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‘Spyro Reignited Trilogy’ called out for its lack of subtitles

The publisher says it wanted to preserve the ‘legacy’ of the original games.

 

Alex Dalbey

Parsec

Posted on Nov 20, 2018   Updated on May 21, 2021, 1:12 am CDT

The Spyro Reignited Trilogy collects and remasters the first three popular games in the classic Spyro. Since its release last week, it has been pretty well-received. However, there’s one feature, or rather, a lack of one feature, that has made the game unplayable for some. The Spyro Reignited Trilogy doesn’t have subtitles.

No subtitles means a huge amount of vital information to enjoy the game is simply not accessible to players who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Several people pointed this out on Twitter in the days following the release of the game.

Reviewer Rob Pitt contacted the developer, Toys for Bob, and the publisher, Activision, about the lack of subtitles for cutscenes. They responded, saying in part, “There were certain decisions that needed to be made throughout the process. The team remained committed to keep the integrity and legacy of Spyro that fans remembered intact.” They also claimed that there is no industry standard for subtitles.

Gamers who care about accessibility and want everyone to be able to play have taken serious issue with these excuses. Many argue that in 2018 subtitles in video games actually are an industry standard.

Their statement also seems to say that not having subtitles was a choice they made in order to maintain the “integrity and legacy” of the games, an assertion many say is not just ridiculous, but hurtful. The idea that the developers chose to make it so a part of their audience couldn’t fully access the story to slightly increase the nostalgia factor is, to many, insulting.

https://twitter.com/Helloween4545/status/1064542310514507776

Activision has so far not announced any plans to add in subtitles at a later date, and has only said that it “will evaluate going forward.”

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*First Published: Nov 20, 2018, 12:03 pm CST