Derek L.H.
@derekexmachina.com
Writer, Localization Editor, Game Dev, JRPG Enthusiast. He/Him. 29. 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
I've been meaning to go through some of my backlogged games and figured to give Demon's Souls (2020) a try, and...man, I still can't get into these games at all. I've given Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro a chance and they all just leave me feeling like I'm wasting my time.
Just watched the Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Direct. Man, this game looks fantastic! Really looks like it's Three Houses 2 in just about every way, plus it's adding dungeons and world map stuff from Echoes. And TURN-BASED JRPG COMBAT?! What?! I'm really excited to play this!!
Working on the next blog post that serves as a follow-up to this article. Aiming to release it next week!
Derek L.H.@derekexmachina.com · last wk.🗣️📣 NEW BLOG POST ALERT!! This week, I discuss the intrinsic connection between recognizing humanity in artists and developers while also enabling and empowering them to make smaller projects in a media landscape obsessed with big budgets. Read more: www.derekexmachina.com/blog/2026/7/...
if I ever taught film criticism lesson one would be “you being smarter than the movie is not interesting to anyone”
There is no version of yourself you could become that would satisfy the people who hate you. So you might as well be who you are.
🗣️📣 NEW BLOG POST ALERT!! This week, I discuss the intrinsic connection between recognizing humanity in artists and developers while also enabling and empowering them to make smaller projects in a media landscape obsessed with big budgets. Read more: www.derekexmachina.com/blog/2026/7/...
The Key to Salvaging the Games Industry: Recognizing Humanity and Making Smaller, Weirder Games — Derek Ex Machina
At their core, video games are an expression of humanity. They are an expression of fun. And for the health of the industry, I think we need to return to projects that unrelentingly cognizant of that.
derekexmachina.com
New blog post! You Should Play Otome Games - in which I talk a bit about localized otome games, unlocalized otome games, demographic stigmas and many things I've noticed being in this space as long as I have. blog.starlost.cc/2026/07/you-...
You Should Play Otome Games
Otome games are weird. Now, this isn't because they're strange in a conceptual sense, or even in execution. They're weird because t...
blog.starlost.cc
"Let PlayStation have a Wii U generation" goes so hard.
Been over five days since I've heard from her now, so unless she's going through a major life event or emergency, I'm most likely being ghosted at this point. I'm so tired of being treated like this by people, man.
Derek L.H.@derekexmachina.com · 2w agoUpdate: she canceled. ☹️
Played the open beta for Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls a bit over the weekend. While I love the game's aesthetic, I don't think this game's for me unfortunately. The auto combos just aren't fun to play around, and I think the 4v4 tag system is just not super fun for me.
Had a very humbling and special experience tonight. I've been playing through Trails into Reverie over the last two weeks - and this was the very first localization project I worked on! I got to play through scenes that I wrote. It was...really bizarre. Weird. Embarrassing. But special.
🗣️📣 NEW BLOG POST ALERT!! This week, I discuss the intrinsic connection between recognizing humanity in artists and developers while also enabling and empowering them to make smaller projects in a media landscape obsessed with big budgets. Read more: www.derekexmachina.com/blog/2026/7/...
The Key to Salvaging the Games Industry: Recognizing Humanity and Making Smaller, Weirder Games — Derek Ex Machina
At their core, video games are an expression of humanity. They are an expression of fun. And for the health of the industry, I think we need to return to projects that unrelentingly cognizant of that.
derekexmachina.com
Game developers, how do you know if you have a good localization company? Here are some green flags to keep in mind when selecting someone~! j-entranslations.com/green-flags-...
Green Flags When Picking Localization Company - J-En Translations
It can be hard to pick a localization company for your game, so here are some green flags to keep an eye out for when selecting a vendor.
j-entranslations.com
New blog post out tomorrow! Really happy with how this one's shaping up.
here's momo from xenosaga cheerfully announcing "I want to help everyone!" and then killing a man
mass layoffs at Pixar despite Toy Story 5 about to cross $1 billion at the box office. there is simply no amount of money that will make corporations happy enough to not upend people’s lives.
Pixar Bears Brunt of Disney Studio Layoffs as Company Axes Several Hundred Staffers
Pixar Animation Studios, despite riding high on the success of summer blockbuster "Toy Story 5," was hit particularly hard in a wave of corporatewide layoffs at Disney.
variety.com
idk why, but the idea of watching the End of Evangelion in a theater is so funny to me. Just being in a theater and collectively suffering and crashing out together seems like an awesome communal experience.
GKIDS Films@gkids.com · last mo.EVANGELION 30th Movie Fest comes to North American theatres for two nights only. • EVANGELION:DEATH (TRUE)² & REBIRTH - July 21 • THE END OF EVANGELION - July 22 Tickets on sale now. brnw.ch/21x3t0f
The marketing for this game has been so confounding. I really wonder if they're just gonna do a dedicated Direct for this game before the network test or if we're just gonna learn what this game is through people playing the test. www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/07... (via @nintendolife.com)
The Duskbloods Network Test Kicks Off On Switch 2 Next Month
Applications open next week
nintendolife.com
Square Enix must've gotten a ton of Switch 2 dev kits around the same time with all the surprise Switch 2 ports they've been announcing and releasing all of a sudden.
Wario64@wario64.bsky.social · 3w agoStar Ocean The Second Story R | Now Available On Nintendo Switch 2 (digitally) www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GZU...
