Derek L.H.
@derekexmachina.com
Writer, Localization Editor, Game Dev, JRPG Enthusiast. He/Him. 28.
Love yapping about games, movies, localization, and anything else that catches my interest. Open to writing/editing/localization opportunities, DMs open!
https://derek-lh.com
Love yapping about games, movies, localization, and anything else that catches my interest. Open to writing/editing/localization opportunities, DMs open!
https://derek-lh.com
Pinned
Derek L.H.
@derekexmachina.com
· Jul 28
a close up of a video game character with a cat ears and a sword .
ALT: a close up of a video game character with a cat ears and a sword .
media.tenor.com
📌 PINNED POST
Hi everyone! I'm Derek L.H., a localization editor, writer, part-time streamer, and full-time nerd that loves video games, anime, and movies!
📝 Portfolio / CV: derek-lh.com
✍️ Blog: derekexmachina.com
🎮 Twitch: twitch.tv/derek_ex_machina
🖥️ Socials + Discord: linktr.ee/derekexmachina
Hi everyone! I'm Derek L.H., a localization editor, writer, part-time streamer, and full-time nerd that loves video games, anime, and movies!
📝 Portfolio / CV: derek-lh.com
✍️ Blog: derekexmachina.com
🎮 Twitch: twitch.tv/derek_ex_machina
🖥️ Socials + Discord: linktr.ee/derekexmachina
Reposted by Derek L.H.
Very good advice for when you really wanna do a thing, but are afraid. <3
February 17, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Very good advice for when you really wanna do a thing, but are afraid. <3
Reposted by Derek L.H.
Had a fun exercise at a recent translator meetup, "what are your do's and don'ts of translation?" I decided to focus on game translation and share them here.
j-entranslations.com/my-five-dos-...
j-entranslations.com/my-five-dos-...
My Five Do’s and Don’ts of Game Translation - J-En Translations
I came up with my five do’s and don’ts for game translation in a recent discussion with other translators, editors and project managers.
j-entranslations.com
February 15, 2026 at 9:37 AM
Had a fun exercise at a recent translator meetup, "what are your do's and don'ts of translation?" I decided to focus on game translation and share them here.
j-entranslations.com/my-five-dos-...
j-entranslations.com/my-five-dos-...
Reposted by Derek L.H.
saw this movie in theaters yesterday and i genuinely had tears in my eyes from laughing too hard while watching. its the movie of 2026 already for me and will be hard to beat. if its in theaters near you you absolutely need to see it
February 16, 2026 at 5:27 PM
saw this movie in theaters yesterday and i genuinely had tears in my eyes from laughing too hard while watching. its the movie of 2026 already for me and will be hard to beat. if its in theaters near you you absolutely need to see it
Saw many movies this weekend, but I wanted to give a shoutout to two in particular.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is easily one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.
Scarlet is Studio Chizu's latest movie and it's just awesome.
Both of these movies rocked and are worth seeing in theaters.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is easily one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.
Scarlet is Studio Chizu's latest movie and it's just awesome.
Both of these movies rocked and are worth seeing in theaters.
February 16, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Saw many movies this weekend, but I wanted to give a shoutout to two in particular.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is easily one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.
Scarlet is Studio Chizu's latest movie and it's just awesome.
Both of these movies rocked and are worth seeing in theaters.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is easily one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.
Scarlet is Studio Chizu's latest movie and it's just awesome.
Both of these movies rocked and are worth seeing in theaters.
Reposted by Derek L.H.
🗣️📣 NEW BLOG POST ALERT!
After playing the masterpiece that is Xenogears, I felt compelled to talk about how compromise can intrinsically enhance the creative process and create something that's infectiously charming.
Read more:
www.derekexmachina.com/blog/2026/2/...
After playing the masterpiece that is Xenogears, I felt compelled to talk about how compromise can intrinsically enhance the creative process and create something that's infectiously charming.
Read more:
www.derekexmachina.com/blog/2026/2/...
Xenogears: How Ambition and Heart Outshine Compromise — Derek Ex Machina
Xenogears proves to us all that compromise is not a scary word. It’s something that we should embrace and allow us to get creative with how we tell our stories and present our ideas to the world. So ...
www.derekexmachina.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:07 PM
🗣️📣 NEW BLOG POST ALERT!
After playing the masterpiece that is Xenogears, I felt compelled to talk about how compromise can intrinsically enhance the creative process and create something that's infectiously charming.
Read more:
www.derekexmachina.com/blog/2026/2/...
After playing the masterpiece that is Xenogears, I felt compelled to talk about how compromise can intrinsically enhance the creative process and create something that's infectiously charming.
Read more:
www.derekexmachina.com/blog/2026/2/...
🗣️📣 NEW BLOG POST ALERT!
After playing the masterpiece that is Xenogears, I felt compelled to talk about how compromise can intrinsically enhance the creative process and create something that's infectiously charming.
Read more:
www.derekexmachina.com/blog/2026/2/...
After playing the masterpiece that is Xenogears, I felt compelled to talk about how compromise can intrinsically enhance the creative process and create something that's infectiously charming.
Read more:
www.derekexmachina.com/blog/2026/2/...
Xenogears: How Ambition and Heart Outshine Compromise — Derek Ex Machina
Xenogears proves to us all that compromise is not a scary word. It’s something that we should embrace and allow us to get creative with how we tell our stories and present our ideas to the world. So ...
www.derekexmachina.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:07 PM
🗣️📣 NEW BLOG POST ALERT!
After playing the masterpiece that is Xenogears, I felt compelled to talk about how compromise can intrinsically enhance the creative process and create something that's infectiously charming.
Read more:
www.derekexmachina.com/blog/2026/2/...
After playing the masterpiece that is Xenogears, I felt compelled to talk about how compromise can intrinsically enhance the creative process and create something that's infectiously charming.
Read more:
www.derekexmachina.com/blog/2026/2/...
What did y'all think of that State of Play? I think it it's in contention for the best one of these shows that PlayStation has ever done!
There was an incredible amount of variety, so odds are you have at least one game from that's worth looking forward to!
There was an incredible amount of variety, so odds are you have at least one game from that's worth looking forward to!
February 12, 2026 at 11:56 PM
What did y'all think of that State of Play? I think it it's in contention for the best one of these shows that PlayStation has ever done!
There was an incredible amount of variety, so odds are you have at least one game from that's worth looking forward to!
There was an incredible amount of variety, so odds are you have at least one game from that's worth looking forward to!
Reposted by Derek L.H.
Hello fellow linguists! I'm putting out this post to see if there are any JP to EN freelance translators who are interested on working on a relatively small Japanese game. Please leave a comment in this post or send me a message, and I can assist in getting you connected.
February 11, 2026 at 10:45 PM
Hello fellow linguists! I'm putting out this post to see if there are any JP to EN freelance translators who are interested on working on a relatively small Japanese game. Please leave a comment in this post or send me a message, and I can assist in getting you connected.
Reposted by Derek L.H.
Reposted by Derek L.H.
If your review average is a 7 because everybody gave you a 7, that's one thing. If your average is a 7 because it's half 10s and half 4s, that is how you know it's The Good Stuff
ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN | Reviews
9 - PSU
9 - CGM
9 - Console Creatures
8 - VGC
8 - Slant
8 - Gameliner
8 - TechRadar
8 - Noisy Pixel
8 - GameReactor
7 - IGN
7 - TheSixthAxis
6.5 - GamingTrend
6 - PSX Brasil
6 - WellPlayed
6 - Push Square
5.5 - ZTGD
5 - Gamespot
4 - MonsterVine
MC: 74
OC: 71
9 - PSU
9 - CGM
9 - Console Creatures
8 - VGC
8 - Slant
8 - Gameliner
8 - TechRadar
8 - Noisy Pixel
8 - GameReactor
7 - IGN
7 - TheSixthAxis
6.5 - GamingTrend
6 - PSX Brasil
6 - WellPlayed
6 - Push Square
5.5 - ZTGD
5 - Gamespot
4 - MonsterVine
MC: 74
OC: 71
February 10, 2026 at 9:27 PM
If your review average is a 7 because everybody gave you a 7, that's one thing. If your average is a 7 because it's half 10s and half 4s, that is how you know it's The Good Stuff
Literally created an itch.io account for this.
Great cause (that will benefit my local community) that will also land you tons of games!
Great cause (that will benefit my local community) that will also land you tons of games!
itch.io/b/3484/no-ic...
The NO ICE IN MINNESOTA bundle is up. There's a lifetime's worth of good games in this! If you submitted something or just want to shout something out, reply here and let's reshare it and spread the word on this thing.
The NO ICE IN MINNESOTA bundle is up. There's a lifetime's worth of good games in this! If you submitted something or just want to shout something out, reply here and let's reshare it and spread the word on this thing.
February 10, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Literally created an itch.io account for this.
Great cause (that will benefit my local community) that will also land you tons of games!
Great cause (that will benefit my local community) that will also land you tons of games!
Reposted by Derek L.H.
itch.io/b/3484/no-ic...
The NO ICE IN MINNESOTA bundle is up. There's a lifetime's worth of good games in this! If you submitted something or just want to shout something out, reply here and let's reshare it and spread the word on this thing.
The NO ICE IN MINNESOTA bundle is up. There's a lifetime's worth of good games in this! If you submitted something or just want to shout something out, reply here and let's reshare it and spread the word on this thing.
February 10, 2026 at 1:34 AM
itch.io/b/3484/no-ic...
The NO ICE IN MINNESOTA bundle is up. There's a lifetime's worth of good games in this! If you submitted something or just want to shout something out, reply here and let's reshare it and spread the word on this thing.
The NO ICE IN MINNESOTA bundle is up. There's a lifetime's worth of good games in this! If you submitted something or just want to shout something out, reply here and let's reshare it and spread the word on this thing.
Huge.
February 10, 2026 at 12:55 AM
Huge.
Reposted by Derek L.H.
I'm hardly the first person to note this, but it's enormously instructive that our President and his followers saw the message "THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE" and understood it, correctly, as an attack on them
February 9, 2026 at 2:11 AM
I'm hardly the first person to note this, but it's enormously instructive that our President and his followers saw the message "THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE" and understood it, correctly, as an attack on them
It's taking a bit longer than anticipated, but my next blog post will be out sometime this week, most likely Friday.
In it, I'll be discussing why Xenogears has become one of my favorite games of all time. Really liking how it's shaping up so far!
In it, I'll be discussing why Xenogears has become one of my favorite games of all time. Really liking how it's shaping up so far!
February 9, 2026 at 4:43 AM
It's taking a bit longer than anticipated, but my next blog post will be out sometime this week, most likely Friday.
In it, I'll be discussing why Xenogears has become one of my favorite games of all time. Really liking how it's shaping up so far!
In it, I'll be discussing why Xenogears has become one of my favorite games of all time. Really liking how it's shaping up so far!
Finished reading The Game Writing Guide by @annamegill.com. Fantastic advice + insights here that I think is genuinely helpful for finding work in game dev!
If you're not in the writing niche within games, I still think there's value in this book wrt interviews, portfolios, career development, etc.
If you're not in the writing niche within games, I still think there's value in this book wrt interviews, portfolios, career development, etc.
February 7, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Finished reading The Game Writing Guide by @annamegill.com. Fantastic advice + insights here that I think is genuinely helpful for finding work in game dev!
If you're not in the writing niche within games, I still think there's value in this book wrt interviews, portfolios, career development, etc.
If you're not in the writing niche within games, I still think there's value in this book wrt interviews, portfolios, career development, etc.
Reposted by Derek L.H.
Interview: "I Did My Best To Make It Work" - Legendary Localiser On Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, & The "Total Nightmare" Of Xenogears.
Interview: "I Did My Best To Make It Work" - Legendary Localiser On Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, & The "Total Nightmare" Of Xenogears
"I was telling [the Xenogears team], 'Please tone down some of this stuff.'"
www.timeextension.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Interview: "I Did My Best To Make It Work" - Legendary Localiser On Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, & The "Total Nightmare" Of Xenogears.
Easily one of the most bizarre, disheartening unforced errors. Why is RGG doing this???
RGG Studio not only cast Kagawa despite his actions, they are specifically taking advantage of his image as a creep to sell the role.
Guess that’s that. #REMOVEKAGAWA
Guess that’s that. #REMOVEKAGAWA
![A shot of Teruyuki Kagawa as Goh Hamazaki in Yakuza Kiwami 3 with his face mosaic blurred out, accompanied by an excerpt from a GAME Watch interview with Ryosuke Horii on 2026-02-05:
Horii: “Rikiya and Hamazaki are both key characters to the story, so it would certainly be safer not to recast them and avoid online criticism (laughs). But we felt there was no use being afraid. We based our decision on what excited us and made us think, ‘This is who we want to perform,’ or ‘What if we cast this person?’ […] Hamazaki is a sleazy, persistent, and militant yakuza, right? Since he isn’t an explosive character like Kanda, when we tried to think of someone who makes you go, ‘This guy’s a creep,’ naturally it was Kagawa-san. The biggest thing was just had to see that. Kagawa-san’s acting is fun to watch. Even when he’s chopping a pig’s feet off with a chef’s knife, it has a slimy feel.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreianho4oe2hx4rmjbrd65x22prtp53ol6fm5ljlqdnjmxkjx2bnpme@jpeg)
February 5, 2026 at 5:28 PM
Easily one of the most bizarre, disheartening unforced errors. Why is RGG doing this???
Reposted by Derek L.H.
February 4, 2026 at 10:09 PM
Reposted by Derek L.H.
Casual reminder that Tales of Arise does not credit the English localizers who worked on either the main game or the dlc! #TranslatorsintheCredits Nor does it credit its English voice actors. But they can rectify this at any time with a patch, if they care to!
Tales of ARISE – Beyond the Dawn Edition – Announcement Trailer – Nintendo Switch 2 (out May 22) www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh5X...
February 5, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Casual reminder that Tales of Arise does not credit the English localizers who worked on either the main game or the dlc! #TranslatorsintheCredits Nor does it credit its English voice actors. But they can rectify this at any time with a patch, if they care to!
What did y'all think of this morning's Nintendo Direct?
I thought it was solid, but it had no big pop-off moments. My personal highlights were Orbitals, Kyoto Xanadu, Granblue Fantasy Relink getting an expansion, and FF7 Rebirth's Switch 2 port coming out super soon!
I thought it was solid, but it had no big pop-off moments. My personal highlights were Orbitals, Kyoto Xanadu, Granblue Fantasy Relink getting an expansion, and FF7 Rebirth's Switch 2 port coming out super soon!
February 5, 2026 at 4:24 PM
What did y'all think of this morning's Nintendo Direct?
I thought it was solid, but it had no big pop-off moments. My personal highlights were Orbitals, Kyoto Xanadu, Granblue Fantasy Relink getting an expansion, and FF7 Rebirth's Switch 2 port coming out super soon!
I thought it was solid, but it had no big pop-off moments. My personal highlights were Orbitals, Kyoto Xanadu, Granblue Fantasy Relink getting an expansion, and FF7 Rebirth's Switch 2 port coming out super soon!
Not clear if this is the mobile game with the gacha removed a la Octopath Traveler 0, but this looks pretty neat!
...aside from the art style. Looks like a mid 2010s Square Enix mobile port.
...aside from the art style. Looks like a mid 2010s Square Enix mobile port.
Another Eden Begins Announcement Trailer (coming Summer 2026 for Switch/Switch 2/Steam) www.youtube.com/watch?v=G41p...
from Veteran RPG creator Masato Kato (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears)
from Veteran RPG creator Masato Kato (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears)
February 5, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Not clear if this is the mobile game with the gacha removed a la Octopath Traveler 0, but this looks pretty neat!
...aside from the art style. Looks like a mid 2010s Square Enix mobile port.
...aside from the art style. Looks like a mid 2010s Square Enix mobile port.
Reposted by Derek L.H.
❄️ Update: The GAME NARRATIVE KALEIDOSCOPE ❄️ will be published soon - we just sent a proof to the authors.
400 pages - 100k+ words - 118 authors - including the writers from several well-beloved games and major franchises.
If you want to be notified when it releases, you can add your name below!
400 pages - 100k+ words - 118 authors - including the writers from several well-beloved games and major franchises.
If you want to be notified when it releases, you can add your name below!
Sign up for news about the Game Writing Kaleidoscope
In early 2026 we’ll be publishing The Game Narrative Kaleidoscope, a collection of over 100 short essays by game writers about writing.
Featuring some very famous names, some highly experienced free...
forms.gle
February 4, 2026 at 3:10 PM
❄️ Update: The GAME NARRATIVE KALEIDOSCOPE ❄️ will be published soon - we just sent a proof to the authors.
400 pages - 100k+ words - 118 authors - including the writers from several well-beloved games and major franchises.
If you want to be notified when it releases, you can add your name below!
400 pages - 100k+ words - 118 authors - including the writers from several well-beloved games and major franchises.
If you want to be notified when it releases, you can add your name below!