Strategizing Mobile Game Localization

The gaming industry has surpassed every other form of entertainment industry be it cinema or music in terms of market size and the revenue generated. Therefore, this industry certainly has opened up bright opportunities for every gaming studio and game app maker to expand their reach and get the biggest possible slice of this pie. When it comes to mobile games the growth is exponential. With the rising popularity and the demand, it has now become a necessity for various game apps to get localized and meet players’ demand and provide them with a better gaming experience. But before you hop on to localization there are certain things you should consider other finding a perfect app localization company to partner with.

Things Like –

Targeting Countries with the most smartphone Users: - undoubtedly, China leads this list with more than 850 million smartphones followed of course, by India with around 350 million. Then comes the USA with around 260 million smartphone users followed by Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, & Japan respectively. Countries with a greater number of smartphone users present a better opportunity that’s simple. China does not only have the highest number of smartphone users it also has the largest smartphone penetration of around 60%. That means more than half of the population can have access to your game. That number is not so great in India though hanging somewhere around 25%, although this 25% is quite a large number.

The Choice of OS: - If you are launching your mobile game on both the platforms – apple’s iOS and android, great then no issues. But you want to start with one and see how it goes, then you should probably consider thinking about the OS. If you want to localize for the Asia-pacific region, you have to account for the most widespread OS in the region. While Apple iOS is quite popular in the USA, Middle East, and the UK region the vast population center of the Asia-pacific region is dominated by android. Also, you have to consider the revenue generated on each of these platforms.

Changing Payment Model: - Countries like China work on a freemium payment model. First, players enjoy the game for a few levels after that they pay to play. So, if you can not convert your payment model according to the target location you should not put effort to localize. Although there are few countries where people are less likely to make in-app purchases, there are also countries like Brazil where most in-game purchases are made. So, adjust accordingly.

The popularity of the Genre: - The genre your game falls in has a lot to inflict on the success of localization. Some game genres are more popular in some countries and some irrespective of their global popularity get less or no attention from the people. Like for example – in Korea, RPG games are much more popular than any other genre whereas in France hyper-casual games are more preferred. So, your mobile game app localization process should consider the popularity of the genre.

Account for ROI: - Localizing in all the languages does not cost the same neither is the return on it. Like localizing for FIGS, Russian, or Chinese will cost quite normal or say the average and the return will also be quite decent depending on the game. While localization into Nordic languages or Japanese would require some extra cost. So, you should account for your return while investing in localization.

Language Service Provider: - Well, this is the last thing to consider here though it’s the first and foremost thing to consider when you plan and execute your localization process. Finding a great language service provider is vital for successful localization. A professional language service provider or a say, a professional translation company, would help you navigate through the tough waters of the linguistic and cultural diversity of the target region. While localizing a game accurate and abstract translation of the in-game dialogues and texts into the foreign language with cultural viability is of critical importance. Failing to adhere to social customs many times games have been found with absurd translations and have been sacked from the market.

Localization is a very all-inclusive process starting with translating the texts and extending to visuals and themes adjustments to fit the local norms of the region. It can be the make-or-break factor for your mobile game. If your game is created in say, English, players of other language regions would straight away reject it if the localization is of not top quality. That’s why you should hire an expert localization and professional translation company like LanguageNoBar to uplift the whole process and provide your players with a smooth gaming experience.

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