Enhancing Global Player Engagement Through Robust Localization Strategies

Ahead of the Live Service Gaming Summit, we spoke with Denis Ivanov, Head of Localisation at Belka Games. Denis delves into the essential role of a robust localization strategy in accessing new markets and expanding audiences. He explains the key elements for successful localization include thorough market research, understanding local cultural nuances, and collaborating with native speakers.

Localization Strategy for New Markets:

With your extensive experience in culturalization, can you explain why having a robust localization strategy is essential for accessing new markets and expanding your audience? What are the key elements that make a localization strategy successful in ensuring games resonate with local players?

With my extensive experience in culturalization and having implemented and configured localization processes from scratch, I can affirm that a robust localization strategy is crucial for accessing new markets and expanding your audience. Key elements that make a localization strategy successful include thorough market research, understanding local cultural nuances, and collaborating with native speakers. This approach ensures games resonate with local players, making them feel valued and understood.

Impact of Localization on Global Player Experience:

How does localization impact the global player experience, particularly in adapting games to meet cultural expectations? Can you share some specific examples where cultural adaptations significantly enhanced player engagement and satisfaction?

Localization significantly impacts the global player experience by adapting games to meet cultural expectations, which in turn enhances player engagement and satisfaction. For example, when we localized a game for the Japanese market, we included culturally relevant holidays and events, which led to a marked increase in player retention and in-game activity. Such cultural adaptations make players feel more connected to the game world.

Enhancing Community Experience Across Borders:

How do you ensure that translating in-game content and enhancing player-to-player communication across borders provides a better community experience? What challenges have you faced in this process and how have you overcome them?

Ensuring a better community experience across borders involves meticulous translation of in-game content and facilitating seamless player-to-player communication. One challenge we faced was ensuring the consistency of gaming terms across different languages. We overcame this by creating a comprehensive glossary and style guide for translators. This effort ensured that players from different regions could communicate effectively and enjoy a cohesive community experience.

Adoption of Technologies for Streamlined Localization:

With the adoption of technologies like machine learning to streamline localization processes, how have you seen these advancements increase efficiencies and improve the quality of localized content? What role do these technologies play in your strategic roadmap for cultural adaptation and player engagement?

Technological advancements, particularly in machine learning, have revolutionized the localization process by increasing efficiency and improving the quality of localized content. These technologies enable faster translations and more accurate cultural adaptations. For instance, we have implemented OpenAI techniques and created fine-tuning models specifically tailored for our localization needs. These models have been trained on a diverse range of gaming content, enabling them to handle industry-specific terminology and cultural nuances effectively. For example, when localizing our game Bermuda Adventures for the Portuguese Brazil market, our fine-tuned models were able to translate intricate dialogues and in-game text with a high degree of accuracy, capturing the essence and tone we intended. This approach has not only accelerated the translation process but also ensured a higher quality of localized content, significantly enhancing player engagement and satisfaction. Integrating these advanced AI technologies into our strategic roadmap has been pivotal in our efforts towards cultural adaptation and player engagement.

What discussions are you hoping to have with your peers at the Live Service Gaming Summit?

At the Live Service Gaming Summit, I’m looking forward to discussing best practices for culturalization, the latest advancements in localization technologies, and strategies for enhancing global player engagement. I’m particularly interested in learning from peers about their experiences and challenges in these areas, as well as exploring potential collaborations.