Andrew Dice, perhaps better known as one half of the localization studio Carpe Fulgur, has passed away, and his partner has declared that the studio is ceasing operations as a result of his untimely death.
News of Dice's death was shared on social media by fellow Carpe Fulgur founder Robin Light-Williams, who simply announced that their "friend and business partner Andrew Dice...has passed away", and that "pursuant" to Dice's death, "Carpe Fulgur will be ceasing operations".
Light-Williams didn't share any cause of death for Dice, and there hasn't been an official announcement regarding his death from anyone else close to him either (at least, not a public-facing announcement).
If you haven't heard Dice or Carpe Fulgur's name, you'd probably know them from some of their work. Their first foray into localization was 2010's Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale, which marries dungeon exploration with shop management in a similar way to 2018's Moonlighter.
Following Recettear, developer EasyGameStation released Chantelise - A Tale of Two Sisters in 2011, and Carpe Fulgur provided localization services for that game as well, in addition to Japanese developer Lizsoft's game Fortune Summoners: Secret of the Elemental Stone.
You may also know Carpe Fulgur from its assistance with the translation of 2015's worldwide release of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC, although personal struggles prevented Dice and Carpe Fulgur from seeing the project through to its conclusion.
According to Trails through Daybreak project manager Leona Renee, he and Carpe Fulgur were also engaged in translating that game, so it sounds like Carpe Fulgur might have been ramping things back up prior to Dice's passing.
As far as we know, Dice, Light-Williams, and Carpe Fulgur were not involved in the upcoming Recettear remaster (at least, not in a capacity beyond their involvement in the original), and it's unclear whether the game will use their original translation or sport a new one.
It's fair to say Dice and his studio were extremely influential in the localization of hitherto-underexposed Japanese games, so his passing will likely be felt in the industry for some time to come. My thoughts go out to his friends and family at this difficult time.
