Over the years, the Polish player has developed a specific type of armor. We have become accustomed to the fact that large productions from the Far East treat our country like an exotic island on the map of Europe – a place where games are supposedly bought, but not enough to make it worth hiring a translator. Today, however, looking at the list of upcoming premieres, one may get the impression that we are participating in some strange generational dance in which the roles have suddenly and unexpectedly reversed.
Not so long ago, the situation was bright and, unfortunately, quite grim. Two giants from Japan – Square Enix and Capcom – seemed to ignore the existence of the Vistula market. When the world was playing the phenomenal Resident Evil Village or the new version of Leon S. Kennedy’s adventures in Resident Evil 4 Remake, some Poles had to face the language barrier. The lack of official Polonization in such huge hits was a slap in the face for many of us, especially since we are talking about brands that have almost cult status in our country.
The same thing happened in the second camp. Forspoken and the long-awaited Final Fantasy VII Remake debuted without a Polish text track. For fans of the series, which is based on a complicated plot and hundreds of dialogues, this was an incomprehensible decision. Of course, we could always count on the irreplaceable modding community. The fan translations, which only work on PC, were the only solution to fully understand the intricacies of the scenario. Console owners simply had to excuse themselves with the dictionary.
Suddenly, however, something stirred in Capcom’s corporate structures. The giant from Osaka, perhaps analyzing sales figures or listening to the voices of a weary community, decided to correct the mistakes of the past. Evidence of this metamorphosis were updates to the previously mentioned RE4 Remake and Village, which were later enriched with Polish subtitles. It was a signal that Poland was no longer a third-class market for them, and our money had the same value as that from Germany or France.
The real breakthrough came with the latest announcements. The rapidly approaching Resident Evil Requiem and the mysterious, futuristic Pragmata are to offer a Polish language version from day one. This is a new reality in which we no longer have to wait for the publisher’s favor for months after the premiere. Capcom understood the lesson, showing that taking care of the local audience is not only a matter of image, but simple respect for the customer who wants to absorb horror in his native language.
It was supposed to be better, but it will be… worse?
However, as is often the case in the gaming world, nature abhors a vacuum. Where one publisher has finally given the green light, others are starting to turn off the lanterns. We are currently seeing a disturbing trend of “role reversal.” While Capcom is getting ahead of the curve, other long-awaited hits are starting to pass us by. The situation around the upcoming industry giants is becoming more and more tense, and the characteristic abbreviation “PL” is still missing from the list of supported languages.
The biggest blow to fans of archaeological adventures is the uncertainty regarding Tomb Raider: Lost of Atlantis. This is a game that has been a symbol of virtual entertainment for many generations, and Lara Croft in Poland has always spoken (or at least written) in our language. The fact that the Polish localization has not been approved so far, while the German, French and Italian versions have already been approved a long time ago, fills me with sadness and a kind of disbelief.
Similar concerns surround other titles that thousands of players are waiting for. Exodus, the crazy and beautiful Control Resonant, the ambitious No Law reminiscent of the native Cyberpunk or the cosmic The Expanse: Osiris Reborn – these are productions that have the ambition to define 2026/2027. Unfortunately, they are currently listed in catalogs as games “without Polish subtitles”. The hope for changing this decision is decreasing with each passing month, especially when we see that the priority is the markets of Western Europe, which has always had almost automatic translations.
It is puzzling why, in the era of such enormous technological development, Polonization is still perceived as an unnecessary expense. After all, we are not talking about full dubbing with the most expensive actors, but about subtitles that allow you to comfortably follow the plot. It is this injustice that hurts the most – the feeling that for some publishers we are still “worse” players who can be forced to play in a foreign language.
Expensive or spitting in the face of “Poles”?
There is a lot of talk about location costs, but are they really so overwhelming in 2026? We live in times when artificial intelligence can translate gigantic blocks of text in a few seconds, and the role of a translator is increasingly reduced to supervision and literary correction, rather than tedious translation of each word from scratch. With AI support, the cost of preparing Polish subtitles should be a fraction of the marketing budget that is anyway spent on promoting the game in our region.
It is also worth looking at it from a purely business point of view. Location is an investment that almost always pays off. A game with Polish subtitles attracts people who do not feel confident in English, and – contrary to appearances – there are still a lot of such players in our country. Each added language is an expansion of the target group and a real chance that the title will sell several, or perhaps several thousand, additional copies. On a global scale it may not be much, but for a local branch it is the difference between success and failure.
The history of Capcom is the best example here. This publisher understood that saving on subtitles is a short-sighted strategy. Seeing how enthusiastically Polish fans reacted to the return of the Polish language to the Resident Evil series, it’s hard not to get the impression that the Japanese company won more than just money with this move – it won loyalty. A loyalty that can’t be bought with any CGI trailer shown during The Game Awards, even the most expensive one.
It’s not worth insulting us
It is also puzzling how inappropriate the omission of Poland from publishing plans is to reality. After all, it is here that we create productions that delight the whole world. Poland is no longer just a consumer, but above all a powerful exporter of digital culture. It was our creators who gave the world The Witcher 3, which for many remains the best RPG in history, or Cyberpunk 2077, which after years of improvements became a technical masterpiece.
Games such as Dying Light, Lords of the Fallen or Bloober Team hits such as Silent Hill 2 Remake and Cronos The New Dawn are evidence that Polish technological and artistic thought dominates on global markets. If our games can impose global standards, why do we – as recipients – still have to ask for a basic form of localization in foreign titles? This is a paradox that should not happen in 2026.
Mentioning the successes of CD Projekt RED or Techland is not groundless here. This shows that Poland has a huge and very aware community of gamers and creators who perfectly understand the importance of the written word in games. We are a nation that values a good story and wants to experience it without having to constantly look at the translator on the phone – and with games such as Final Fantasy VII Remake or Exodus, where we will probably find a lot of notes and a rich questionnaire, this is simply inevitable if we want to understand the dialogues and the plot 100%.
We can only hope that the upcoming publishing “antics”, such as the lack of Polonization in the new Tomb Raider or Exodus, are only temporary turbulences, and not a permanent trend. Perhaps publishers will reconsider even before the premiere, seeing the pressure from the Polish media and gamers. The example of Capcom showed that it is never too late to change your mind and that one update can completely change the perception of the company in the eyes of thousands of people.
Let’s hope that the announced hits will receive Polish subtitles, if not at the premiere, then at least shortly after it. Poles simply deserve it. Not as a nation with claims, but as partners in the global gaming world who have contributed an incredible amount to it. We want to feel part of this great world premiere, not its poor relative who has to wait for a fan patch.