❤️️BAFTA: Game Beyond Entertainment Nomination ❤️️
We’re thrilled to share that Neo Cab received a BAFTA Games nomination in the Game Beyond Entertainment category! We are honoured and beyond excited. The Award Show will takes place today, April 2, and to celebrate Steam is hosting an event to celebrate all nominees. Grab Neo Cab at 25% off during the sale! To celebrate the news, we've put Neo Cab at 25% off!
We are simply thrilled to be nominated and we’re keeping everything crossed for tomorrow’s award ceremony. We’re in the company of giants and it’s an honor to be included among some of our favorite games. Check out all of the other great nominees here: http://www.bafta.org/games/awards/bafta-games-awards-nominations-and-winners-2020#multiplayer
Thanks! Chance Agency Team
Translating the Cyberpunk Future
I'm a video game translator, and I love my job. It's odd work, sometimes stressful, sometimes bewildering, but it always provides interesting and inspiring challenges. Every project brings new words, slang, and cultural trends to discover, but translating also forces me to reflect on language itself. Each job also comes with its own unique set of problems to solve. Some have an exact solution that can be found in grammar or dictionaries, but others require a more... creative approach.
Sometimes, the language we’re translating from uses forms and expressions that simply have no equivalent in the language we’re translating to. To bridge such gaps, a translator must sometimes invent (or circumvent), but most importantly they must understand. Language is ever in flux. It’s an eternal cultural battleground that evolves with the lightning speed of society itself. A single word can hurt a minority, give shape to a new concept, or even win an election. It is humanity’s most powerful weapon, especially in the Internet Age, and I always feel the full weight of responsibility to use it in an informed manner.
One of my go-to ways for explaining the deep complexity of translation is the relationship between gender (masculine and feminine) and grammar. For example, in English this is a simple sentence:
"You are fantastic!"
Pretty basic, right? Easy to translate, no? NOT AT ALL!
Once you render it into a gendered language like Italian, all its facets, its potential meanings, break down like shards.
Sei fantastico! (Singular and masculine)
Sei fantastica! (Singular and feminine)
Siete fantastici! (Plural and masculine)
Siete fantastiche! (Plural and feminine)
If we were translating a movie, selecting the correct translation wouldn't be a big deal. Just like in real life, one look at the speakers would clear out the ambiguity in the English text. Video game translation, however, is a different beast where visual cues or even context is a luxury, especially if a game is still in development. Not only that, but the very nature of many games makes it simply impossible to define clearly who is being addressed in a specific line, even when development has ended. Take an open world title, for example, where characters have whole sets of lines that may be addressed indifferently to single males or females or groups (mixed or not) within a context we don't know and can't control.
In the course of my career as a translator, time and time again this has led into one of the most heated linguistic debates of the past few years: the usage of the they/them pronoun. When I was in grade school, I was taught that they/them acted as the third person plural pronoun, the equivalent of the Italian pronoun "essi." Recently, though, it has established itself as the third person singular neutral, both in written and spoken English. Basically, when we don't know whether we're talking about a he/him or a she/her, we use they/them. In this way, despite the criticism of purists, the English language has brilliantly solved all cases of uncertainty and ambiguity. For instance:
“Somebody forgot their backpack at the party.”
Thanks to the use of the pronoun "their," this sentence does not attribute a specific gender to the person who has forgotten the backpack at the party. It covers all the bases. Smooth, right? Within the LGBT circles, those who don’t recognize themselves in gender binarism have also adopted the use of they/them. Practically speaking, the neutral they/them pronoun is a powerful tool, serving both linguistic accuracy and language inclusiveness. There's just one minor issue: We have no "neutral pronouns" in Italian.
It's quite the opposite, if anything! In our language, gender informs practically everything, from adjectives to verbs. On top of that, masculine is the default gender in case of ambiguity or uncertainty. For instance:
Two male kids > Due bambini
Two female kids > Due bambine
One male kid and one female kid > Due bambini
In the field of translation, this is a major problem that often requires us to find elaborate turns of phrase or different word choices to avoid gender connotations when English maintains ambiguity. As a professional, it’s not only a matter of accuracy but also an aesthetic issue. In a video game, when a character refers to someone using the wrong gender connotation, the illusion of realism is broken. My colleagues and I have been navigating these pitfalls for years as best we can. Have you ever wondered why one of the most common Italian insults in video games is "pezzo di merda"? That's right. "Stronzo" and "bastardo" give a gender connotation, while "pezzo di merda" does not.
A few months ago, together with the Gloc team, I had the pleasure of working on the translation of Neo Cab, a video game set in a not too distant future with a cyberpunk and dystopian backdrop (and, sadly, a very plausible one). The main character is Lina, a cabbie of the "gig economy," who drives for a hypothetical future Uber in a big city during a time of deep social unrest. The story is told mainly through her conversation with the many clients she picks up in her taxi. When the game’s developers gave us the reference materials for our localization, they specified that one of the client characters was "non-binary" and that Lina respectfully uses the neutral "they/them" pronoun when she converses with them.
"Use neutral pronouns or whatever their equivalent is in your language," we were told.
I remember my Skype chat with the rest of the team. What a naive request on the client's part! Neutral pronouns? It would be lovely, but we don't have those in Italian! So what do we do now? The go-to solution in these cases is to use masculine pronouns, but such a workaround would sacrifice part of Lina’s character and the nuance of one of the interactions the game relies on to tell the story. Sad, no? It was the only reasonable choice grammatically-speaking, but also a lazy and ill-inspired one. So what were we to do? Perhaps there was another option...
Faced with losing such an important aspect of Lina’s personality, we decided to forge ahead with a new approach. We had the opportunity to do something different, and we felt like we had to do the character justice. In a game that's completely based on dialogue, such details are crucial. What's more, the game's cyberpunk setting gave us the perfect excuse to experiment and innovate. Language evolves, so why not try to imagine a future where Italian has expanded to include a neutral pronoun in everyday conversations? It might sound a bit weird, sure, but cyberpunk literature has always employed such gimmicks. And rather than take away from a character, we could actually enrich the narrative universe with an act of "world building" instead.
After contacting the developers, who enthusiastically approved of our proposal, we started working on creating a neutral pronoun for our language. But how to go about that was a question in itself. We began by studying essays on the subject, like Alma Sabatini's Raccomandazioni per un uso non sessista della lingua italiana (Recommendations for a non-sexist usage of the Italian language). We also analyzed the solutions currently adopted by some activists, like the use of asterisks, "x," and "u."
Siamo tutt* bellissim*.
Siamo tuttx bellissimx.
Siamo tuttu bellissimu.
I’d seen examples of this on signs before, but it had always seemed to me that asterisks and such were not meant to be a solution, but rather a way to highlight the issue and start a discourse on something that's deeply ingrained in our language. For our cyberpunk future, we wanted a solution that was more readable and pronounceable, so we thought we might use schwa (ə), the mid central vowel sound. What does it sound like? Quite familiar to an English speaker, it's the most common vowel sound. Standard Italian doesn’t have it, but having been separated into smaller countries for most of its history, Italy has an extraordinary variety of regional languages (“dialetti”) and many of them use this sound. We find it in the final "a" of "mammeta" in Neapolitan, for instance (and also in the dialects of Piedmont and Ciociaria, and in several other Romance languages). To pronounce it, with an approximation often seen in other romance languages, an Italian only needs to pretend not to pronounce a word's last vowel.
Schwa was also a perfect choice as a signifier in every possible way. Its central location in phonetics makes it as neutral as possible, and the rolled-over "e" sign "ə" is reminiscent of both a lowercase "a" (the most common feminine ending vowel in Italian) and of an unfinished "o" (the masculine equivalent). The result is:
Siamo tuttə bellissimə.
Not a perfect solution, perhaps, but eminently plausible in a futuristic cyberpunk setting. The player/reader need only look at the context and interactions to figure it out. The fact that we have no "ə" on our keyboards is easily solved with a smartphone system upgrade, and though the pronunciation may be difficult, gender-neutrals wouldn't come up often in spoken language. Indeed, neutral alternatives are most needed in writing, especially in public communication, announcements, and statements. To be extra sure our idea worked as intended and didn't overlook any critical issues, we submitted it to a few LGBT friends, and with their blessing, then sent our translation to the developers.
Fast forward to now, and the game is out. It has some schwas in it, and nobody complained about our proposal for a more inclusive future language. It took us a week to go through half a day's worth of work, but we're happy with the result. Localization is not just translation, it's a creative endeavour, and sometimes it can afford to be somewhat subversive. To sum up the whole affair, I'll let the words of Alma Sabatini wrap things up:
"Language does not simply reflect the society that speaks it, it conditions and limits its thoughts, its imagination, and its social and cultural advancement."
— Alma Sabatini
Amen.
Neo Cab is out now: tune into our 24hr launch livestream
Neo Cab is now accepting passengers
Lina's bags are packed and the key is in the ignition. Ready to start your new life in Los Ojos? Neo Cab is out now!
Lina's friend and would-be roomie Savy has gone missing. With no money, nowhere to stay, and no more lifelines... driving is the only option Lina has left. Survive as the last human driver of Los Ojos in this cyberpunk taxicab confessions game.
Tune into our launch livestream
To celebrate the news, we'll be livestreaming! Tune into our relaxing driving and vibing radio OST by the talented Obfusc or gameplay of Lina's first few nights.
Connect with pax and discover the truth
Most people in Los Ojos use Capra's efficient autocars. Neo Cab is for people that are... different. Your passengers are looking for a human connection. Whether you like them or not, everyone has their own story to tell. Listen to your pax, cultivate a connection, and maybe you can piece together what has happened to Savy.
Stay authentic and survive with your Feelgrid
The city is filled with personalities; someone will invetiably push Lina to the edge. As an emotional survival game tune into your emotions and balance what feels right with what you need to survive. There’s no such thing as a bad emotion, but it’s not always easy, or possible, to be kind to yourself while also pleasing others.
Your decisions affect Lina's feelings and choices. When Lina's emotions become more intense, some dialogue options will be taken away, while others will be unlocked.
Meet your Neo Cab pax
You'll meet many characters as they slid into the backseat of your car. If someone wanted a quiet ride, they'd call one of the automated Capra cars. To compete with the efficiency of the sleek autocar experience, human drivers need to offer something unique: themselves. People call Neo Cab for a connection: hear their stories, learn their secrets, and maybe even make a new friend.
Fiona's off to the executioner and could use your advice... ☠
Carlos Wong
Carlos has a work emergency and wants to help... 🩺
Gideon DeKalb
Gideon just got kicked out of a fundraiser and needs to vent... 💢
Neo Cab releases Oct. 3rd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTfHx_nkRAs
Neo Cab will begin picking up passengers on Steam and Nintendo Switch beginning October 3rd. If you're excited, remember to wishlist the game on Steam.
Explore Los Ojos and play our demo
Start accepting rides today by playing our Stean demo! You can continue your Neo Cab journey on October 3rd: your save data will be retained. 🎉
You can also relax with our radio OST livestream on Steam today as we cruise around Los Ojos.
Uncover the secrets of Los Ojos & connect with your pax
Find ways to connect with passengers as you ferry them across Los Ojos, the automation city. Your pax have their own stories to tell and secrets to share. As your relationships grow, perhaps they can help you find Savy?
Stay human and balance your emotional needs
Each passenger in Neo Cab packs a personality that will affect Lina's mood. Balance your emotional wellbing, monetary needs, the necessity for a five-star rating, and the needs of your pax with what feels right.
Neo Cab Radio Livestream
Neo Cab releases on Steam October 3rd
Neo Cab will begin picking up passengers on Steam beginning October 3rd. If you're excited, remember to wishlist the game on Steam! Start accepting rides today by playing our demo! You can continue your Neo Cab journey on October 3rd: your save data will be retained.
Explore Los Ojos and play our demo
Celebrate the news by vibing and riding with our radio OST livestream as we cruise around Los Ojos.
Anatomy of a Neo Cab Character
Character is key. It's why viewers binge tales of antiheroes and epic family battles. It's what makes audiences care enough to spend hours in worlds that don't exist. So how can we translate the power of character-driven storytelling into the interactive space? Well, here’s one approach we took on Neo Cab. The short answer is a lot of foundational concept work.
Anyway, hello again! It’s Paula Rogers, Writing Lead and Story Editor for the game. Earlier this year, I gave a talk for LudoNarraCon about how we created one of our pax from initial story concept to final character design. So click the video below to see me walk you through how we used our main themes and plot to create compelling pax characters, the process for turning a character’s thesis statement into an actual storyline, and all the way through the visual development that we did with Vincent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruBxHSQ-NiI
You’ll get to play through Fiona’s whole story when Neo Cab is released later this year. Until then, stay tuned to @neocabgame for more exciting news and updates. You can find me on Twitter @paulabot and thanks for stopping by!
Neo Cab catches a ride to E3
This year Neo Cab carpooled to E3 with the IndieCade Showcase. We’ve always considered IndieCade to be the coolest part of E3! We are honored that Neo Cab was selected for the Showcase.
It’s exciting to meet new + old fans and show them what we’ve been working on. We can get lost in ourselves while working and it’s good to remember that we’re not making this game for us: we’re doing it for other people (like you!) to appreciate.
If there’s a game you’re excited about, it’s so worth it to find the devs at a show and fan out to them! It means so much to us and it’s always a great, unexpected bonus from shows like E3. That one person is worth more fuel to us as developers than a thousand.
We've been in the news recently and wanted to share a few of our favorite articles with you:
“I only got to play Neo Cab for around 20 minutes, but it left me craving more. Neo Cab is a ride worth taking.” -Nintendo Enthusiast
“Neo Cab was the most perfect demo I played at E3 this year, a game designed not just with the sort of clean and simple choice-based interface that could be grasped by many, but also calling attention to the mini emotional mind games that occupy and wreak havoc on our day.” -LA Times
“The game’s core question: In an app-driven world that’s making our daily life feel like a game, do “likes” and five-star ratings have anything to do with happiness, or are we all slowly making each other miserable?” -Seattle Times
“Keeping a sense of humanity matters in this world. Interaction is rare, but the key gameplay component.” -Forbes
“Branching dialog choices isn’t a new concept in video games, but the way Neo Cab implements it feels unlike anything I’ve played. That might come down to the fact that Lina clearly experiences anxiety. In those moments, Neo Cab stopped feeling like a video game. Instead, it felt like a glimpse into the lives of real people.” -Tech Raptor
“Video games invite moments of self-realization and have the unique ability to promote empathy—at the press of a button, you can comfort a sad passenger in the back of your cab, provide moral support to your fellow soldiers, or sing a sad song to remember a loved one.” -EGM
No pressure, right? We're excited to get back to work, so until next time! 👋🏽
Dev Log: The Music of Los Ojos
Hey there! This is Joe, also known as Obfusc. I’m making the music and sound for Neo Cab. There’s a chance you’re familiar with my work from the Monument Valley soundtrack or from one of my albums or EPs over the years. There’s also a very, very good chance you’ve no idea who I am. Rest assured, in either case, I’m positively tickled that you’re here.
Back in May, along with some of the other Neo Cab dev team folk, I participated in the inaugural LudoNarraCon. For just about twenty minutes, I presented a high-level dive into The Music of Los Ojos – how I came to work on Neo Cab, the visual and sonic influences that got the aural ball rolling, a bit of the sonic palette of the game’s music, and an instrument-by-instrument breakdown of one of the game’s pieces, “Neon Moon.”
I’m jazzed to share the full presentation of The Music of Los Ojos from LudoNarraCon below: https://youtu.be/x8lyc4-Ah6c Thanks a million for reading, watching, and listening! Like everyone on the team, I can’t wait for Neo Cab to release later this year on PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch. In the meantime, find me on Twitter @josephxburke and be sure to follow @neocabgame for updates, too.
Thank you for Attending LudoNarraCon!
THANK YOU for coming the to first #LudoNarraCon! 💖😍
This was a great experience for our team, and we were thrilled to share it with you. We hope you enjoyed it -- we did! And if you didn't get to see any of the panels from the main stage, you can now view them all on YouTube!
