Best Practices for Game Localization

Limegreen Media
Best Practices for Game Localization

The gaming industry is booming, and the global revenue of video games reached a total of $184 billion in 2023. The competition is high, but the opportunities are even higher for game developers and publishers. Therefore, targeting only one market for your game launch is a missed opportunity. However, if you plan on localizing your game for foreign markets, you need to do it with careful planning to avoid making cultural blunders and offending the locals. 

Thus, this guide will walk you through some game localization best practices that you can implement to ensure a successful global game launch. 

Source Code Preparation for Localization

The first game localization best practice we are going to share will help you later on. It involves preparing your game’s source code for localization. Most certainly, you hired game developers to create your game. Ask them to keep the source file format compatible with the linguistic experts’ localization tools to enable easy accessibility of the game’s content and strings.

Besides, you should request the developer to avoid hard-coding any of the game’s content that needs translation. If you forget to do this, you may see untranslated sentences and strings upon importing the translation back into the game. This can result in delays in your game localization.

Consider Varying Cultural Norms

A sizable global audience loves playing games and connecting through them on an emotional level, living a fantasy life. Thus, remember your game will be enjoyed by players worldwide, in linguistically diverse locations, with varying social and cultural norms. 

Therefore, the next best practice for game localization is to consider cultural sensitivities in different regions from the beginning of design, including currencies, salutations, date and time formats, and appropriate colloquials.

It’s also crucial to take cultural symbols and history into account. For example, dragons that breathe fire represent menace and threat to Western audiences. Contrarily, dragons symbolize luck and prosperity to the Chinese audience. Thus, it could be necessary to rewrite entire plots, characters, and themes. 

Besides, character names can also be tricky; what is considered a good name in one place may be a bad word in another, so do your homework and speak with local authorities to avoid legal penalties. 

For users to have an immersive experience, audio and voice-over translation are just as important as copy and format. Try employing distinct voice actors for each nation or region instead of an automated text-to-speech voice. 

Provide Context For Translators

Drawings are a great way to assist someone with the context of the surroundings when telling a story. The same applies when a linguist is engaged in a game localization project. 

Therefore, the third game localization best practice is to provide some background to the translator to help them comprehend the movements and reactions of the game participants as well as the appearance of their surroundings.

The best context could be a version of the game that translators play to learn how it functions. Offering them a textual synopsis of the game’s backstory is an additional approach. 

You should also provide important details, such as the player’s goals and methods for winning and losing. The translation gets more accurate when more context is provided. 

Ensure Consistency in Translation

A game’s translation is an ongoing process requiring regular updates. Thus, you might have to collaborate with several translators to complete the language translation process on schedule. 

However, a group of translators may lead to a few inconsistencies. For example, a character’s name appears in various game sections with a different spelling, resulting in a negative player experience. Thus, ensuring consistency is another best practice for game localization.

You should provide translators with useful resources, such as a glossary and a style guide. A style guide will assist you in coordinating the tone used in translation, while a glossary will list the phrases that will be consistently used across the game’s material. 

Localize the Multimedia

Ensuring device compatibility and multimedia localization is another game localization best practice to implement for an immersive experience. You may be unaware, but various demographics prefer playing games on different platforms. Some cultures embrace consoles, while others prefer PC gaming.

PC gaming is entertaining 900 million players, while console gaming is estimated to reach 629 million gamers globally.

Therefore, we recommend testing the prototype on each platform in localization’s early stages to ascertain the minimal specifications required to run the game effectively.

Besides, localization does not only apply to the textual content of the game. It also encompasses images and other graphics. The character’s looks and attire that may be acceptable in one country can offend audiences in foreign markets. Thus, take extra care while localizing your game’s graphical elements to avoid negative marketing and bad PR.

Test Your Localized Game

Another best practice for game localization is to test your game’s localized versions before releasing it officially. It will ensure you don’t miss any glitches, leading to a bad gaming experience. 

Here’s a list of issues you should look for during the testing phase:

  • Untranslated strings
  • Overflowing text
  • Odd-looking interface elements
  • Inconsistent translation 
A research study found that player ratings and game reviews affect the commercial success of games. Players who read a negative review often rate the game significantly lower than players who read a positive review. Besides, the authority of the review does not impact the biasing effect.

You will get a negative forum review if a gamer’s experience is ruined even by a small problem. The gaming world is competitive, and players may share their experiences when they try out a new game. Avoid damaging your reputation with bad localization of video games.

Partner with Limegreen Media for Game Localization

If you plan on targeting multiple regions with varying cultural sensitivities and local preferences, the effort will multiply by many folds. We recommend partnering with a media localization firm, like Limegreen Media, to leverage professional game localization services. With years of industry experience, they can ensure high-quality deliverables with quick turnarounds.

Bottom Line

This guide discussed game localization best practices to help you prepare for a global game launch and enthrall your target audience with an immersive and culturally appropriate gaming experience. The best practices we shared in this guide range from preparing your game’s source code from the beginning for localization to considering the cultural differences of your target audiences and ensuring translation consistency. 

We hope this guide will work as a blueprint for you in game localization. However, if you still struggle with it, you can outsource to a professional media localization firm like Limegreen Media.

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