More than 74% of consumers spend on app stores but for what purpose? They download loads and loads of games. The gaming industry is reaching a high note since the pandemic, and therefore the demand for a new game is not so surprising either. Back in 2019, the average game download reached 60%, hence this target was achieved with the help of localization.
This means that the market is stocked with a lot of games in multi language for gamers all over the world. As a small enterprise you may not be able to afford the localization process, (it is not cheap) instead you can choose specific parts of the content for translation and localization.
It’s a tough call to make right?
You have to prepare a localization strategy that entails the important factors.
1. Top smartphone user countries
Smartphones hit the market like a hurricane. People are unable to stop tapping away on their screens. By far, China’s consumers rank at the top of the smartphone consumer list with a penetration level of 59.9%.
Certain markets are more prone to downloading games, therefore China outranks other countries. But which are the countries with the highest gaming downloads?
- India
- US
- Brazil
- Russia
- Indonesia
- Japan and so on
These are just the top contenders having the largest target market and target audience for gamers. Decide which target market you want to influence the most, and the rest will simply follow.
2. iOS v/s Android
Your beloved target audience is divided into types of smartphone users;
- Those who love to use android
- Apple software supporters i.e. iOS
But if you plan to launch your game in both support systems then it’s a good choice. Some markets are more android oriented like the Chinese market, therefore, if you plan to launch a game soon, you better be working with the android game support.
Meanwhile, in North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, iOS is the highest bidder in the market. Whereas, in Europe and Latin America, Samsung plays a stronger command in the smartphone industry which means Android is the local winner.
Choose the relevant platform for your game support that fits best according to the target market. Otherwise, it will be a localization failure. Once you choose the platform, always keep the cost and revenue generation in mind.
3. Paid or free?
Is your game a free download or requires payment to be downloaded? Take a hint from China, use the Freemium model.
Payment models are localized according to the region. So if you are not ready to pay the price for a localized upfront payment model, then don’t do it. It’s a no brainer when your company cannot afford to have a localized resource. But it is for the best to choose the localized payment model for the region you are planning to target.
It may happen that mobile game players may not download a paid game. For instance, in Brazil, only 39.5% of gamers make an in-app purchase. So if you tend to target the Brazilian market, offering free download is a good option.
If a game is paid for, consider the conversion rate in focus, not every target market will come up with the great prospects but many still become loyal users.
4. Game genre
Mobile game localization service focuses on the major highlight of the game i.e. the game genre.
How popular is the particular game genre? It can drive the audience to go nuts if it has a breakthrough moment in the history of mobile game downloads.
Each genre relates to a different set of the target audience. Brazil’s audience is crazy for adventure-based games while Russia’s female demographics play puzzle games and so on. In short, you develop the game according to the target market, localize it, and can also sell it to other regions even if those regions are not your primary targets.
It will help to generate more sales.
5. Gaming investment
How big a player are you? The bigger the gaming company is the more markets it will target. your translation partner must enlighten you that not every language equals the same level of investment.
Gaming translation services cost varies from language to language. It means some languages (more popular) are high in demand than the others. English, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, etc., are more commonly used in the business world for a variety of reasons.
Targeting the most trending language attracts a larger audience but it also means the price of gaming translation will be higher. Sometimes for one target market, you have to localize a game into more than one language pair!
6. Collaborate with the development team
When you hire a localizer, do your research. It’s better to begin working with your linguistic partner right from the initial stage of game development
A localizer must collaborate with the development and design team to cover text and interface as well. Even the game sounds are localized with colors and themes for the text (if you are using subtitles as well). For an ideal localization, all images, symbols, logos, etc., are converted according to the target market and target language. It creates further awareness of cultural localization.
It’s a standard practice to create a localization checklist so that the development team knows which parts to localize (if you are focusing on limited content).
Before you launch the localized game in the market, use means of testing setups. Your language partner will do the job, localize the game, but before you introduce it into the market, conduct a series of tests too. In addition to the testing, you can invite a focus group to give feedback.
Bottom Line
Game localization culture is more effective than ever, as the audience keeps evolving so does the themes of games. Make sure to make necessary amendments before your launch into mobile game localization. Why not let the game begin?
Author Bio:
| Vivek Chaudhary is a blogger. He owns a blog thesmartupdate.com . He has been writing articles on many topics related to Latest updates, travel guide. Tips and tricks and many more. |
