How to localize your game into local languages?
Computer and console gaming has a large market share but in developing nations, mobile gaming has a strong hold. Hence, game developers with plans to make it big focus on strengthening their presence in the mobile gaming sector by offering engaging mobile games that are backed with quality-assured video game localization.
What is game localization?
Game localization or simply game translation is the technical process of altering the linguistic, verbal and graphical elements of a mobile game so that the application can offer players of a target market segment a personalized gaming experience.
Benefits of game localization
With help from revered agencies that offer game localization services, mobile game developers can enjoy the following benefits –
Increase in-game purchases and sales of physical copies of the game
Mobile game developers can earn money through the games they have developed in multiple ways. They can make their games premium — it means that players would need to buy the game. Game developers can also increase the number of in-game advertisements. This is a frowned upon method as in-game ads bring down the overall experience of the game. Another way game development companies can earn from their games is use localization services and make the game more engaging.
An engaging game would keep players entertained and the player, in turn, would keep on making in-app purchases thus helping game development companies stay afloat.
Enhance download rates and online ranking
With the help of localization services, mobile game development companies can ensure that their mobile games rank in the leading search engines as well as the leading mobile app stores.
Game localization also allows a newly launched game to be downloaded countless times in a short span thus organically enhancing the rank of the game in the indexing algorithms of leading mobile app stores.
Increase the target market penetration capacity of the game
With the help of mobile game localization services, mobile game developers can increase the target market penetration capacity of their newly launched game quickly.
It is natural for a mobile game to have rivals. To beat the rivalling apps, a newly launched mobile game has to be localized so that the application is downloaded on a national or global scale and that too in a short time.
Game localization is the only way to achieve the aforementioned goal.
What are the steps involved in game localization?
The steps involved in localizing a game can vary from one game developer to the other and also on the genre of the game. But, the standard steps tend to remain the same.
The following sections will shine a light on the standard steps of localizing a mobile game.
Here goes –
Translation of all textual content within the game’s UI
All textual content of the game will be contextually translated into the target language.
Editing of the translated content
The translated content will be edited based on the stylistic and textual aspects of the same.
Proofreading the edited and translated content
The translated content will be proofread for typographical mistakes.
Integration of the localized content into the game
The base code of the game will be altered in a bid to make room for the translated content. The UI and UX factor of the game will also be altered to make room for the translated and localized content.
Regional adaptation of the game
The game will be adapted according to the regional preferences of the target market segment. For instance, if the game is meant for Australia, all in-game depictions of alcohol and drug usage have to be omitted.
Conclusion
Game localization is a time-consuming and delicate process. It needs professional finesse to ascertain that projected objectives are completed so that instances of revenue losses, missed deadlines and late app deployments are kept at bay. For the best results, game development companies should partner up with veteran game localization agencies like BeyondWordz — an industry veteran with more than 30 years of sector-based experience.
