The long-awaited English fan translation of Princess Crown for the Sega Saturn has stirred up some controversy within the fan translation community. After over a decade of work by fan translators CyberWarriorX and SamIAm, another developer, eadmaster, released a version of the game in English using assets from their original project. While this release has allowed fans to finally play Princess Crown in English, it has also led to some friction between the original translators and eadmaster.
Key Points
- Original Translation Effort: CyberWarriorX and SamIAm began working on translating Princess Crown in 2012, with a first draft completed by the end of that year. However, due to various life events and technical challenges, progress was slow, and the project remained unfinished. The translation work was shared on GitHub in 2013 in hopes of attracting help, but no further updates were made public.
- Eadmaster’s Release: In 2024, eadmaster used the assets from the GitHub repository to release an English patch for Princess Crown, which sparked excitement among fans eager to play the game. However, this patch was based on outdated work and contained several issues, including glitches and incomplete translations.
- Reaction from Original Translators: CyberWarriorX and SamIAm expressed frustration that eadmaster released the patch without consulting them or using their most up-to-date work. While eadmaster acted within the legal bounds of the GPL license under which the project was shared, the original translators felt it was disrespectful to release what they considered an unfinished and obsolete version of their work.
- Commitment to Quality: Despite the friction, CyberWarriorX and SamIAm have reiterated their commitment to delivering a high-quality translation. They have stated that their version will be “the translation worth playing” when it’s completed, though they have not provided a specific release date. They plan to release more updates and previews in the future to keep fans informed of their progress.
