Indie games make up a surprisingly large portion of PC games today. In 2021, over 90% of the games released on Steam were developed by independent studios. While triple-A titles get a lot of media attention, indie developers produce a vast number of games that people purchase and play. Video game localization, therefore, should be a priority for indie game developers and publishers who want to expand their games’ reach and audience. The following are four reasons why indie games benefit from video game localization services.

Indie games are usually, but not exclusively, more narratively focused with a solid and interesting plot to hook potential players. This means that the game could be text or dialogue-heavy to advance the story. It is well known that gamers prefer to play games in their native language. Players can interact and relate to the story much better if the game is translated. Indie developers, therefore, must utilize translation services to translate their games into the languages of the market they want to expand into.

Once the game is translated, developers should look to localize their game. Indie developers, whose products are nuanced and have unique stories, must utilize video game localization services in conjunction with video game translation for their final product. Certain plot details, character names, and/or location names might need to be culturally adapted in order to improve player immersion. Gaming localization companies can help with this by applying their team of professional localizers to adapt game details as needed to the target culture. A fully localized game will help players feel more at home with a game–this is crucial for indie developers and their games.

Indie developers, by definition, are not backed by a large studio. This means that often, indie studios don’t have the resources that large, triple-a studios have. Large studios have massive marketing departments that can mobilize a serious marketing campaign for new products. For a small indie developer, marketing to an international audience can be a daunting task; video game localization companies can help greatly in this situation. Part of the suite of game localization services includes marketing support. In addition to localizing the game, game translation companies can translate and/or localize marketing materials. These could include websites, trailers, and advertisements in any medium.

Quality assurance is an integral part of the video game development process. Releasing a game with bugs, glitches, and other technical issues can ruin the reputation of the developer and potentially kill any further chances of success. Part of game localization services includes localization QA. A separate QA team will make sure that the localization process did not technically harm the game in any way. By electing to use professional video game localization services, developers with fewer resources can assure that their products will remain free of technical problems.

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