Ted Woolsey
Encyclopedia
Ted Woolsey is an American
video game translator and producer. He had the primary role in the North America
n production and localization
of Square
's role-playing games during the SNES
era between 1991 and 1996.
at the University of Washington
where he completed a master's degree
in Japanese literature
. He joined the game developer at their office in Redmond
, WA in 1991.
His first project with Square was the translation of Game Boy
title Final Fantasy Legend III
(known in Japan as SaGa III). To prepare for this job, Square asked him to study its translation effort for Final Fantasy II
(Final Fantasy IV in Japan) to ensure the kind of mistakes it had made on that project would not be repeated. Other titles he worked on included Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
, Secret of Mana
, Breath of Fire
, Final Fantasy VI
, and Chrono Trigger
.
The company moved to Los Angeles
in 1996. Woolsey's last project with Square was the translation of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
. Woolsey officially left the company before its English localization of Final Fantasy VII
.
. Big Rain moved to Seattle in 1997. It changed its name to "Craveyard" when it was bought out by another company, Crave Entertainment
that same year. Woolsey signed on as Vice President of Internal Development. Craveyard also began work on the Nintendo 64DD
RPG Project Cairo. Upon its release in 1998, Shadow Madness sold very poorly, and by 1999, Crave Entertainment closed Craveyard. Project Cairo was never finished.
in 1999 as the Director of Business Development "Internet distribution of game content..." via the network's gaming website, RealArcade. Between 2000 and 2004, he worked on the distribution of the service to game publishers and internet service provider
s, and even helped launch RealArcade in Japan.
service.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
video game translator and producer. He had the primary role in the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n production and localization
Internationalization and localization
In computing, internationalization and localization are means of adapting computer software to different languages, regional differences and technical requirements of a target market...
of Square
Square (company)
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
's role-playing games during the SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
era between 1991 and 1996.
Square
Before joining Square, Ted Woolsey was a graduate studentGraduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
where he completed a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Japanese literature
Japanese literature
Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also had an influence through the diffusion of Buddhism in Japan...
. He joined the game developer at their office in Redmond
Redmond, Washington
Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
, WA in 1991.
His first project with Square was the translation of Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
title Final Fantasy Legend III
Final Fantasy Legend III
Final Fantasy Legend III, originally released in Japan as , is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Co. for the Game Boy handheld system as the third game of their SaGa series. Initially released for Japanese audiences in December 1991, the game was made available in North...
(known in Japan as SaGa III). To prepare for this job, Square asked him to study its translation effort for Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy IV
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan and has since then been rereleased for many other platforms with varying modifications. An enhanced remake with 3D graphics...
(Final Fantasy IV in Japan) to ensure the kind of mistakes it had made on that project would not be repeated. Other titles he worked on included Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, released as Mystic Quest Legend in PAL regions and as in Japan, is a role-playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released as a spin-off to Square's popular Final Fantasy series of video games...
, Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana is an action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed and published by Square in 1993. The game was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in 2008, and was ported to Japanese mobile phones in 2009...
, Breath of Fire
Breath of Fire (video game)
Breath of Fire, originally released in Japan as , is a role-playing video game developed by Capcom originally for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Initially released in Japan in April 1993, the game was later made available in North America in August 1994 by Square Soft, who handled the...
, Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square , released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a...
, and Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
.
The company moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in 1996. Woolsey's last project with Square was the translation of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, often shortened and officially known in Japan as , is an action role-playing game developed by Square and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . It was originally released on March 9, 1996 in Japan and on May 13,...
. Woolsey officially left the company before its English localization of Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
.
Big Rain and Craveyard
Ted Woolsey resurfaced as one of the founders of video game company Big Rain in 1996, as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. The company's major project was the development of the role-playing game Shadow MadnessShadow Madness
Shadow Madness is a turn-based RPG and the first video game released by Crave Entertainment. The game achieved mixed reviews. Shadow Madness was packaged with a separate demo disc for Jade Cocoon.-Gameplay:...
. Big Rain moved to Seattle in 1997. It changed its name to "Craveyard" when it was bought out by another company, Crave Entertainment
Crave Entertainment
Crave Entertainment is an American video game company. It was founded in 1997 by Nima Taghavi. Its headquarters is in Newport Beach, California...
that same year. Woolsey signed on as Vice President of Internal Development. Craveyard also began work on the Nintendo 64DD
Nintendo 64DD
The is a peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console. It plugged into the N64 through the EXTension Port on the Nintendo 64's underside, and allowed the N64 to use proprietary 64 MB magneto-optical discs for expanded data storage...
RPG Project Cairo. Upon its release in 1998, Shadow Madness sold very poorly, and by 1999, Crave Entertainment closed Craveyard. Project Cairo was never finished.
RealNetworks
Woolsey joined RealNetworksRealNetworks
RealNetworks, Inc. is a provider of Internet media delivery software and services based in Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. The company is the creator of RealAudio, a compressed audio format; RealVideo, a compressed video format; RealPlayer, a media player; RealDownloader, a download...
in 1999 as the Director of Business Development "Internet distribution of game content..." via the network's gaming website, RealArcade. Between 2000 and 2004, he worked on the distribution of the service to game publishers and internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s, and even helped launch RealArcade in Japan.
Microsoft
Woolsey currently works for Microsoft as Director of First Party Publishing for the Xbox Live ArcadeXbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
service.