Translating game text, conversations, online help, marketing materials & websites;
Voice Overs in 30 languages, including English;
Post-Production Services, including subtitling to fit any screen;
Localization of text, graphics, symbols, sound and storylines;
RUSH Service to meet any release date, available by special arrangement.

1 – Box and documentation localization, in which the box and documentation or game manuals will be translated, but not the game itself. This tactic may be used if the game has little text or story, such as early arcade games, or if the target locale is expected to have a decent command of the original language; for example, for importing English-language games such as Secret of Mana or Terranigma into Scandinavian countries.

2 – Partial localization, in which game text is translated but voiceover files are not. This helps cut down on the cost of hiring actors and re-recording dialogue while still making the game comprehensible in another language.

3 – Full localization, where all of a game’s assets will be translated, including voiceover, game text, graphics and manuals. This is the most expensive option.

The post-gold localization model is undertaken when the original game has already been completed, and usually has already been released. As a result, there is a lag between the release of the original and the release of the localized versions.

The post-gold model enables localizers to access a completed game rather than working with incomplete bits and pieces. It generally allows for more time to complete translations, so fewer translation errors occur with this method. This model is used commonly by Japanese AAA producers, although these companies are starting to move towards a sim-ship method for marketing reasons.

The sim-ship model, short for simultaneous shipment, allows a game to be released in multiple regions at the same time. Because games have a short shelf life and are prone to be pirated, there is a profit incentive to release games simultaneously across the globe. However, with this method, a completed version of the game is unlikely to be made available for localization workers, resulting in a greater risk for translation errors, as crucial context and game information may be missing. Most Western games follow the sim-ship method of production.

First Person | Shooter | Adventure | Simulation | Strategy
Sports | RPG | Educational | Virtual Reality

PC | PSP | Mac | DS/D Si | PS3 | Tablets | PS4 | Android | Xbox 360 | iOS | Xbox One | J2ME
MMO | Symbian | Nintendo Wii & Wii U | Windows CE

Games localized for import into Germany are often significantly adapted due to the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle’s (USK) strict policies against blood and gore, profanity, and symbols associated with racial hatred, such as Nazi symbolism.

For instance, the German version of Team Fortress 2 (2007) shows no blood or dismembered body parts as a result of this regulation, which can cause difficulty for players as it is hard to tell if an enemy has been hit or damaged. As a result, mods known as “bloodpatches” have been created for this and many German games to unlock the blood and gore of the original game. To take another example, despite a significant graphics overhaul, the German localization of the World War II game Wolfenstein (2009) contained a single visible swastika on an art asset. As a result, Raven Software recalled the game.