Updated: March 23, 2020
Since this appears to be a long-standing Frequently Asked Question, let me explain a couple things and keep a running status going for the Global Release of SINoALICE.
This page is a work in progress that will be updated
when more information becomes available.
SINoALICE Global Status:
Releasing this Summer
This just in! We’ve just received word that NEXON has relinquished the rights to SINoALICE back to Pokelabo, the developer, to release the global version!
Here is the announcement from the new Official Global website:
SINoALICE Global Release Service Ownership Transfer
On March 23rd, 2020 (11:00), the global release of SINoALICE was handed over from NEXON to Pokelabo, Inc. From this date forward, Pokelabo will be handling all information concerning pre-registration and service for the release.
Users who have already pre-registered for SINoALICE will be contacted by Pokelabo from April 23rd. Furthermore, service is scheduled to begin on July 1st, 2020 (Wed.).
We apologize to all users who have waited patiently for the global release of SINoALICE. We are currently finishing up preparations to deliver quality service and user experience. We once again ask for your patience until the release.
You can view the official press release regarding this announcement here.
Any additional information that should become known later will be updated here.
THE FOLLOWING IS OLD INFORMATION BEING KEPT HERE FOR RECORDS.
The Global Release by NEXON was due to be released on July 18, 2019, but just two days before the release, NEXON stated that it would be delaying the release. Please note that this was the first and currently the only statement given by NEXON regarding status of the global release.
The reason NEXON gave for the delay was due to the localization quality being “nowhere near perfect.”
Nonetheless, until Square Enix or NEXON releases an official announcement regarding the global release, we cannot definitively say whether or not it has been cancelled. When people comment that “it’s been cancelled,” please remind them that there has been no official statement that explicitly says the project has been cancelled.
Even without an official announcement, it does appear as though the project has been put on hiatus. There has been no further word regarding the status since the July 16, 2019 post by NEXON on the SinoAlice Facebook page.
It’s unfortunate because they even had a huge “release party” in South Korea earlier in May 2019 with many members from the Japanese side of the production, including Square Enix Producer Yoshinari Fujimoto, Yoko Taro, and two members from Pokelabo, Shogo Maeda and Lead Creative Planner, Ryoki Matsuo.
What is the current status of NEXON?
Earlier in 2019, there was word that founder Jung-ju Kim was looking to sell his 98.6% stake in NXC, the parent company of NEXON, but by July it seemed like he scrapped those plans entirely. According to Reuters:
…the sales plan has been dogged by funding challenges, the intricacies of Nexon’s relationship with its biggest customer, China’s Tencent Holdings, and protectionist South Korean sentiments.
“I am not picking a preferred bidder in light of market conditions and others,” its billionaire founder said in an email sent to bidders via adviser Morgan Stanley, South Korean newspaper Joongang Ilbo reported.
The paper reported that Tencent or other tech giants had not joined the bidding, which contributed to the collapse of the deal.
Tencent’s participation was seen as key to any deal, since it owns the exclusive China license for Dungeon Fighter (DNF), Nexon’s most successful game.
Sources said this year that whoever won the bidding for NXC would have to ensure Tencent was cooperative.
Just prior to the above statements, Tech Crunch reported that NEXON had made a strategic investment in Embark, a Sweden-based development studio, for $96 million. This seems to be very little given their record first quarter of $860 million in total revenue, $493 million in profit; even so, this seems like an uncharacteristic move for the company to invest in a just emerging, international studio.
Is the Japan-South Korean Relationship to Blame?
It would be wrong to ignore the constant tensions between Japan and South Korea as a possible factor in the failure of the global release, but there has been no direct statement regarding this. Merely, it’s hard to avoid the sharp dip in tensions throughout the entire year of 2019, and it doesn’t seem to be getting better any time soon.
Although NEXON still lists SINoALICE on their main site, the link is no longer functional. It appears to still be listed in Google Play, as well, so the Global Release could still happen… just we don’t know when.
Unofficial, Outside Information
This was a comment by a reddit user who claimed to have been part of the localization team for SINoALICE, stating additional information regarding the reason for the delay.