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Game localization is the language industry’s fastest-growing vertical and one of its most promising niches. The 100-page Slator Game Localization Report is the definitive resource for localization providers, game publishers, and investors looking to understand the role that localization plays in bringing engaging games to life and onto the market.
As the games market grows — and becomes more competitive, complex, and global — game publishers and developers are increasingly turning to language service providers (LSPs) to provide localization and culturalization expertise at scale.
The report profiles the game localization market and provides Slator’s estimate of market size of global buyer spend on game localization services in 2022.
We analyze the benefits that localization brings to games and map the growth in localization demand over the past 5 years. The market’s key geographies and languages are examined alongside the localization strategies of major buyers.
Slator will host a panel discussion on “Game Localization — Τhe Art and Science of Creating an Immersive Game Experience” at SlatorCon Remote March 22, 2023. A recording will be available for Slator Pro and Enterprise Subscribers.
Slator Game Localization Report
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We take a high-level view of the global gaming market and break down the market’s key segments (mobile, PC, and console). In addition, we identify some key trends shaping today’s landscape — from the new interest in social gaming to growth in mobile games and live streaming, and concerns around accessibility.
Readers are then given a behind-the-scenes look at game development, showing how game developers navigate the complex, lengthy journey from idea to release. We explain the industry’s latest business model — Games-as-a-Service (GaaS) — and describe the role that LSPs play in helping publishers extend a game’s lifespan.
The report then situates localization within the life cycle of game development. We show how LSPs integrate with buyers’ systems and processes to localize game content and enable worldwide releases.
We provide a step-by-step breakdown of in-game text and audio localization, detailing the options and constraints posed by each phase of the localization process. We look at how buyers decide on the scope of localization for a particular game and market, and provide a guide to translation pricing.
A further deep-dive into game localization workflows explores the role of language technology — from productivity tools and TMS, to machine translation (MT). The report investigates MT adoption rates and examines the potential for post-edited MT to be deployed more extensively in game localization.
These actionable insights are supplemented with a raft of case studies from the gaming world, along with insights from interviews with leading localization providers and game publishers. The report provides a clear and full guide for language service providers (LSPs), game publishers, and developers to enhance their game localization expertise and become a leader in the growth industry of gaming.
Table of Contents
| Gaming Landscape: the video game market is global | 6 |
| Gain an overview of the global game market, including market size, key segments, patterns of growth and factors behind the sector’s positive growth outlook. Access Slator’s market size estimate for game localization in 2022, along with a chart illustrating growth over the last five years. Find out gaming’s main geographies and browse a 5-page guide to gaming’s language groups; from the “big four”, to key Asian and European languages, and emerging players. Discover what it takes to localize a game for China, the world’s largest gaming market. Get the inside story on how game publishers plan their localization strategies and find out about the level of localization expected in each market, with examples from the world’s best-selling games in 2022. Get a list of the top 10 gaming buyers, and gain insights into the competitive landscape of game localization providers, plus find out five key gaming trends. | |
| Game Development Life Cycle | 23 |
| Take a behind-the-scenes look at game development, with a 7-page game development life cycle guide from prototype to gold master, and post production. Read a detailed description of each phase of game development. Discover how development of mobile games differs from PCs and consoles. Learn about the compliance and submission process for major hardware manufacturers, such as Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Get clarity on the new Games-as-a-Service (GaaS) business model and understand how LSPs can support game publishers to extend a game’s life span. Read a list of GaaS monetization models, along with a GaaS pros and cons list for gamers and developers. | |
| Localization in the Game Development Life Cycle | 33 |
| Access a detailed, color-coded chart illustrating how localization is integrated within each phase of the game dev life cycle. View a workflow diagram that maps the roles of the key stakeholders; the developers, localization team, linguistic quality assurance (LQA) and functional testers. Delve into the game loc process with a 10-page breakdown covering translation and transcreation, the “lockit”, bug classification, localizing voice-overs, LQA, translation pricing and more. Find out how “sim-ship” (simultaneous worldwide releases) impacts localization and get up to speed on the five main supply chain models for localization. Understand the role of data security in game loc processes, plus read valuable insights from a leading Japanese games publisher on performing localization inside a GaaS model. | |
| Inside Video Game Localization | 56 |
| Take a deep dive into the intricacies of game localization as we unpack the different types of localizable game content. Read up on the loc options and constraints posed by 8 types of in-game assets and 6 key marketing materials. Get up to speed on the deployment of language tech in game localization, with a technology section that covers workflow automation, productivity tools, translation management systems (TMS) and machine translation (MT). Read an automation case study to find out how automation is deployed at one of the industry’s leading game loc providers. See how TMS is used in game loc workflows and discover to what extent post-edited MT is deployed in gaming in comparison to other verticals. Read the opinions of language tech providers, loc vendors and game publishers on the potential for MT to be applied more extensively in gaming. Understand the different types of game loc glossaries — for brands, platforms, and games — gain insights into fascinating process of game culturalization (with a raft of examples from best-selling games), and get the full picture on game age-rating systems. | |
| Game Localization Insights | 76 |
| Find out some key features that distinguish generalist LSPs from game localization experts, including end-to-end game services, LQA capabilities, dedicated gaming units, culturalization advisors, scalability, and automation. Understand the breadth of games services and see how each service intersects with game dev life cycle phases. Find out why game publishers and developers are increasingly relying on LSPs to provide localization and other adjacent game services. Read up on the specialist resources needed to provide game loc, with detailed profiles of gaming translations and LQA testers. | |
| Buyer Insights | 83 |
| Read five key insights from Slator’s interviews with game publishers, language technology providers and game localization specialists. Find out how buyers view relationships with LSPs and read a one-page guide to what game publishers look for when deciding whether to work with a new game localization provider. | |
| Trends in Game Localization | 88 |
| Get up to speed with the latest trends transforming the game localization landscape and posing new challenges and opportunities for game localizers, from new languages, to increasing use of MT and the LQA talent crunch. | |
| Appendix: Glossary | 92 |
| A list of 30+ key gaming and localization terms that all gaming localization providers, game publishers, and developers need to know. |
How to Use This Report
Slator’s easy-to-digest Game Localization Report offers the very latest industry and data analysis, providing vendors and publishers the confidence to make informed and time critical decisions. It is a cost-effective, credible resource for busy professionals.
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