As games become more popular in international markets, developers and publishers need to know how to capitalize
on these opportunities quickly. The Game Localization Handbook is a comprehensive guide to producing localized games for any platform. Written for producers, translators, development personnel, studio management, publishers,
and anyone involved directly or indirectly with the production of localized games, the book provides insightful guidelines to
all the tasks involved.
The topics covered are divided into five main areas that provide details on the major aspects of game localization.
The first part defines localizations and discusses how to start thinking in a global mindset. It provides a general overview
of each phase of the localization process, including localization, internationalization, and software age ratings requirements. The next section discusses how to plan your localizations. You'll also find details on what pre-production tasks are required, along with specifics on creating localization-friendly code, working with third-party vendors, console submissions processes, and determining budgets, schedules, and staffing needs. Part three delves into the core of the production process and discusses what is involved in producing final,
code-released localized versions. Practical information is also presented on organizing assets for translations, asset integration, and testing. The next section focuses on the tasks that happen after the bulk of the games localization is finished, including marketing, creating localized demos, and assembling localization kits. In the final part, you'll explore common localization pitfalls and ways to avoid them, including
a case study of the localization of the Xboxฎ version of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Island Thunder. If you're part of the development teamed tasked with localizing your games, this
is a must-have resource!
Features!
* Concentrates on software localization specifically for the
game industry
* Discusses software localization for major gaming platforms
* Provides a detailed plan for planning and executing localized
games
* Concentrates on localizations for European and Asian
languages
* Offers advice from industry professionals on how to achieve
localization-friendly development and offers real-world case
studies
Part I Defining Localizations
Chapter 1 General Overview of Localization
Chapter 2 Issues in International Markets
Part II Planning Localizations
Chapter 3 Determining What to Localize
Chapter 4 Budgeting, Scheduling, and Staffing
Chapter 5 Working with Localization Vendors
Chapter 6 Working with Third-Party Publishers
Part III Producing Localizations
Chapter 7 Localization-Friendly Development
Chapter 8 Organizing Assets for Translation
Chapter 9 Integrating Translated Assets
Chapter 10 Testing and Releasing Localized Builds
Part IV Concluding Localizations
Chapter 11 Marketing
Chapter 12 Localization Kits
Part V Localization Lessons
Chapter 13 Localization Pitfalls
Chapter 14 Case Study of Ghost Recon Island Thunder
Appendix A Glossary of Localization Terms
Appendix B Suggested Reading
Appendix C Developer Biographies
Author Description
Heather Maxwell Chandler (Raleigh, NC) is a multimedia producer with over nine years of computer and video game industry experience. She is currently a producer at Red Storm Entertainment. Prior to working at Red Storm, she worked in production at Activision, Electronic Arts, and New Line Cinema. She was responsible for localizing over a dozen of the third-party games she worked on, including Vigilante 8, Apocalypse, the Shanghai series, the Heavy Gear series, Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield, and the Ghost Recon series. Heather also contributed several articles to Secrets of the Game Business (Charles River Media). She has a B.A. from Vanderbilt University, and an M.A. from the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television.