for other languages such as Italian were duly acknowledged, even if these translations were handled by companies other than Altagram.
The problem extends beyond translators, as reports also indicate that outsourcing studios failed to list many of the developers involved in the project. The credits list each studio by name, but not specific employees who worked on the game.
Larian, on the other hand, is on top of it. The company states that “this was all the Altagram team” and that it has “forced them to fix this” in a statement provided to Eurogamer. The developer says a fix is coming soon.
It’s definitely a good thing that the developer is working to fix the problem, because people deserve credit for their work. However, this has become an all too common practice in the gaming industry. Game Developer spoke with several localization experts, and they described a “laissez-faire” attitude when it comes to properly compensating contractors. To that end, there have been several instances over the past year where the translators working on Persona 3 and Persona 4 have not been properly credited to the artists and developers of high-profile titles like Metroid Dread and God of War: Ragnarok. their moment to shine.
