Nintendo has numerous second-party development studios under its umbrella, but one of the most prominent of those developers is Game Freak. Most readers probably know the name Game Freak as the creator of the main series Pokemon games.
Game Freak and Pokemon have a wide net considering the series is popular all over the world, so Game Freak must maintain its own brand in a plethora of different countries and regions. Now, it seems that Game Freak is changing its name in China so it sounds less foreign in the native language.
Thanks to a Twitter user who goes by the handle @852_sirena, as well as a handful of other translators, fans are able to see exactly what change was made. Game Freak was formerly known as “遊戲富利克” in China, but the issue with this name was that “遊戲” meant “game,” while “富利克” was just the phonetic spelling of “freak,” leading to an odd translation in Chinese. This isn’t the first time Pokemon-related names was changed in China, but this move by Game Freak is on a larger level.
Game Freak’s new name in China is now “遊戲狂想家,” which translates similar to “Game Maniac” according to 852_sirena. Seeing as Game Freak is the developer behind the beloved Pokemon series, it makes sense that the company is keeping its brand succinct around different parts of the world. Its most recent entries, Pokemon Sword and Shield, sold incredibly well and was generally well-received by players.
While Game Freak is most well known for developing the Pokemon series, the company has developed plenty of other titles too. Recently, Game Freak developed the RPG Little Town Hero, which released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC after being put out on Switch. Seeing as Game Freak has become a big-name developer around the world, the company needs to maintain its brand in different places.
This change does not seem like a move that was influenced in any meaningful way by harsh restrictions set in place by the Chinese government. China is fairly well known for restricting certain media they deem offensive or harmful. For example, China banned the recent Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War trailer due to a clip showing the Tiananmen Square massacre. Rather, this simply looks to be Game Freak making better accommodations for those players who speak Chinese.
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