LOCALISATION FOCUS | BETA For all the world
As games penetrate every corner of the Earth on an increasing array of platforms, the art of localisation has never been more intricate. Will Freeman talks to the specialty’s best about adapting games for the global stage
THE PRACTICE OF localising games long ago shook the misconception that it is merely about the act of translating games. And yet, such is the pace of today’s
increasingly globalised games industry, localisation is constantly moving forward, having to adapt and expand the remit of the services it incorporates. As a result, the perception of what localisation is still lags behind the reality. Things are changing, and doing so fast. So
quickly, in fact, that there is little time for localising firms to consider the past. All eyes look forward, as the market expands at an exponential rate, and the pressure to maintain quality increases. “In the past, localisation was seen as an element of a title tacked on at the end of production, often without any human input and using a translation tool,” explains Alastair Harsant, vice president of operations for Games Services at Testronic. “We are now at
Currently for Facebook, some of
our clients are localising into over 40 languages, all in
real time. Vickie Peggs, Universally Speaking
the stage where each territory and locale must be seen with the same amount of importance. If a title needs to be localised, then it must be done well.” New territories worthy of quality localisation
are on the rise, and the new wave of ubiquitous platforms mean more opportunity than ever before. “The increasing localisation of games for
developing markets – in terms of penetration of video games – is very good to see,” offers Keywords International CEO Andrew Day. “Likewise, the very rapid transition to high quality localisation for social, mobile, casual, and free-to-play MMOs that we have witnessed over the last two years is very encouraging, and proof that in a very competitive environment, quality counts more than ever.” Platforms like Facebook, browser and iOS
now mean it is easier for developers to reach wider audiences geographically, and self- publishing and digital distribution are letting studios cross more national and cultural borders than ever. “As a result the desire and potential for localisation demand has increased,” offers Localize Direct’s business development director Michael Souto. “There are countries
which normally would not have received a localised version at retail but now can.” “Lately we have seen a change in the
industry where publishers are trying to get into emerging markets so it is no longer just about FIGS – French, Italian, German, Spanish – but about including territories like Poland, Brazil, Asia and Turkey for instance,” adds Richard Sturgess, senior business manager of Alpha CRC’s Games Division
SOCIAL CLIMBING And the more countries there are demanding specifically tailored games, the more the need for a presence globally, insists U-Trax president and founder Richard van der Giessen. “We feel this can only be done by creating local offices with local linguistic experts for translation and marketing, then gradually expanding with in-house recordings studios for voice production,” he says. What’s more, the rise of social and mobile has created a new approach to pricing games
that also happens to mean there is now a lot more work – and responsibility – for games developers. Combined with the ubiquity of smartphones, the 69p app means that games of less than 5,000 words of dialogue are suddenly worth translating into less common languages, simply because it is ‘easier’ to make money back with games marketed at such a low price point in new territories than with a full-priced triple-A boxed product. “Following the explosion of browser, online,
iOS and Android markets we are seeing a shift in direction away from the traditional ‘norms’ and recognising a global swing in adoption to new markets, new territories and new trends,” says Vickie Peggs, MD of Universally speaking. “Currently for Facebook, some of our clients
are localising into over 40 languages, all in real time, with continually streamed new content and live testing,” she adds. “A successful Facebook title can reach tens of millions of end users across the globe. A successful localisation strategy combined with
APRIL 2012 | 25
The boom in social and Facebook gaming, spearheaded by titles like Zynga’s CityVille, has drastically changed the way localisation services operate
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