This article, however, intends to help those lucky game developers to start with the right foot. The blog aims to give them as many insights as possible into the potential of the gaming market across Latin America and the reasons why game developers should add a culturally local touch ─ localize! ─ to their game products so that they may thrive in these promising markets.
All in all, the article is an ambitious attempt to help you, as a gaming business, to put the best structure while doing the important stage of game localization in the Latin American market.
With these objectives in mind, it would be logical to start with an idea about what game localization involves.
What is Game Localization About?
It’s becoming a sort of rule in our highly globalized marketplace. You start local, and, then, if your product or service bangs about, you have to move forward to the international arena. This is what happens within the gaming industry too!
After your game hits a record number of downloads or sales at the local level, it’s time for you to take it to the next level, to foreign audiences in overseas markets. That’s where game localization tools come in! So, what are they?
In essence, game localization isn’t just about the translation of your game pieces of content, but, rather, a many-sided process. The final objective is to provide gamers with an enjoyable “user experience” through putting the game in a specific cultural context that those users can understand, follow, and enjoy without confusion. By improving the user experience, game localization will thus boost your sales in all markets all over the world.
So, if game localization isn’t an issue of translation, what is it? What does it involve?
Game localization, no doubt, is a multilayered process in which game developers need to do many things so that the game product might become ready and suitable for adoption in foreign regions – where gamers speak multiple languages and have multiple cultural backgrounds. Let’s look at some of the things you need to do in this area.
· Tweak the software and hardware for the new audiences in the new markets.
· Modify the story and dialogue of the game to make them interesting to new audiences.
· Possibly redesign some characters, just if the need arises ─ such as renaming a certain character for a certain country to avoid conflicting with a certain celebrity of that name in that country.
· Translate disclaimers and legal content to follow local regulations.
· Ensure that all marketing materials are localized so as to gain the attention of gamers in foreign markets.
· Ensure that all idioms are changed in a way that reflects the target market’s culture.
· Make sure that cultural and historical references are also localized, or else they would make no sense!
· Use local equivalents in place of slang expressions.
· Adapt dates and time formats to local use.
· Make sure that music and soundtracks are adapted in accordance with the target audience’s culture.
· Probably change or remove certain scenes to meet local censorship rules. For example, in some cases, you might need to cut violence and graphic scenes.
· Edit the user interface or game menu ─ for example, to accommodate right-to-left languages such as Arabic and Farsi.
· Change, adapt, or possibly remove anything else that may be offensive, abusive, or alienating for gamers in the new target markets.
That said, we still need to ask whether the gaming industry in Latin America is promising or not. Let’s dive deeper.
The Gaming Industry in Latin America
A region that’s enjoying solid demographic growth, a prosperous middle class, it’s clear, according to most economic observers, that Latin America is a great place to invest in the near future. So, what about the gaming business?
According to Research and Markets, a well-known market research store, the digital gaming market across Latin America is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 11%, which will be leading to a revenue of US$ 6.29 billion by 2023. Big promising numbers, aren’t they?
Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico are expected to be leading the gaming industry boom, as the three countries had about USD 4 billion registered revenue for video games in 2017 ─ 20% more than 2016.
There is no doubt now that Latin America is becoming one of the world’s fastest-growing gaming markets. The region grew 13.5% year-over-year in 2018 and is estimated to grow by another 50% over the upcoming 3 years, with Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina leading the growth.
Even though the Latin American market is growing across all segments (mobile, console, and personal computer), it’s clear that there’s a particular rise in mobile gaming as smartphone penetration is growing steadily across the continent.
In a nutshell, the situation now is splendid. Brazil and Mexico, for instance, boast more gamers than the UK or Germany. Further, Latin America now has 234 million gamers. What a global force!
So, this leads us straight to an impressive question. Why do game developers have to localize their games for Latin American Spanish? Let’s see.
Why Should You Localize Your Game for Latin American Spanish?
We’ve got a fact and 2 questions in this area.
The fact: Most of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries across the globe are in Central and South America. Then, the two questions. Do game development businesses have to localize their game products to Latin American Spanish? If yes, what are the reasons? Well, we’ve got 2 reasons.
First – Latin America’s Game Market is Both Huge and Steadily Growing
As mentioned above, all the facts and figures are self-explanatory, with one fact, however, shining out throughout: The Latin American market is large and constantly growing. Well, let’s take some other shining facts and figures so that we may have a full picture.
First, Brazil is the 5th largest market for game products across the globe. Second, in 2015 Latin American countries gained around USD 4 billion [https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2015-04-22-gaming-will-hit-usd91-5-billion-this-year-newzoo]. Third, and most importantly, around 380 million people speak Spanish across Latin America. Sounds awesome?
Second – Tester and VO talent is readily available
The USA is full of immigrants coming from Latin America — which means a vast pool of testers and voice over talent. It’s a great advantage for you ─ because your game content will be translated and localized by native speakers and will also be tested by native speakers.
When all is said and done, it’s still important to ask why a successful game developer should partner with this, and not that, game localization provider? What makes the difference?
Why LatinoBridge?
LatinoBridge is a leading provider of game localization services that specializes in catering to the needs of the Latino market. Here are a few reasons why you might consider choosing LatinoBridge for your game localization:
Expertise in Latino Market: LatinoBridge has a deep understanding of the Latino market, including its cultural nuances, preferences, and gaming habits. This expertise allows them to deliver highly localized and culturally relevant translations, ensuring that your game resonates with Latino players.
Native Spanish Speakers: LatinoBridge employs a team of native Spanish speakers who are not only fluent in the language but also possess a strong command of the specific dialects and variations spoken in different Latin American countries. This linguistic proficiency enables them to provide accurate translations and adapt the game content effectively.
Cultural Adaptation: Game localization is not just about translating words; it involves adapting the entire gaming experience to suit the target audience. LatinoBridge excels in cultural adaptation, ensuring that your game content, characters, dialogues, and visuals are culturally appropriate and appealing to Latino players.
Quality Assurance: LatinoBridge follows a robust quality assurance process to ensure the highest level of accuracy and consistency in their translations. Their team of experienced linguists and game testers work diligently to identify and resolve any linguistic or functional issues, guaranteeing a polished and seamless gaming experience.
Timely Delivery: LatinoBridge understands the importance of meeting deadlines in the fast-paced gaming industry. They have a streamlined project management system in place, allowing them to deliver high-quality localized games within the agreed-upon timelines.
Comprehensive Services: Apart from translation and localization, LatinoBridge offers a range of complementary services, such as voice-over recording, subtitling, transcreation, and linguistic testing. This comprehensive approach ensures that all aspects of your game are effectively adapted for the Latino market.
Industry Experience: LatinoBridge has a proven track record of successfully localizing games for numerous clients, including major game developers and publishers. Their experience in the gaming industry equips them with valuable insights and best practices, enabling them to deliver exceptional results.
Ultimately, choosing LatinoBridge for game localization services ensures that your game receives expert attention and meticulous adaptation for the Latino market, resulting in increased player engagement, positive reviews, and ultimately, a higher chance of success in the Latino gaming community.
At LatinoBridge localization agency, we have been, for 15 years, offering world-class game localization services for game developers in the USA and all across Latin America.
Thanks to our extensive 15-year hands-on experience working on hundreds of projects for local and global game development businesses, we’re now able to professionally deliver quality game localization services for all types of game consoles and platforms.
Our highly qualified team comprises expert linguists and professional game localizers who are steeped in the gaming world and whose job is to provide the greatest user experience to our clients’ end-users in all Latin American, European, and US markets.
Further, we have professional project managers who are dedicated to effectively managing the localization process with the purpose of meeting each client’s needs.
Contact us today for a free quote.
