So that's how they localize a game...

If you thought localization was just a developer running everything through an auto-translator and shoving the game out the door, you're pretty far off according to Atlus U.S.A. The team over at the company that produces some of the best game localizations in the business have written a very insightful post into why game localization takes so long.

Atlus doesn't just take a game and throw it through a quick translation process. There's the weeks of the translators playing the original game to get a feel for it, then the weeks of the actual translation, the weeks of re-programming to make the new text, voice-overs, and graphics line up. Then you have the weeks of testing to remove bugs and finally the packaging and shipping process. On a good game release, you're looking at around three and a half months for the localization. For MMOs, you're looking at something much more intensive thanks to the amount of text involved.

Interested in the full process? Check out Atlus's production diary number 12 for the full rundown.

Reader Comments (6)

Yes, the people who actually care about the games make a real effort to localize them.

Atlus has done a great job with Neosteam, the company running it before them, not so well (they were running it into the ground).

And *SOME* games really are just ran through auto translators. I've played a number of them that really were just put through an auto translator and released. A lot of "English" Southeast Asian games are done like that, and it's practically as if the players don't even really care. We get some here in the US like that too tho, smaller games, smaller budgets, people who don't really know how to program, they purchase the rights to some older game, run the language code through an auto translator and replace it. It's HORRIBLE when they do that. Some people who just want to grind and feel like they have big levels don't mind as much, but I can't stand it.

Unfortunately, " localization was just a developer running everything through an auto-translator and shoving the game out the door"
IS THE CASE for 90% of the free to play games that I have played.
Also, Atlus is the bomb, and I hope to hear from them in the future.

And they make the eyes slightly smaller on all the toons. Job done.

Lol!
There's nothing creepy about the size of the eyes in the pic above. At all..

Atlus really stands out with the localization.

I can still remember the disgea games on the ps2. One of the rare games with a funny and engaging storyline that I actually wanted to play on more to uncover.

And about the South East Asian releases, it's true the localization is usually atrocious.

I'm playing Jade Dynasty now, a Chinese game ported over to the US. The US version has way better translation than the SEA version Celestial Destroyer. But bear in mind, the SEA version is actually closer to the original Chinese version. It uses a more literal translation which a western audience will find hard to connect with, but works for it's intended audience.

Western audience is that much more different, hence games released in the west have to be properly localized, otherwise it will fall flat.

Within Asia though, the cultures are more alike so less is lost in a translation. Probably has to do with budgets as well. In a lucrative market, there's more budget for extra polish.

Very interesting insight. Certainly explains why months of delays are justified when localizing from Japanese to English.

However, what about the NTSC to PAL convertions? Doesn't add up.
From what I understand, it is simply a small part of step 3 (2-ish weeks) and perhaps the minimum workload for steps 4-6 (10-ish weeks). All in all, supposedly 3 months. But then why does it usually take these games over half a year to reach us dinosaurs here in the "Old World"?

So that's how they localize a game...

Reader Comments (6)

Posted: Jul 23rd 2009 7:37PM MewmewGrrl said

Posted: Jul 23rd 2009 8:29PM Ozewa said

Posted: Jul 23rd 2009 9:09PM Russell Clarke said

Posted: Jul 24th 2009 12:04AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 5:58AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 11:13AM (Unverified) said

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