Localization Services for iGaming

The digital world is gaining relevance day by day, and everyone wants to stay connected as these innovations unfold. The same can also be said of the gaming industry, as it continues to grow, there are bound to be innovations.

One of these innovations is iGaming, which is online wagering on the outcome of a game or event. This is one of the fastest-growing industries. In 2021, it was worth an estimated 61.5 billion U.S. dollars and is forecasted to increase 86 percent by 2028. Currently, online gaming is legal in some form in 17 countries.

So, you should see it as replicating the real world of gaming in the digital space, where people can bet in a casino or place a bet on a horse without being there in person.

The popularity of iGaming does not change the fact that 44% of internet users will immediately reject your website if it is English only, which means that if your gaming brand can’t provide any language other than English, you could be losing about 44% of your prospective clients.

Currently, proactive companies are beginning to employ translation services for iGames, because they understand the role language has to play in marketing.  Research has shown that 56% of a brand’s customer base is likely to pay more for services if it localized to suit them. Such an audience can be leveraged by providing the translation and localization of iGames, to suit the local audiences and generate more revenue from iGaming.

So, what is iGaming localization in this context? This is not simply providing your game in a specific country or market, but specifically adapting your games, online betting platforms, and even online casinos, for a specific audience and culture. If your product is offered in the native language of your audience, about 90% of the natives would be willing to engage in your content, which means more gamers playing your games.

Localization of iGames

Translating and localizing iGames is not just about translating the words to another language, effective localized translations can only be achieved by speaking the native language your target audience understands.

As the iGaming industry is gaining more popularity and growth, organizations must begin to adapt their content to suit the audience they are marketing to and make them feel like you have them in mind when localizing iGames.

Today’s games require more than just translating and changing the title to be localized.

Think about the supplementary materials for the game, such as manuals and guides—the various controls, the backstory of each character, how their stories connect, etc.

Word-for-word translation from one language to another is grossly inadequate. A phrase or even a word that sounds perfectly understandable in one language may have a completely different meaning in another due to cultural differences. An experienced translator that specializes in the gaming industry can help provide the most suitable translation for the target market.

Software developers and gaming operators are constantly coming up with new ideas to stay ahead of the growing sophistication of players and compete in the market. Players are currently exposed to a variety of game customizations along with a diversity of gaming products.

For instance, there are a ton of slots available that can be customized in terms of themes, stories, pictures, gameplay, soundtracks, and more. If you want to target the African market, you can incorporate an African theme into your product by including certain scenes, locations, or native songs.

The iGaming and traditional video game industries are growing at a fast pace, and a wise investment would be using localization to reach a wider audience. Localizing iGames could give you access to billions more players than just millions, given that there are currently over 2.5 billion gamers worldwide. This emphasizes the importance of localizing your casino platforms and iGames to reach a larger audience of players.

For example, the movie industry has been able to increase the amount of local content from various nations where they want their movies to be seen and accepted. (Remember the African concept “Wakanda” in the Marvel Avengers Franchise).

Although the gaming industry is highly regulated by the government, the ability to communicate terms and conditions clearly and accurately to customers is essential for establishing and maintaining trust, which is another key justification for game localization and content translation.

In performing all these, there is a need to have a localization strategy that would help you determine the aspects of your brand that you would like to adapt or change to suit your audience.

The questions you should pose include, but are not limited to: what resources are needed for the project who will the target audience be, and what game features should be translated and localized to the target market?

As explained in the previous paragraphs, players are less likely to download a game unless it is offered in their language. The localization of games has many benefits, including more purchases and higher sales.

Basics Steps to Take for Localization

Here are some simple steps you can take for the successful localization of games and content for your target audience:

• The materials you’ll require, including personnel, funds, and voice actors
• Which country or region will you localize the game for?
• What will be translated, or more specifically, what do you need to translate?
  • Whether text and visual components other than the dialogue and in-game instructions will need to be modified (for example street: signs or billboards contained within the game)
• Hire a localization company that is experienced in the translation of iGames, the localization of the software, and can support voice-overs, subtitling, and testing.

Conclusion

One of the outstanding features of top organizations is understanding how to adapt products to the target audience. The iGaming industry is at a fast-growing stage and this feature can be adopted, as this would be an ideal time to introduce translation and localization of games to increase market share. Engage now and reap the rewards of a huge fanbase and increased revenue.