The localization of the games can overcome language and cultural obstacles in video games. Whether or not you were aware of it, you have likely benefited from the results of the long-standing software localization process. The 90s saw some of the most well-known instances of video game translation as Japan sought to increase its market share in the US. The famous fighting game series Street Fighter was translated so English-speaking gamers may enjoy and comprehend the game in their mother tongue. This would result in the well-known incident when the names of M. Bison and Balrog, among other game characters, were changed for clarity and potential legal difficulties. Game localization has only grown in popularity since then. More publishers and nations aim to make their games available to a large audience. The game translation is a fantastic method if you’re a game creator trying to expand your player base and reach new markets. That’s why more game localization services appeared to help start-ups and giant corporations to grow. This article explains localization, its importance, and how it may boost your game’s performance.
What is game localization?
The practice of customizing a video game for a particular market or locale is known as localization. This might entail changing the gameplay to accommodate regional tastes or translating the game’s text and dialogue.
There are four primary parts:
1-Translation: Converting the game’s textual text, dialogue, and other information into a different language.
2-Cultural adaptation: Ensuring the game’s content is suitable for the target audience while considering cultural conventions and sensitivities.
3-Local marketing: Promoting a game in a target market using methods and techniques catered to that market.
4-Technical know-how: Ensuring the game can be quickly and ideally continually localized without sacrificing quality.
What are the benefits of game localization?
1. Aids You to Survive a Tough Competition
You can be mistaken if you believe that every gaming firm uses translation tools for video games. Many organizations still need to grasp the true potential of localizing video games. Localize your games to make them stand out from the competition by contacting localization services. By doing this, you may gradually increase the marketability of your video game.
2. Offers Gamers a Special Experience
Have you ever questioned your motivation for starting your video game development career? To create brand-new planets? How about giving your athletes moments they will remember? Whatever your reason, localizing your business gives your valued customers throughout the world a singular experience of your magnificent invention.
3. Captures a larger target audience
Video games are widespread around the world. Why target a small market when you can target the world? Instead of concentrating on a sequel for your video game, why not increase its potential audience? And then begin a new sequel. The translation of video games may expand your fan base and boost income since it moves forward quickly.
4. Gives higher rankings in the app stores
Every country’s mobile app store has a vast selection of games. Do you believe each of them has received five stars? Not! The 5-star reviews, however, all share localization in common. According to Universally Speaking director Loreto Sanz Fueyo, only 27% of gamers play English-language video games. It would help if you didn’t undervalue the influence of mobile gaming as a video game creator. After all, around 60% of the whole gaming business is accounted for by mobile gaming. We’ll let you in on a little secret: by 2030, the mobile gaming industry is predicted to double.
5. Makes your players feel valuable
You have a fantastic potential to win over both returning and new gamers through localization. Going above and above will help your company gain a steady stream of fans who will promote your game in a way that makes it seem custom-made for them alone.
6. Maximizes your sales
The unique approach to keeping your audience entertained is through video games. You rarely meet someone who doesn’t enjoy playing video games.
Do you believe people would play your video game if it were not localized? A VOID “NO” Go ahead and join the legion of businesses who have already translated their video games and are reaping huge revenues! Sales will soar dramatically when your business realizes the value of video game translation and how crucial it is to stay alive in the gaming industry. Long term, this will lead to an increase in ROI.
Principal challenges faced by game creators while translating games
It’s more complicated to translate a game into different languages, as many game creators have found out. Before a game may be effectively translated and launched in several nations, various obstacles must be addressed. To translate your game, you must hire human translation services familiar with every aspect of the game. Finding qualified translators is the first challenge facing game producers. People who are native speakers of the source and target languages and are knowledgeable about the subject matter must complete the translation. A skilled translator can precisely translate a text’s original meaning while maintaining its style and tone. Dealing with cultural variations across other nations is another challenge. For instance, words that seem normal in one language may sound weird or insulting in another. Some modifications or revisions may be required to maintain goodwill among customers from different cultures. Time restrictions are a third issue. Changes made after the translation has started may result in delays, missing deadlines, and increased developer expenses. Next, unless they work with experts in this subject, creators frequently have no means of knowing just how much translating their games will cost.
Conclusion
Since the 1990s, the video game business has evolved in translation and market adaptation. Localization is the term for this shaping. As previously noted, localization will provide you the advantage over your competition by giving your players an exceptional experience, increasing your target demographic, maximizing your ranking in app stores, giving your players a sense of value, and increasing your sales. Although localizing a game is not simple work, with the aid of game localization businesses, the translation will be highly exact, and the localization process as a whole will be professional.
