Supercharge Your Game Localization and Testing: The Power of AI and Strategic Partnerships

In 2023 the global video game market reached approximately $184.0 billion in revenue. Players expectations are higher than ever before. They demand more intricate narratives, immersive worlds and seamless localization. Developers are left with no small challenge: quickly scale their video games globally, without compromising on quality.

Game Localization and testing are essential parts of this journey: they have the vital task to ensure games resonate with a global audience and perform flawlessly.  However, as AAA games grow in scope and sophistication, traditional approaches to localization and testing are reaching their limits.

Increasing requirements for volume, technical demands and cultural accuracy, calls for a strategic overhaul and the adoption of new technologies, to meet the new expectations of the industry. Integrating new tools into your team’s workflow, can supercharge your project. From automation to AI and Machine Learning, technology is reshaping how games are localized, tested, and delivered to global markets.

At the same time, the wider availability of these technologies brings new questions to the surface: How can we leverage AI, while safeguarding creativity? How can we scale processes without losing the human touch that makes games truly resonate with players?

3 Reasons to add AI to your Game Localization & Testing workflow

The growing size and complexity of games have made technology a necessity in localization and QA testing workflows. That’s why at Keywords Studios, we’ve been investing in developing our Globalize Supercharge by Tech Platform. AI-driven tools offer three primary advantages that are transforming how the industry approaches these challenges.

Scalability

As games grow larger, with open worlds, and branching narratives, scaling QA and Localization efforts becomes increasingly difficult. By striking the right balance between integrated AI tools and specialist teams, game publishers can expand their reach to global markets faster, without compromising on quality or authenticity. This approach helps ensure your game stays on track and your projects remain on schedule. For example, some use cases include ensuring consistent quality across multiple languages; enabling rapid updates crucial for live-service games; and shifting testing phases earlier by automating its early phases. This delivers a more polished experience for players, while avoiding costly headcount scaling on the medium-long term.

Re-focusing your team on high-value tasks

Tech and AI-driven automation tools are particularly effective at handling repetitive tasks. For example, Keywords Studios’ Globalize Tech Platform, streamlines bug reporting by generating accurate metadata and context while standardizing communication with developers. This shift enables teams to move away from time-intensive activities like long playthroughs, video capturing, and metadata checks. This frees up time to focus on higher-priority work like gameplay refinement and delivering culturally authentic player experiences.

Leveraging Insights

Tech doesn’t just speed up processes; it can also make them smarter. You can leverage Machine Learning to analyse vast data sets and help your team make more informed decisions. Practical applications include using available data to pick the most suited translators to localize specific games, or assigning teams based on higher-priorities areas.