How localization is changing the modern GameDev market

More than $187.7 billion revenue and 3.4 billion players — this is what the gaming market looks like in 2023, according to Newzoo.

The Asia-Pacific segment is still the largest, but the markets of the Middle East & Africa (+6.9%) and Latin America (+4.3%) show the highest growth dynamics.

Contributing factors:

• accessible Internet development;
• middle class expansion in the regions;
• constant increase in the number of smartphone users.

However, the most important factor that helps developing the global GameDev market is localization.

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Statistics show that only about 2 billion people in the world speak English, which is just 25% of the world’s population. And in order to succeed in foreign markets, having an English-language version alone will not be enough.

This article will take a look at how localization helps GameDev to grow and developers to reach the global level.

What such GameDev titans as PlayStation, Xbox, Roblox, and Nintendo have in common

According to the BLEND report, 46% of the top 50 GameDev brands invest in localization to support long-term expansion strategies. These include such well-known industry titans as PlayStation, Xbox, Roblox, and Nintendo, with their sites translated into 40+ languages.

Why do they do this? Because they realize the prospects — more than 50% of their website traffic comes from foreign markets. Compared to 2022, this is a remarkable progress — last year’s report showed a 20% traffic reach.

Moreover, the research shows that 20 of the top 50 global gaming GameDev websites belong to Asian brands from Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, etc. While 84% of them have the largest traffic of users from Japan, the USA, Russia, South Korea, and China.

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Localization benefits for GameDev developers

·         Expanding the audience

Localization gives access to a wider audience. Games translated into multiple languages can attract players from all over the world. This can significantly increase the number of downloads and active players.

• Profit increase

GameDev projects with localized content make more money because players have a better understanding of the game and its mechanics in their native language and are more likely to spend on in-game purchases.

• Game rating improvement

Localized games have better ratings from players and game reviewers. This has a positive impact on the overall rating of the project in app stores and other GameDev resources.

• Promoting reputation

Developers who invest in localization prove their willingness to work with different cultures and languages. This contributes to their reputation and makes them more appealing to other international GameDev projects.

• Play time increase

Users who understand the game are more likely to spend more time playing it on a regular basis.

• Facilitating player interaction

Localization allows players to communicate and interact in the game in their native language, which facilitates community development and networking.

As you can see, localization offers great advantages for GameDev developers who want to have a global impact. Nonetheless, offering users a gaming experience in their native language with an adapted UI/UX is not enough. To attract players’ attention and interest in different markets, you will have to do more than that — to adapt your marketing strategy and promotion tools. High-quality localization costs are an investment that helps developers grow their user base and increase revenues thanks to a large, solvent foreign audience.

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