Animal Crossing’s fake language is different in Japan, and here’s why
A new video from Polygon explores why the Villagers in Nintendo's Animal Crossing series speak differently in Japanese and English versions of the game, despite their dialogue technically being nonsensical gibberish. Although the "Animalese" language is not meant to convey real words, Nintendo still localises and dubs it separately for different regions, prompting the question of why this extra effort is made for a fake language.
The video traces the answer back to the history of voice synthesis in video games, explaining the technical and creative processes behind how Animalese is generated and adapted. It forms part of Polygon's ongoing video content covering Animal Crossing, alongside related coverage of games such as GTA 6, Fortnite and Pokémon.
In short
- Animalese sounds different in Japanese and English Animal Crossing versions
- The gibberish language is still localised and dubbed by Nintendo
- Explanation rooted in the history of video game voice synthesis
Explained simply
Animal Crossing is a Nintendo game series in which players live alongside animal characters called Villagers. The characters appear to speak, but their voices are made from short sounds linked to the text on screen rather than spoken words.
The sound is known as Animalese, and it changes between language versions of the game. Its history is tied to how game makers have created voice-like sounds with limited technology, as well as to choices about how characters should sound in different regions. That helps explain why Nintendo adapts even speech that has no literal meaning.