Localization
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On the one hand, the internet has made our world feel smaller – people are more connected than ever before, and can communicate quickly and easily. On the other hand, the internet lets us see how vast the world actually is, filled with billions of people with different languages, cultures, interests, and passions.
Within the global village, customers have unprecedented access to content from all around the world. To get noticed, your product has to do more than stand out. It has to shine. And there’s no better way to shine than speaking to people in their own language, in a way that fits with their culture and customers. To stay ahead of your competition, and win, you have to be brilliant. But you also have to be real. And native level game localization can help you achieve that.
Here are the top 5 ways localization can help engage your players, and boost your business:
Expanding your game market
Your market is only as big as you make it, and focusing only on English can be tremendously limiting. Making sure you get maximum market coverage is one of the biggest factors in increasing your sales and reaching a wider audience.
Improving your player satisfaction
Little things can make a big difference when it comes to inspiring players and retaining their loyalty. Even the smallest spelling mistake, grammatical error or mistranslation in your promotional content can erode their belief in your game. Players are fickle. And with so many options to choose from, it’s more important than ever to protect their trust in your brand, and your game. Native level localization can help you make sure you get everything right, every time.
Reducing your risk
Avoiding embarrassing translation issues and copyright infringement should be a priority for every company. And yet, you don’t have to look far to find news items and articles about awkward translations or offensive connotations within global marketing campaigns. These slip-ups can range from an amusing meaning, to a serious legal issue – which is why understanding the impact and importance of accuracy in translation and culturalization is integral to the value of localization.
Increasing your sales revenue
Releasing your game in a limited number of languages can limit your sales figures, too. English may be spoken around the world, but relying on this market means you will be overlooking many others. And while Spanish has even more native speakers than English, if you only consider localization in European Spanish, you’re missing out on appealing directly to the huge Latin American market.
It’s another great reason why game localization is so important. From the outside, a translation may seem to be ‘good enough’ - but to those who know, it truly isn’t. Your game needs to be more than just understandable to your players, it should also be native and beautifully localized.
Staying competitive
Many businesses are treating localization as the integral step it should be. That’s why it’s now even more important for your business to do the same.
If a player is making a choice between two games, and one is localized to their language, it’s highly likely they’ll choose the localized option. It’s that simple.