How to localize your game for the Korean market: interesting stats and 5 essential tips
Learn about the Korean game market and the major things to consider before localizing your game into Korean.
Game Localization: 4 Best Practices for Indie Developers
#1 - Internationalize your code from day 1
Internationalization is the practice of preparing a product for localization. Failing to internationalize means game localization need to stop until indie developers dive into the code and get things ready. But if you follow good internationalization principles throughout game development cycle, you’ll never need to waste time on it later — it’ll just be the way your team operates.
- Don’t hardcode strings. If you do, developers will have to extract them from the code and place them into an external storage repository — a content management platform, Google Sheets, or Excel file — when it’s time to localize. Store your strings externally from the start.
- Don’t hardcode dates, times, and currency values. Use a universal time format such as UTC or ISO 8601 and let a library convert to local formas as needed. Meanwhile, use placeholders for currency and store values with your other strings in an external content repository.
- Use UTF-8 encoding. UTF-8 encoding correctly displays the vast majority of characters in most languages around the world. A different encoding system may fail to display certain characters, which will require developer time and effort to fix.
- Use full language locales. People don’t always speak or write the same language the same way. That’s why one apple can be 一个苹果 in Beijing or 一個蘋果 in Taiwan. Language locales comprising a language code and country variant, such as zh-CN and zh-TW, allow you to be specific.
Bonus tip: Don’t use flags to denote languages. Most countries have significant populations that speak other languages, and using flags to represent one language fails to include those people.
>> Learn more about string translation in gaming
#2 - Choose target languages for game localization based on ROI
When you and your team have likely spent years working on a new game, it’s only natural to want to share it with as many people as possible. But if you’re localizing with minimal resources, casting too wide a net will quickly exhaust your budget.
Instead, assess the ROI (return on investment) of entering your target markets. Look at your potential revenue in these markets, factoring in variables such as cost per user, genre popularity, marketing expenses, and pricing strategies. Then, look at the translation expenses — how much will it cost to localize your game for these regions? The relationship between these findings is your ROI.
Focus your localization efforts on the markets promising the highest ROI. You’ll ensure that your resources are put to optimal use, bringing your game to the audiences most likely to provide you with the largest reward in return for your efforts.
>> Discover the top languages for game localization
#3 - Understanding localization strategy for different game genres
When localizing an indie game, it’s crucial to adapt your strategy to the game’s genre. Each genre has unique features and player expectations that affect localization. Some games might only need UI/UX elements translated, especially if they rely on visuals instead of text. Other games may require a full adaptation, including the fictional world, characters, and dialogue.
Minimal game localization
For simple puzzle games or mobile arcade games without dialogues and characters, minimal localization suffices. Translate menus, UI elements, and game descriptions on platforms like the App Store or Steam. Additionally, localizing marketing materials and working with local marketing agencies helps reach your target audience.
Genres: Casual mobile games, visual brain puzzles, non-narrative racing games, non-narrative strategy games.
Medium-complexity game localization
Games with storylines and custom terminology require more effort. Prepare style guides, glossaries, and other materials before translation. Allow translators time to familiarize themselves with the game and use localization tools that include context screenshots. Involve native speakers in localization QA checks and consider domain experts for specific terms.
Genres: Story-rich strategy games, shooters, adventures, sports simulation games.
Hardcore game localization
For games with a complex fictional universe and distinctive characters, extensive localization is needed. Adapt the game’s context to the target audience by changing culturally unfamiliar names and revising sensitive topics. Integrate the localization team with the development team for accurate translations and story transcreation.
Genres: RPGs, MMORPGs, complex adventure and detective games, action-adventure games, stealth games, sandbox games.
>> Learn more about localization strategies for different game genres.
#4 - Bring the team together in one central workspace
With limited resources and smaller team sizes, smooth collaboration becomes critical to efficient work. Uniting all stakeholders in a centralized localization workspace enables everyone to push and pull content as needed, provide feedback or ask questions, and monitor localization progress — all without having to swap over to another platform.
Centralized localization platforms also help manage translation memories and glossaries, making future updates and new localizations more efficient, ensuring consistency and accuracy across different languages.
Japanese game localization: market statistics and 10 translation tips
It’s one of the top three games markets in the world, nevertheless, Japan can be a real challenge for the Western game studios. Learn 10 main lessons to successful Japanese game localization to gain favor for your game!
