Re: No English language supported?

@EA_David Thank you for the clarification. 

In that case, I decided to place a preorder when I get the chance to be in UK, through Origin store.

I assume, that this way my copy should have english language support when the release date hits?

I want the Super Deluxe copy with the preorder bonus. There is only standard version for PC on Amazon. 

@holger1405 But thank you for the tip as well! 🙂

edit: I marked this as solved, though I would really like it, if that issue could be resolved for all the gamers, instead of workarounds.

Thanks for the update. Yes if you pre-order while in the UK it should give you a full-language unlocked version. 

Just to be thorough. when the money is due to be taken -about a week before launch- you may want to contact your card provider to make sure that your purchase doesn't get flagged as suspicious. If you mak6e a purchase locally the same morning I can definitely imagine this triggering some auto-flag. 

@Crusader_bin

You're welcome. 🙂

Hi David!

So the time has come for me to make an ME Andromeda pre-order and the only supported language listed there for me is Russian. So if I want the English version of the game I cannot buy it via Origin unless I'm in UK/US? Just trying to figure out my options here. Is there a way to maybe change some parameters in the URL? (it looks like this https://www.origin.com/rus/en-us/store/mass-effect/mass-effect-andromeda/standard-edition but doesn't let me change /rus/ to /usa/ or anything like that) Or is my only option here to buy a physical copy from amazon or something like that when ME hits the stores?

Thank you in advance.

I've spent time chatting in support whether VPN is allowed or not and they said it should work, not likely to get banned, but it is not supported and advised to order from abroad. They didn't say "no, it's illegal and bannable" no matter how much I asked 🙂 But at the same time, they obviously can not recommend doing that. Saying nothing is already saying something I guess.

And it seems there are no other options they could have given to me.

C'mon guys how hard is it to make NON FIXED language version??

What if I don't want a physical copy? And I don't because I want a Deluxe and physical Deluxe is not an option clearly.

What if I'm not travelling to UK anytime soon? Because I'm not. I don't even plan to.

People want to have an option to play in English no matter where they live! The shear level of you EA guys not getting it is astounding.

I live in Poland and I want to play my MEA in English. So now what?

@Xerestrasza

First, I doubt that EA is not getting that, they have probably other reasons for the language lock.

Update option from the standard version to the Deluxe edition is already confirmed. So you could buy a boxed version outside of Poland and upgrade after release.

You also can use the info in the post directly above yours.

An additional update.

In the regions that have only one language option (Russian and Polish) the spoken game language is English. (there is no Russian or Polish dubbing.)

The subtitles will be in Russian or Polish, depending on the specific region.

@EA_David

And how will we upgrade our international bought versions?

Go through "Origin"? Go through retailer, which don't always sell DLC, upgrades, addons, etc?

Obviously, locked-region "addon" is not guaranteed to work, no? (at least, that's what support has told me)

I think addons would have to be bought same way, through re-seller or using a VPN if you are willing to go that far.

I am from small country on Balkan (Bosnia), I already pre-ordered a game on Origin and when i go to Overview section it says:

• Supported languages

  Deutsch (DE), English (US), Español (ES), Français (FR), Italiano

I prefer English, couse I dont understand others... so I hope subs on English, if anyone have any info on this please let me know.

Many thanks.

If it says that it supports english (US) than you should have no problem. Just specify which one you want during installation.

Dear EA_David. Will all due respect - this is crazy. The only way to play in original language for Polish people is to jump through hoops and spend unnecessary amount of money? Why is there no option to listen and read in English. Is language preference a DLC now?

Mass Effects 1,2,3 were my favorite RPGs and I would be more than happy to give you my money for continuation of this great adventure... but I will not stand for this policy. I hope that this message here will change the policy regarding language options in Poland but if it is not enough I will have to "vote with my wallet" and wait for another means of playing, that will allow me to enjoy ME: Andromeda the way it was originally intended to be played (in English). It is too bad that in this case you will not be rewarded with financial compensation that clearly many of you deserve (not the guys that decide about language lock). Why cut a source of revenue?

@DoctorMalakh

Just to make that clear in case you missed it, the in game spoken language is English. Menus and subtitles are Polish.  

Glad I got the UK version of the game. The Trial is in polish and it is terrible! Urgh!

Texts only yeah, but that's more than enough.

With all due respect, but what does it change if the spoken language is in english and only(sic!) menus and subtitles are in polish? Should I thank the publisher? Should I be grateful that they didn't insult us further?

This is a story driven game, with dialogue options and - hopefully - a lot of codex entries like in the previous games. How am I supposed to choose the right answer in the conversation, if the translations are sometimes horrible, to say the least, and completely miss the point? And what about the skill descriptions and codex entries? Am  I supposed to look for them on the internet to see what they mean exactly? Because it is far too often when the translations are wrong. Hell, whole characters had a completely different vibe to them in the translations (Wrex, the drunkard brutal barbarian). 

I am at a loss of words for this. I really wanted to enjoy the game, but polish subtitles and menus are ruining it for me. And now I need to carefully choose a retailer outside my country, buy a more expensive copy, probably with a much higher delivery price (I love boxes, I want one on my shelf, should I also adapt for this and buy a key?), just to get the product I thought I didn't have to worry about getting.

I detest living in the times, where the choice is made for me when I buy things I want to buy.  

Have any of you developers actually tried playing any game in two languages simultaneously? I bet you didn't, or you wouldn't dare force such a crippled way of experiencing the game on paying customers. Crippled, because no matter how fluent you are in both of the languages, it is immersion breaking and headache-inducing to listen to dialogs in English and then having to reply in Polish.

To add insult to injury, you offer VPN, traveling abroad, or overpaying for box version/shipping and handling from another country as the only alternative... This is beyond insulting. Mind boggling. Is it so hard to offer the English version of menus as a separate download, like it was done with Dragon Age Inquisiton or Witcher 3's voiced parts? Sell the game as usual with Polish locked if it helps you sleep better for whatever security reasons, but give us an option to play in full English! It will cost you literally nothing to do that.

On another note, I am a professional English-Polish translator, and from what I have seen of the early previews and from Andromeda Initiative videos - Polish translation of this game is clumsy, ham-fisted and will completely ruin the gameplay for many players.

Dear EA,

Your language lock to Russian is absurd. I don't need you to decide for me which language I should use in the game. Is it so hard to give two options - English and some other? I mean, really? You want to push me for a refund just for this stupid reason? I want full game in plain English. Not the voiceovers. Not the subtitles. All of it. 

Best regards,

NEVER buy through Origin.

I did that for the Jaws of Hakon DLC for Inquisition. I got the international version of the game itself via a key reseller, then went and tried to get the DLC from Origin on launch. If you do that through Origin from a locale and then play it it forces your language into the locale supported languages bracket. I was going to get all the Inquisition DLC since I really liked the game, but after _that_ ... well, I just saw no reason to even bother.

EA has been horrible about this issue since DA2, and nothing has been done to change it. I've contemplated piracy, but that's too much effort, so ... yea, use key resellers. At least those give options.

@SoulGriever

That's an interesting piece of trivia. Thank you.

Should the DLC change the language of the core game forcibly with no return option, which is bought through legal sources, that would make the initial game invalid, as it would make it a different advertised game when compared at the time of purchase.

But we will get to that, when and if BW releases some DLC or addons.

About DAI I never had problems with change language in game as you only had to do it when new DLC come out, and to be honest never had to disable origin or do anything else after change files.

And returning to Andromeda they can't punish everyone just because there are people who use VPN or other methods.

If they fear to release english text for free as it will not stop people to buy games using VPN then why they won't think about solution alike NVIDIA ?

They should make a method for people to prove that you stay in country where bought your game for unlock special patch that could be used only with your origin ID/SMS code or other method to stop people from share it with others.

As you yourself state, truly, this is not ideal. I, for example, live in a country that I do not know the native language of. Were I to buy the game here (since I have no way of traveling) it would basically make the game unplayable for me.
Locking a single language and making your players go around a legally approved system that is made to serve them, is surely something only someone would suggest, who is not interested in the support of their players.

Since developers go a long way in making games as well as they can, is it not the sole purpose of the distributor, to make them as accessible?
I believe that this matter should be considered as something of utmost impotence - as I am sure a publisher would want to avoid a situation of localized discrimination towards the use of languages within a given region.

I hope, for the sake of many players out there, that someone will actually start looking into this, as I can see this becoming a much bigger problem in years to come. 

It just shows how they treat markets they deem less important.

Lack of respect for what they probably consider 3rd world countries anyway. If anything, such an insult probably should have resulted in a boycot of their products. And if their sales are hurt somewhat, they probably don't even connect that with their actions. Just chalk it up as the poor regions anyway.

Well. I've been trying to stay positive about it, but I don't have a good day and it certainly seems no one cares, besides the community itself.

The worst part of this whole issue is exactly that: no one cares.

I did my best trying to "stir the flame" so to speak. I posted on social media, wrote to some of the more prominent gaming news sites. I really tried to make people see this issue for what it is - a serious problem for not so small part of the fanbase. But when I'm told to shut up and be grateful for AAA game with atrocious translation forced upon me, when I'm told I have to pay for someone else's transgressions, when I'm just plain ignored... what else can I do? Yes, I cancelled my pre-order, that was the only way to protest for me, but again: no one is going to care. Certainly not EA.

And all I wanted was to be able to play the game the way it was intended to be played, and enjoy it fully. Guess it was too much to ask for.

I'm done.

@EA_David Hello and thank you for the information. 

To be perfectly honest I can not refrain myself from sounding absolutely pissed off and I do apologize for that. I get that people who live in Russia and Poland are language locked. But what about Kazakhstan. The only language option is Russian. And do you automatically assume that everyone here speaks Russian? This is disgusting! What are people like me supposed to do who were unfortunate enough to come here for work. I do not speak Russian to the point where I can play a game. And even if I did why would I want to play second grade product. How can one even play the game in 2 languages it is as absurd as it sounds. And the cherry on top of this cake is that amazon doesn't ship here. So my question to you EA, how do I get a boxed edition to this place? The only local retailer doesn't even know what language the game will be in or when it will be available in the store. We live in globalized world and this language policy is unacceptable. And what is the problem with offering people like me an option to purchase an international version of the game even at higher prices than local? Or do I have to wait till October to get back to UK and get the damn game.

I'm very upset and offended about this situation.