QA & LOCALISATION 38 MCV 10/09/10
ON THE CHANGING ATTITUDES OF PUBLISHERS…
Graham McAllister: “Initially, we would have been working with studios which did not have any internal user research teams, but now we’re
working with some of the larger studios who have these teams in place. In these cases, the larger studios see the benefit in using us as a fresh pair of eyes before the game is released.”
Richard Leinfellner: “It’s always been a huge cost to have massive internal teams all year round in expensive studio locations. As the
technology becomes more standardised I see in-house localisation becoming a bit of a dinosaur.”
Michael Souto, Business Development Director, LocalizeDirect: “I believe publisher and developer attitudes to external QA teams are
changing, especially in these financially delicate times. Increasing headcount is not an option for many so an external solution is key. localisation teams may not be viable.”
TESTRONIC LABS
Testronic has expanded its team and opened a new 3D lab. Dominic Sacco speaks to business line manager for games Alastair Harsant about its future plans…
OVER THE past year Testronic Labs has grown its global client base and expanded its wide range of Quality Assurance services on offer.
The firm opened a 3D games testing studio last month at its Pinewood Studio in the UK, where it is currently working on a high profile game for a major client. It also has offices across the world in the US, Japan, Belgium and Poland. “We’ve been excited by the new developments in the industry at large and are positioning ourselves as leaders in the new technology,” says Testronic’s business line manager for games Alastair Harsant. “We’ve committed to 3D and invested in many of the 3D TVs and audio kit available, ensuring we offer both the kit and the expertise to help our clients get the most out of these new platforms.
“Move and Kinect testing also spring to mind as we’ve allocated significant space for these in our busy labs.
“Clients, when under increased pressure, appreciate the collaborative approach whereby we maintain dialogue to ensure that they get the best-fit QA service and the best value for each project. “Typically, companies slash costs by cutting back on personnel but we have actually increased our headcount, year- on-year.”
“This success has allowed us to grow our global locations, increase team sizes and bring in experienced staff to protect consistency of quality.”
TESTING TIMES
While the global recession may be slowly drawing to a close, it is still affecting firms. In fact, Testronic has
seen smaller players being hit harder during the economic downturn. But instead of driving work away, in some aspects the recession has given Testronic a boost. Harsant adds: “We’ve seen content owners forced to reassess their current localisation and QA solutions, presenting a range of new opportunities.
As the digital apps market continues to grow and the localisation sector expands with a number of different exotic languages, Testronic looks more than capable of handling these new challenges over the next 12 months. “We’ve got a great set of test cases for apps and are able to accommodate these small, short-run projects quite happily,” says Harsant. “We expect to be localising a higher volume of smartphone and tablet computer apps alongside the triple-A game titles and upcoming downloadable offerings.” Testronic Labs: 0207 253 7258
ON THE RISE OF DIGITAL AND CASUAL GAMES…
Pawel Grzywaczewski, Business Development Manager, QLOC: “Social or mobile gaming is becoming an even bigger part of the pie and
still needs good localisation and QA. Almost everyone can make an iPhone game now and going global means the need for localisation.”
Alastair Harsant, Business Line Manager – Games, Testronic Labs: “The shift to digital distribution continues inexorably. There has
been slightly less product coming out at retail and the self-publishing of games is lowering the barriers to entry for talented developers. These macro factors combine to make retail stakes higher, so for QA and localisation there is increased focus on delivering first time, within budget and without issue.”
Gagan Ahluwalia: “Casual games and social gaming platforms like Facebook have grown in importance. This has sparked tremendous
innovation in the price to gameplay experience and created many exciting new companies. Casual games and social gaming platforms have created a whole new dimension of game playing experiences and have drawn in sections of the population that did not traditionally play video games.”
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ON HOW THE SECTOR WILL CHANGE IN 2011…
Alastair Harsant: “The trend towards further exotic languages should endure, so we fully expect to expand our permanent language
expert staff to include more nationalities. The growth of the apps market will continue, and as we’ve seen already companies are localising their apps to make the most of the global available market. We expect to be localising a higher volume of smartphone and tablet computer apps alongside the triple-A titles and downloadable offerings.”
of business.”
Richard Leinfellner: “Pre-owned games, casual MMOs and Android all have the potential to change the market the same way iTunes changed
music retail. This is both scary yet exciting at the same time.”
Pawel Grzywaczewski: “The steady surge of popular online games and the growth of the internet mass marketing will provide additional fields
Michael Souto: “I believe it’s more about expansion than change. Further iPad sales and the 3DS, Kinect and Move are going to be extremely
positive for the industry. For example, I have some Wii-owning family members who have extremely limited video game knowledge asking me about Kinetic and Move. It all bodes well for the games industry and in turn localisation, as this increased penetration will expand the game playing market which will result in more localisation and QA required.”
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