Although fans are still reeling with excitement from the early release of RWBY: Ice Queendom, and it’s easy to see why, some new news about the dub release has come out that may put a wrench in the plans of dub watchers. It seems the RWBY: Ice Queendom English dub has now been delayed until further notice.
According to this post from Geoff Yetter, Head of Licensing and Consumer Products at Rooster Teeth, the dub release of the show is being pushed back farther than originally intended.
Originally, the dub of the series was supposed to premiere on July 3, 2022, to coincide with the official release of the first episode on Rooster Teeth and Crunchyroll. Rooster Teeth had plans to simuldub the series, releasing each episode dubbed on the same day that the subbed version premiered. Now it looks like that will not be happening.
Why has the RWBY dub release been pushed back?
Many dub fans will know that it is not uncommon for dub releases of episodes to come out several weeks behind their sub counterparts. But it’s still disappointing since it was first reported that the RWBY: Ice Queendom dub episodes would release the same day as the sub.
In his post, Geoff Yetter says that this is no longer feasible as, “It turns out that simuldubbing is very, very, very difficult.”
Although the original English cast of RWBY is returning to reprise their original roles, many fans wondered if Crunchyroll would handle the dubbing in-house as they are already familiar with the simuldubbing process. From this post, it seems that Rooster Teeth may actually be handling the dubs themselves.
When will the RWBY: Ice Queendom dub be released?
If you’re wondering when the dub will release now, you’re not alone.
Geoff Yetter addresses this concern in his post saying, “Rest assured we’ll be launching the English dubs soon. We’ll share more news re: the English dubs once we have a confirmed launch date.”
While this isn’t the exact date that most fans are surely hoping for, it is better than the dub being canceled altogether. As of right now, it looks like RWBY fans will just have to enjoy the sub until more news about the dub is released. With Rooster Teeth RTX happening from July 1-3, 2022, there may be new announcements and updates made then.
What is simuldubbing?
While many anime fans have surely heard this term before, it can still be hard to understand exactly what that is referring to and why it takes so long.
Simuldubbing refers to the process that allows for English dubbed animes to be released on the same day as their Japanese counterparts. This is not to be confused with Simulcast, which refers to the process that allows fans to watch animes at the same day and time they release in Japan.
Simuldubbing can be a difficult process as it requires hours of behind-the-scenes work to create the final product. ADR writers, directors, voice actors, sound engineers, and more, sometimes have as little as a week to draft scripts and record dubbed episodes before they are released to fans.
Unlike most traditional animation, where the scripts are recorded and then animated later, dubs deal with already finished animation. This means the scripts and voice acting must be made to match the tone and delivery of scenes that have already been animated, instead of the other way around. This can make the process harder, as dialogue must be written and acted to match pre-determined “mouth flaps” that were animated for another language.
When and where can I watch the RWBY: Ice Queendom sub?
While waiting is never fun, fans can still watch and support the sub of RWBY: Ice Queendom until the dub is released.
As of right now, episodes one through three are both available to stream as part of an early release on both Rooster Teeth FIRST and Crunchyroll. According to his post, Geoff Yetter stated the series will have 12 episodes in total.
The official release of the first episode will be July 3, 2022. Episode two will follow one week later on July 10, 2022, with each episode premiering on Sundays a week after the previous. As of right now, episode four is slated to release on July 24, 2022.