CONFERENCE
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LOCALIZATION
Tuesday, March 26
Game localization is a vital function of the ever-expanding global game industry as it's responsible for half of the industry's total revenue stream. Successful game publishers and developers realize that localized versions of their games can drive revenues and increase international appeal. Beyond existing gaming markets, the demand is quickly increasing from a growing number of countries and emerging markets around the world, which is prompting publishers to localize and even culturalize more titles into more languages to maximize their ROI. The Localization Summit at GDC is supported and organized by the IGDA Game Localization SIG, and it is aimed at helping localization professionals as well as the entire community of game developers and publishers understand how to plan and execute game localization and culturalization as a part of the development cycle. Professionals from all departments and all areas of expertise are welcome to attend this full day of lectures, panels and game postmortems.
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2013 HIGHLIGHTED SESSIONS
Localization Microtalks: Around the World in Sixty Minutes
David Ashton (SDL), Paul Chavez (Sony Network Entertainment), David Kim (Animoca), Fabio Ravetto (Binari Sonori Srl), Oded Sharon (Dragonplay), Luis Wong (IGDA Peru )
Returning for a second time at the Localization Summit, this special session will present a diversity of topics pertaining to current issues in game localization in a quick-paced format. If you're seeking to gain insights across a broad range of localization topics, this is a must-attend session! The topics will include: Smack Talk, Big Data, and Localization David Ashton (SDL) Why You Should Care About Latin America Luis Wong (IGDA Peru) Windows 8 Launch Games ? Localizing 40 Languages on a New Platform Paul Chavez (Independent) Stitching. A. Few. Tips. To. Achieve. Smooth. Results. Fabio Ravetto (Binari Sonori Srl) Reimagining Africa: Unlocking the Potential Africa Through Interactive Digital Innovation! Sipho Ngwenya (Afroes Transformational Multi-Media & Consulting) Localization Case Study: How Pretty Pets Became an International Franchise David Kim (Animoca)
Return on Investing in a Robust Localization Database
Chris Burgess (SCEE)
Using inFAMOUS2 (PS3) and Resistance Burning Skies (PS Vita) as a case study, this presentation will provide substantial evidence that supports investing in a full-featured, fully functional localization asset management database. Each project used different versions of Sony's proprietary database ? LAMS. Examples will be given that compare the LAMS database used for inFAMOUS2 and the time spent working in the tool managing the assets, versus the time spent working with the Resistance Burning Skies LAMS database. Considerable upgrades were made to the Resistance Burning Skies database, and these features improved productivity and freed time for creativity while managing all of the localized assets. This analysis will help you to understand your return on investing in an optimized, full-featured localization database.
The Western Games That Conquered China
Henry Fong (Yodo1)
This session will explain how to launch a Western mobile game in China on both iOS and Android, by using case studies of various Western hit games that have done well in China. Highlights will include how to localize your games with the tastes of Chinese gamers in mind, how to effectively promote and distribute your games in China's highly fragmented market, how to leverage China's local social media, and how to localize your monetization strategy.
BBC, Cross-Media and Video Games
Robert Nashak (BBC Worldwide, Digital Entertainment & Games)
For big media companies with worldwide television and film distribution, what are the opportunities and challenges they face in developing truly global digital and games strategies around their content? Robert Nashak, EVP of BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment & Games, will address BBC's global strategy for game development based on TV properties, including specific case studies for BBC brands such as Top Gear.
The Emerging Landscape of African Game Development
Wesley Kirinya (Leti Games)
Eyram Tawia (Leti Games)
Eyram Tawia (Leti Games)
There are hundreds of tribes in Africa, each with its own rich culture and games. For African audiences, video games are only a new medium to play what has already existed for centuries before. A video game developer in Africa must be able to design across the cultural boundaries, and educate the player in using new interactive technologies. There has been tremendous growth in mobile technology and the number of mobile users, so mobile phones have become the most popular gaming platform. However, political issues have affected many communities on the continent, which has led to any media, such as newspapers, television, and radio, being sensitive about the content they release to the public. Video games are no exception to this rule, and thus game creators must be careful about the themes and ideas behind their games. Sharing over 7 years of experience as game developers in Africa, the speakers will present an overview of the African market and the emerging landscape for game development.
LOCALIZATION SUMMIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Miguel Á. Bernal-Merino
University of Roehampton, London
Miguel Á. Bernal-Merino is a lecturer and researcher in multimedia interactive localization. He has worked non-stop for the past few years to raise awareness about the issues involved in the localization of video games, both within the industry and academia, by leading several events in Europe and the US. He believes passionately that localized versions play as wonderfully as the original ones and looks at the challenging road ahead with positive determination and excitement. He remains committed to building the bridges that will allow developers, publishers, localizers, and academics understand each other's work better and ultimately improve overall quality, player satisfaction, and ROI.
His expertise lies in the translation of rich media texts (such as video games, films, etc.). He has several publications on audiovisual translation and game localization. Although permanently based at the University of Roehampton in London, he is invited as a guest lecturer to many universities around Europe. He is also working toward a full integration of game-like applications to enhance literacy and language learning, complementing formal education.
His expertise lies in the translation of rich media texts (such as video games, films, etc.). He has several publications on audiovisual translation and game localization. Although permanently based at the University of Roehampton in London, he is invited as a guest lecturer to many universities around Europe. He is also working toward a full integration of game-like applications to enhance literacy and language learning, complementing formal education.
Kate Edwards
Englobe
Kate is the executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and the founder and principal consultant of Englobe Inc., a Seattle-based niche consultancy for content culturalization. Kate is a gamer that became a unique hybrid of an academic geographer, writer, and geocultural content strategist; all coexisting with a passion for cultures, technology, and games. As Microsoft's former geopolitical strategist in the Geopolitical Strategy team (a position and team she created and managed), Kate was responsible for protecting against political and cultural content errors across all MS products and locales. She implemented a "geopolitical quality" review process in the Microsoft Game Studios and was personally responsible for reviewing potential sensitivities in all first-party games. Since leaving Microsoft, she has worked on numerous titles, including Dragon Age 1 & 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dance Central 1-3, and Halo 4. Kate is also the founder and former chair of the IGDA Game Localization SIG and a regular columnist for MultiLingual Computing.
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