Square Enix Localization Director Neil Broadley Dies Of Colon Cancer
Neil Broadley, a localization director at Square Enix who worked on Final Fantasy XI and the SaGa series, has died of colon cancer.
1 source 1d ago
Reporting from 1 source: Game Spark.
Why it matters
Broadley was one of the Square Enix localization staff who talked openly in public about translation choices, and his own account of the job is now the record he leaves behind.
Key Facts
- Neil Broadley worked as a localization director at Square Enix on Final Fantasy XI and the SaGa series.
- Broadley died of colon cancer, and a final message was posted to his own X account.
- The final message said he had battled stage 4 colon cancer for years and that working on SaGa during treatment gave him a sense of purpose.
- Broadley wrote that he would not see the release of his next project but that players would enjoy it.
- The official SaGa X account sent condolences, and a message from his partner Shige was posted from the same account.
A final message posted to his X account with a colleague's help said he had spent years battling stage 4 colon cancer, and that working on SaGa during treatment gave him a sense of purpose. He asked readers to be kind to themselves and to keep enjoying SaGa.
Broadley wrote that he would not see the release of his next project, and that he expected players to enjoy it. He had discussed translation decisions on X before his death, including the choice to keep the Japanese-made English term "level up" in English scripts wherever possible. He also appeared on the official SaGa YouTube channel, and an interview covered how he came to games through Pac-Man, which his grandmother played well.
A message from his partner Shige was posted from the same account, and the official SaGa X account sent condolences.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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