Game On: How Strategic Localization Can Help Video Game Producers Drive Global Growth

Global success in the competitive video game market isn’t just about creating an outstanding game—it’s also about ensuring players can fully engage regardless of their language and culture. With more than 3B gamers worldwide in 2022, the importance of adapting your game to local preferences can’t be overstated—what captures the hearts of players in one region might not strike the same chord in another.

This is where localization makes a difference for producers aiming to expand their global reach. However, not too long after delving in, many realize that their existing strategy, workflows, and technology struggle to meet the ever-growing requirements for multilingual support: character and location names, in-game dialogues, visuals, voice-overs, payment methods, manuals, help content, and more.

To ensure high-quality and timely delivery, whether you’re collaborating with in-house or external teams, it’s crucial to maintain control over every single element that needs thorough translation and localization. Keep reading to find out how you can chart your course from creation to deployment efficiently with cutting-edge localization technology.

Why game localization matters for global growth

When done right, localization transforms the gaming experience globally, promoting inclusivity, accessibility, and engagement. By connecting with players through their language and culture, you cultivate a bond that transcends the screen, resulting in:

• Accelerated market expansion
• A more inclusive player base
• Enhanced player engagement
• Greater trust and credibility
• Improved global sales

Let’s take a closer look at each of these benefits for a better understanding of how game localization propels the gaming industry into new dimensions.

Accelerated market expansion

Localization serves as a crucial accelerator for bringing games to market swiftly by efficiently tailoring them to diverse cultures. Leveraging sophisticated localization strategies for fast translation and content customization (such as continuous localization) producers can launch simultaneous releases globally and ensure prompt accessibility of their game to audiences in various target markets.

A more inclusive player base

Going beyond language barriers, localization fosters inclusivity by adapting game content to reflect diverse cultural norms and sensitivities. It’s a nuanced approach that transcends linguistic differences, creating a virtual space where players from various backgrounds find common ground and feel genuinely welcomed.

Enhanced player engagement

Players are more likely to connect with a game that feels tailor-made for their language and cultural context. Game localization creates a seamless and immersive experience, fostering a stronger connection between players and the game.

Establishing trust and credibility

Localization is a demonstration of understanding and respect for players. By seamlessly incorporating cultural elements, you build trust and credibility. This authenticity resonates with players, establishing a solid foundation for long-term relationships.

Improved global sales

Adapting games to local preferences through localization customizes the gaming experience to the specific tastes and cultural nuances of diverse markets. This targeted tailoring ensures that the game resonates better with players, increasing its appeal and, consequently, driving higher sales.

Implementing game localization for global success

Game producers can reap many rewards from localization, but unlocking its true potential hinges on their ability to seamlessly integrate it within the game development process—a crucial element of every successful global expansion strategy in gaming.

Start early, think globally

You can avoid viewing localization as an afterthought by incorporating it into your game development strategy from the outset. This results in a seamless user experience that feels like the game was designed with a local touch, enhancing player satisfaction.

Strategic localization planning

Answering key localization strategy questions helps you overcome uncertainty about where and how to localize. This includes target markets, adaptation level, budget allocation, and collaboration with language service providers, resulting in a well-defined localization plan that guides the entire development process and aligns with business goals.

Your project’s scope determines the locales where your game should be localized and the degree of localization required:

• Simple localization happens when the development teams only translate the text and keep the original graphical user interface (GUI) and icons unchanged.
• Complex localization occurs when producers change all the GUI, symbols, and text. 
• Blending localization is a comprehensive adaptation approach where even the storyline is rewritten, along with altering game graphics to align with local tastes.

Continuous localization for agile development

Implementing continuous localization practices in agile development helps maintain synchronization between translation and development, reducing delays and streamlining the localization process. This approach minimizes manual efforts and ultimately facilitates faster product releases.

Comprehensive localization testing

Conducting thorough localization testing, encompassing functional, linguistic, and regional aspects, ensures the quality of newly localized versions of your game. This rigorous testing methodology results in high-quality localization, guaranteeing a consistent and error-free gaming experience across diverse markets.

Leveraging localization technology

To streamline the entire localization process, integrating cloud-based localization technology into your digital ecosystem is crucial. By automating and refining every stage of the localization workflow, from content extraction to translation and implementation, localization technology can unlock unprecedented levels of efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and scalability for your business.

Take game localization to the next level with Phrase

Effective game localization is the natural consequence of aligning stakeholders, reducing human error, and increasing efficiency. While you likely already strive for all of it through automation, maintaining multiple localization workflows across disconnected tools can hinder scalability as your business continues to expand into new markets.

Forward-thinking businesses worldwide trust Phrase, a fully integrated suite of translation automation technology solutions, to seamlessly connect, automate, and manage all localization activity across their organization. From planning to execution, you deserve the peace of mind that you’re driving growth through fast, high-quality product delivery.

With Phrase Strings, for example, you can easily update copy over the entire lifecycle of your game, and regularly implement new versions or act on your players’ feedback. String-based and built for continuous localization, Phrase Strings is focused on turnaround time and agility to accelerate time to market. It also comes with automated quality assurance checks to help you improve translation quality and consistency.

The Phrase Localization Suite seamlessly connects with your digital ecosystem, catering to your current needs while scaling effortlessly as your requirements evolve. Add fully flexible pricing, and it’s easy to see why Phrase is the preferred choice for video game companies looking to expand the global footprint of their businesses more quickly and efficiently. It only takes a step forward to discover the opportunities that lie ahead for your business.