Nihon Falcom hopes to speed up localization for The Legend of Heroes

Earlier today, Twitter user @michsuzu shared a question from Nihon Falcom's annual shareholder meeting, relating to the now infamously long localization wait times for Nihon Falcom's titles. We've translated the question, and its respective answer, below:

Question: The sales of Falcom games in the west have risen, yet there's currently a 3 year gap between Trails into Reverie's projected Western release date and the original Japanese launch. Nowadays, many companies have transitioned to worldwide simultaneous releases. I understand if day-and-date releases are impossible for Falcom, but a 3-year gap is just way too much. Is there any possibility that the release cycle could be sped up?

Answer: There are a number of internal circumstances with the partner publisher (NIS America) that are outside of our control, but we would also prefer if the release pacing could improve. You have to consider that Trails is a very text-heavy series, and as such translation takes time. That being said, the gap between the domestic and Western releases is absolutely a problem, and we would like to work with NISA to improve the situation going forward, if possible.

Longtime Trails fans are painfully aware of how long western players have had to wait for titles to receive localizations in the west, and with tonight's announcement of The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki II - Crimson Sin, it's looking like the gap between the Japanese and Western releases will remain for the foreseeable future. 

Hopefully, NIS America and Nihon Falcom can work together to speed up localization if at all feasible. For now, western players have a slew of Trails titles to look forward to in the years to come.