The Real Reason Cozy Grove Was Edited Outside The U.S.
"Cozy Grove," the lovable, critically-acclaimed life sim game where you play as a scout helping equally adorable bear ghosts, is in the continuing process of being localized for release in several other regions outside of the United States. However, the group handling the game's translation had to change one line that brings up a rather unfortunate truth of American healthcare.
On May 26, gaming localization group Native Prime tweeted out a line in "Cozy Grove" that it had to change completely. In English, the line reads, "What if you get sick and need to crowdfund your appendectomy?!"
The line is meant to be a cheeky reference as to why people should keep friends around. For the original American audience, this didn't hit home as anything too crazy. But for players in Spain, Native Fox felt the line wouldn't make any sense. Instead, Native Prime changed the line to refer to keeping friends around in case you need to move your furniture.
The line change might sound surprising, but it actually makes sense when you look at the differences in healthcare between the two countries. While there's no universal healthcare in the United States, Spain has a public healthcare system that keeps costs relatively low for its citizens.
Why the change in Cozy Grove actually makes sense
In the United States, an appendectomy would cost a non-insured person between $10,000 and $35,000, according to Cost Helper. It's easy to see how someone might need to crowdfund in order to pay this bill. However, in Spain, the cost for an appendectomy ranges between $2,500 and $5,600, according to Health Tourism. That's a pretty stark difference — and as a result, it's exceedingly less likely that someone would need to crowdfund a medical procedure in Spain.
Isa Gutierrez, the Localization Project Manager at Native Prime, had a few things to share about why this specific line was changed. According to the translator, "The point of localization is not just to translate what is said ... but to make players from all countries react the same way ... which in this case is to make them laugh." It was also mentioned that a line about crowdfunding healthcare would just confuse players from Spain, and wouldn't work as a joke.
Unlike the mega popular "Animal Crossing," "Cozy Grove" features a number of arguments against capitalism that turned some players off before the game had a chance to begin. Regardless, the game is a refreshing break from the chaotic world that focuses on being friendly and helping those around you — whether that's with hospital bills or moving furniture.