January 5, 2022

How To Find The Right Partner To Localize Your Mobile Game

You’ve developed a mobile game, published and launched it and it’s been extremely well-received. It’s been so well-received that its success has surpassed your expectations and now it’s time to grow beyond your market. 

If this is you, then expansion to new markets via localization is where you should look. 

In this blog post, we’ll take you through initial thinking points you should consider before settling on a localization partner. We’ll highlight key factors to consider when looking for the right localization partner for you, while giving you a brief look into what localization with Tamatem looks like.

Markets to Expand To

Before anything, you need to hone in on exactly which market(s) you’re expanding to. Taking your mobile game to an international market is no easy feat, so you need to be fully certain on which part of the world you’re heading to before you start any localization efforts.

Emerging markets, such as Latin America or Asia, are high-growth opportunities in the mobile games industry. The MENA region is a frontrunner with attractive stats and demographics that make it a high growth high return market to enter. With around 422 million Arabic speakers, booming smartphone penetration rates and large spending power, MENA is where you should take your mobile game.

Understanding localization

Let’s say you’ve done your research and you’ve decided on the market you’ll be expanding your mobile game into. At this point, you should start familiarizing yourself with what the localization process will look like in order to get a grasp on the road ahead of you. Say you’ve chosen MENA as the region you’ll be expanding to: with Arabic as the first language, it’s pretty simple then – you just translate your game to Arabic and you’re set, right? If only it were that simple.

For example, although the MENA region’s main language is Arabic each country has a different accent or dialect. Will you be targeting only a handful of countries in the region, like the Gulf? Or will you target all of MENA? Are you familiar with the Arabic language yourself? Will you manage the translation or will you hire a partner? 

While localizing your game does involve a great deal of translation, it also must take into account elements like cultural norms and isms, religious aspects, and so on, meaning that simply translating your game from one language to the next is not really considered localization.

Finding A Partner

The process of localizing a mobile game can be lengthy and complex, especially when entering an international market with different trends, demographics, languages and so on. With that in mind, we highly recommend partnering with a local mobile games publisher in the region you’re expanding to.

During this process, do your research and lay out your options – filter through them based on reputation, track record, resources, time limitations, and whatever else your needs involve. Once you narrow down your options to a few key contenders, meet in person and do a vibe-check before signing a contract; essentially just check whether you both have the same vision and that you won’t bump heads down the line.

It’s absolutely critical to choose the right mobile game publishing partner to localize your game, so here’s a quick checklist of what the right partner will have:

A deep understanding of the region’s language, culture, traditions, points of sensitivity and so on

A solid grasp on market trends, needs, consumer profiles, and target demographics

A number-backed track record showing that they’ve successfully localized and launched several mobile games in the region

A well-rounded grasp on other key aspects involved in the process beyond translation (marketing, app store optimization, data analytics, etc..)

Reliable work ethic, clear communication, and values that align with yours

Localizing your mobile game with Tamatem

Many game developers face the pitfall of localizing and launching their mobile game in an international market on their own, thinking it’s a simple process that can be taken up as a do-it-yourself project. The reality is quite the opposite; you’re way better off partnering with a top mobile games publisher, like Tamatem, to ensure that the localization efforts fully pay off.

Having been at the forefront of mobile game publishing in MENA, Tamatem Games has an impressive track record in localizing and launching mobile games in the region. Partnering with us gives you an end-to-end, fully-serviced localization experience that involves careful execution of every step of the process. From market research, to translation, to data anaylitcs, marketing and launch, our team of experts is guaranteed to manage your mobile game localization process smoothly and successfully.

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