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 Xbox® 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 game SKUs.
• 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

Heather Maxwell Chandler has been involved with game production since 1996. She recently founded Media Sunshine, Inc., a company which provides game development consulting services to developers, publishers, and vendors. Prior to the creation of MSI, Heather held various production roles at Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and Activision, where she shipped over 30 games. She is the author of The Game Localization Handbook (Charles River Media, 2004) and has published several other articles on game development and production, including three chapters in Secrets of the Game Business, Second Edition (Charles River Media, 2005).