About six months ago, I figured out with about 95% confidence what this game probably was that a client had intended for me to work on after taking their auditioning test several years ago before they pulled plug on the whole localization project before it ever got off the ground, most likely because of covid. When you work in localization, you have to learn to not get too married to prospective projects since such cancellations aren't uncommon or else you'll lose your mind getting bummed out over every little thing that never was. But it was a game that I had actually ended up playing well after the fact purely by interest and I had enjoyed what I played of it and especially its character dialogue quite a bit. Easily one of the best written games I've played this decade, especially within its genre. So when I finally put two and two together and realized that's what it almost certainly was, I won't lie, I broke my own rule and found myself mourning it. And I still do, especially knowing that at this rate, it's probably never going to get the English translation it deserves, because I feel like it would've very much so been up my alley and let me write a lot of character dialogue from a very personal place that I don't often get to in this line of work. I had also been reassured that I would be credited for my work if the project went through, which was important to me because of the game's development pedigree especially.
I'd rather not say what game it is for various reasons, partly professional, partly out of the slightest glimmer of hope I'll always maintain that one day that game will find its way back to my desk. But I've found myself listening to a lot of its music while working this week and I probably shouldn't have, but it sure has put me in a pensive mood again about a career that would've probably gone in a very different direction for at least a couple years.
There's only one other project whose loss I probably mourn more than this one, although this is the game that I probably would've formed a stronger bond with overall. I really feel like I could've turned in a special script for it had those stars ever aligned and in my heart of hearts, I still hope they do, because I probably would still drop just about everything to work on it in a heartbeat.
Localization is an industry with a lot of heartbreaks like that sometimes, it turns out. 