Update: I received an informative e-mail with a counterpoint from French gaming site Jouez.com's editor Francoise Taddei. See what he has to say below our original post.
A new rule went into effect on Wednesday prohibiting gaming stores in Quebec from selling only English-language versions of videogames if a French version is available, reports The Star.
While the rule was put into place to "promote and protect" the French language in the bilingual province, retailers worry that it will cause them to lose business.
"If it really was going to make a difference, I'd be for it, but only a small number of people want to play in French," gaming store co-owner Ronnie Rondeau told The Star.
It can take months for games to be localized into different languages and prohibiting stores from carrying an English version of a blockbuster release, simply because it will eventually be available in French, is a steep penalty.
With the vast majority of the Canadian population centered around the U.S. border, it wouldn't take much to convince Québécois gamers to drive down here for their game buying needs.
Saying The Star's article is "far from the truth," Jouez.com editor Francois Taddei offers some background on the issue:
Well, that certainly helps explain why every new game I purchase for a Nintendo system has half its manual written en français.
Additionally, Taddei says, The Star's claim that retailers are being unduly penalized is false:
For more (assuming you can read French) Taddei says he has written "extensive articles" on the subject for Jouez.com and Jouezenfrancais.ca.
Image: abdallahh/Flickr
New Quebec law turns Lara Croft into francophone [The Star, via Gamasutra]
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