"Weigh and hold Y to delete a save game", warns the game before starting. Didn't you understand anything? If you are French, this is normal: this text is in Joual, a Montreal dialect. In The Messenger, before playing a time traveler ninja, you can configure the game in Quebec – an extremely rare option in this ultra-globalized sector.
The phenomenon is recent: Journey to the Savage Planet, released on January 28, is only the second game fully dubbed in Quebec, after Kona, in 2016. The first two games in Acadian, Arcade's life and Clarevoyance, by the same author, date from 2015 and 2019. The Messenger, the first game to let the choice between texts in French from France and in Joual – the Montreal dialect – dates back only to 2018.
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Canadian paradox
Their recent emergence is all the more surprising since French-speaking Canada is a stronghold of the sector. The Guild of video game developers in Quebec has more than 220 studios; including giants like Ubisoft Montreal and its world famous blockbusters (Assassin's Creed, Watch Dogs, Far Cry …).
"It is true that, unlike cinema, most games made in Quebec do not represent a reality or a Quebec culture. This is no doubt due to the fact that, in general, it is the international audience that is primarily targeted ”, explains Thierry Boulanger, chief designer of The Messenger.
Translating is expensive, and the commercial gain of going to regional dialects may seem questionable. Even among the biggest players in the market, only Nintendo has the luxury of offering versions of its games specially translated for French-speaking Canada. But at the time of the golden age of independent gaming, in this country where the issue of linguistic identity is prominent, several designers have decided to ignore obstacles.
An emancipatory, committed and festive choice
This is the case of Alex Hutchinson, head of the studio responsible for Journey to Savage Planet. He is Australian, settled in Quebec: American English and French from France are dominant but foreign accents for him, to the point that he uses his games to highlight less publicized speech. The idea of doubling its space simulation in Quebec immediately convinced his team. "It seemed more original, more memorable than any other traditional location. " It is also a way of standing out in a very saturated market, he admits.
Above all, writing and dubbing in the designers' maternal dialect has proven to be as fun as it is empowering. " VSIs more authentic, and the team members had fun overplaying their accent ", says the Australian. For Thierry Boulanger, the writing of The Messenger even gained in quality in its “VQ”. He has indeed experienced "The feeling of freedom as a writer to finally go there without filter, to write word for word things as they are formulated in mind". Because writing in international French, he explains, is a bit like writing in a foreign language.
Chad Comeau has gone even further. Acadia, a region of former abandoned settlers in North America, is not even on the minds of many French people. It was this feeling of not knowing his place in the world, between pervasive English and an under-regarded dialect, which led him to conceive Arcade's life, a role play on the intermingling of languages and the issue of identity. "I was interested during my translation studies in the notion of linguistic insecurity, it happened naturally", he explains.
Emerging economic model
These projects required a lot of courage, especially to convince reluctant financial partners. In the mid-2010s, Alexandre Fiset, at the origin of Kona, had to go through a successful crowdfunding campaign to prove to the suspicious Canada Media Fund that there was indeed an audience for a regionally based game.
Besides, if Kona, an investigation game in the far North, has been developed, it is also that its universe lends itself to a modest budget. "You can't see far in a snowstorm and there is a lot of empty space in Nord-du-Québec. Very practical in a video game engine! ", welcomes Alexandre Fiset.
Chad Comeau was funded as an artist-in-residence, and turned to inexpensive models: 2D play, or using still images. Furthermore, rather than actors, he relied on authentic inhabitants of the town of Clare, in Nova Scotia, delighted to participate. He still remembers the joy at his launch party:
"There was a standing ovation, live music, food, people were excited about the project, it was fun! For people in the community, it was an opportunity to make a video game and art in their language, which is rare. "
A possible window on minority cultures
Beyond the language, these titles make it possible to finally highlight under-mediatized cultural heritages. Kona thus wants to be a "Happy mix" of a historical period – the 1970s – and of a culture, that of the Crees, an Algonquin people of North America.
For its part, Clarevoyance draws heavily on Acadian folklore and myths, and Arcade's life revolves around the great disturbance of 1775, this forced migratory movement at the heart of Acadian identity. "We hear this story all our lives, it's almost become cliché, but it's important to tackle it", explains Chad Comeau.
same The Messenger, behind his parody of Japanese games of the 1980s, is anchored in a memory with local roots. "The game carries a typical local humor, and the adventure includes several elements of what was considered cool for Quebec children in the 1990s", claims Thierry Boulanger.
“The“ funnier ”version of the game”
But the most astonishing thing is that these Canadian-style "VFs" have met with notable success across borders. Kona made 90% of its sales abroad. "Many Quebec players have expressed their pride in seeing a title from the region shine in this way", reports Alexandre Fiset.
The Quebec texts of The Messenger have been noticed far beyond Canada. "For many French-speaking players, it has become the" even funnier "version of the game. We have also received several accolades (thanks) French gamers who laugh at their inability to understand parts of dialogues, which are however technically written in French ”, has fun Thierry Boulanger.
They even aroused curiosity for the French-speaking regions of Canada. "I now have a community of people who follow me who sometimes come from the United States, from Europe too. Do academics exist? ", wonders Chad Comeau, incredulous. "I hope it helps the people in my house to think that they can be part of this world. Even in Acadian. "
