natural selection of translations

A third consideration (because we appreciate third positions in this list) is to emulate the book publishing industry.

We can regard the “number of languages the game was translated into” as a metric of success.

Thus, the game is translated only when there is specific demand in a language that justifies the cost.

Internally, I’m torn between translations as a metric of success and universalizing access to my games.

On one hand, I favor measuring success based on demand, but on the other hand, the scarcity of supply can restrict demand for our niche games.

This poses a dilemma for which I’m unsure of a solution.

Independent games typically delegate translation responsibilities to publishers.

Unfortunately, publishers willing to secure rights for specific geographical regions are becoming increasingly scarce.

While there are numerous publishers cross-releasing games between Eastern and Western markets, finding one interested solely in publishing an English-developed game in Germany, exclusively for the German market, is challenging.

This used to be the norm, but with the advent of digital downloads via platforms like Steam, this practice disappeared.

Unlike the film industry, which still exhibits regionalism despite digital platform emergence, we lack such distinctions.

Thus, an intermediate space exists that we must navigate, with each individual determining their stance.

I plan to adopt the following strategy for Dance of The Spirits:

Translate the Steam page into as many languages as feasible, engaging localizers for the three or four most important languages and utilizing LLMs for the remainder.
Assess wishlist distribution and launch with human translations for English and any language with a similar wishlist count.
If the game generates sufficient revenue to cover localization costs (at least 10% of earnings), I’ll localize it for the next language with a substantial wishlist count.

One question I have is whether players would appreciate or object to LLM translations if clearly labeled.

I believe it’s misleading to release a game with automatic translations without clarification.

However, if the language selection features an “AI” tag (I’m not contesting marketing strategies here), would it be as significant? What are your thoughts?

NOTE:

The language order may drastically change post-launch.

In my experience, wishlists often surge, altering language distribution compared to pre-launch.

Moreover, a prominent local streamer playing your game can significantly influence your distribution.

Thus, for point 3, periodic reevaluation of wishlist distribution is necessary to determine the next localization target, particularly after wishlist spikes.