HOW CAN LOCALISATION OF VIDEO GAMES IMPROVE SALES?
Nowadays, the possibilities for spending your free time are endless. Some people still choose to immerse themselves in the world of books, others spend their days off binge-watching the latest season of their favourite TV series. But video games are becoming increasingly popular around the world. Where once people thought that video games were a niche product only for young people and mainly associated with brutality, many have changed their minds. Video games open up a colourful fantasy world that appeals to both children and adults, and the range of games on offer is truly vast – from games to sharpen the mind to complex and intricately designed role-playing games that immerse the player in a new reality.
The global games market has experienced significant growth in recent years, expanding accessibility across cultures and languages. The audience is becoming more diverse and the number of players continues to grow. NEWZOO data show that the total projected industry revenue for 2023 could reach $366 billion. In 2022, the Chinese market alone brought in $45 billion, while in Europe, the largest number of players can be found in Germany, adding another $6 billion to the industry’s coffers.
This data makes it clear that the games industry can be profitable if it is made accessible to a wider audience. This is done by localising and adapting the games to the respective regions.
WHAT IS LOCALISATION AND HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM TRANSLATION?
Localisation of video games is a complex process that not only translates content into a specific language, but also adapts it to the specificities of that language, culture and region. Localisation is more comprehensive, as it adapts culturally encoded meanings, idioms, humour and game mechanics to suit the audience’s preferences. The aim is to give the impression that the game is designed for that specific market.
WHAT LOCALISATION INVOLVES:
- translation of all content, including dialogues, instructions, marketing material and interfaces;
- adapting the content to respect local customs and norms and avoid disrespecting the culture;
- adapting the game to technical standards such as technology specifics, internet connection and censorship laws;
- localisation of the humour to preserve the original intonation, as direct translation is often not possible;
- recording new voices in the specific language.
WHY LOCALISE VIDEO GAMES?
A survey by Common Sense Advisory shows that 72% of consumers prefer to spend most of their time on websites in their native language, which suggests that these people prefer localised content. By investing in localisation, game developers expand their market, increase the diversity of players and improve sales.
KEY BENEFITS OF LOCALISATION?
Improve and optimises sales performance. Localisation allows companies to expand beyond their local market. By tailoring the game to a specific region, the potential player has a better chance of feeling a more personal connection to the game. Localisation helps a company become a global brand.
Diversity of players increases. Localisation opens the door to a new market of players who were previously unable to access or understand the game.
The game attracts and retains players. If a player does not understand the game or cannot associate with it because of the language and context, they are more likely to abandon and forget it. If the player feels that the developer has tried to tailor the game to them, they will stay interested.
Localisation helps protect a company’s reputation. Failure to understand the target audience can seriously damage a brand’s reputation. Choosing to translate a game but not to localise it runs a greater risk of being incompatible with, or even offensive to, the cultural traditions of a particular region, which is why it is important to bring in experts who understand the language and culture of the region.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFICULTIES IN LOCALISING GAMES?
While the main goal of gaming is to entice the player into a new reality and offer an unprecedented experience, the player should never be underestimated. Contextual and linguistic errors will always be spotted, and may affect the future of the game in that country.
In the games industry, one of the most successful examples of localisation is theWitcherseries from Poland, where the developers’ great efforts to adapt to their specific audience have resulted in huge popularity around the world, especially in North America and Asia.
Developing “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt“, the brand took it so seriously that they temporarily moved the entire localisation team to the country where the game was being developed in order to get more authentic results.
But there are also bad examples. Once, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” came under fire because of its translation when a mission in the game, which for various reasons is censored in the Russian market, included a quote: “Remember, no Russian”. The purpose of the quote was to inform that Russian was not allowed to be spoken on this mission, but in Japanese the quote was translated as “Kill them. They are Russians.”
The main challenge in localisation is to understand the cultural nuances. Creating respectful content requires an understanding of the language and culture. Idioms and humour are the most difficult to translate, as they most often have no direct translation into other languages. Voice-over is also a challenge, as the localised audio material has to match the character’s lip movements and facial expressions.
Only an expert whose native language is the target language can solve such problems. The professional will provide valuable insights into local language norms and expressions. It’s true that good localisation is not cheap, but it is a valuable investment in the future for any game developer who wants to reach a wider audience.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR SUCCESSFUL LOCALISATION?
To be successful and deliver quality work, you need to start with the essentials. Market research is needed to understand cultural and linguistic nuances, as well as unwritten rules, in order to tailor content correctly and avoid offensive or outright misleading translations.
The team must be composed of knowledgeable people who are native speakers of the language to be adapted, in order to provide valuable information and a broader understanding of the country’s linguistic and cultural norms.
The game should be enhanced with the possibility for players to provide feedback, both to encourage feedback and trust, and to gain valuable advice and corrections from the people for whom the game is intended.
Localised content can also be tested first by selecting a group of players to play and test the game, providing suggestions, criticism and evaluation, before it is released to a wider audience.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF SKIPPING THE LOCALISATION PHASE?
Firstly, quality localisation helps to avoid criticism or even scandals over content that is not suitable for a particular audience. What humour is to one, may be disrespect to another.
Quality tailored content enhances the player experience and makes them feel valued. Skipping the localisation stage risks losing potential audience or, worse, becoming the butt of internet jokes because of a bad translation, as once happened withZero Wing. The game is notorious for its bad English translation – “All your base are belong to us“, which the (bad) Latvian translation could be: “Viss jūsu bāze ir piederēt mums”. The illogical translation is still making its way around the web and, to some extent, is also determining players’ opinions on the overall quality of the game.
Too literal a translation loses the original tone, humour and even context, making the content incomprehensible and your investment in a bad translator thrown to the wind. Proper localisation solves these problems and adapts the game content so that it flows naturally in the translated language.
HOW CAN SKRIVANEK HELP?
Skrivanek is a translation agency specialising in localisation, serving as a bridge between your product and your intended market. Our experts will ensure that your product reaches a wide audience in different regions.
With the localisation expertise of a translation agency, you can significantly improve the attractiveness of your products to the global market and increase your international sales.
