Where Should You Go to Have Your Game Localized into Russian?

The Russian video game market is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. According to data from the analytics company Nimdzi, Russian is one of the leading languages in which people play video games. In 2020, 22.52% of all games on Steam (7,842 games) were available in Russian. A significant number of these games were not developed in Russia. Localization companies helped them break into the Russian market.

In this article, we’re going to talk about the main companies you can trust to localize your game into Russian.

We evaluated them based on the following criteria:

• Partnerships with major game publishers
• Leading positions in international rankings
• The ability to provide localization-adjacent services
• Production resources in Russia

If a studio has partnerships with leading game publishers, that means those publishers trust the localizer’s professionalism. This speaks to the provider’s stability, their ability to complete the most challenging projects, and how easy they are to work with.

Achieving leading positions in international rankings is an important, but not a definitive criterion. The top companies on international translation and localization rankings have significant financial resources and a high degree of process automation. However, game localization may not be their primary focus.

A company that can provide localization-adjacent services is able to cover every stage of the full localization cycle. Clients who hire companies that are able to provide these services won’t have to spend time and money looking for additional suppliers.

Having permanent production resources in Russia is also extremely important. Keep in mind that the cost of labor can vary greatly from country to country. For example, localization specialists from a Russian company are much less expensive than those from an American company. In addition, since the work will be performed by residents of the target country, having a production office in Russia will provide the best possible results.

Lionbridge

Lionbridge is one of the leaders in the field of translation and localization. It has over 6,000 employees. Lionbridge can translate and localize games into any language in the world. Their clients include famous brands such as Microsoft, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Good Shepherd Entertainment, Nexon, NCSOFT, WB Games, and more.

Lionbridge’s primary advantage is their ability to cover every stage of the localization cycle. In addition to game localization, Lionbridge performs localization testings, analyzes localization effectiveness, adapts game design elements, translates technical documentation for developers, provides customer support, and offers other services as well.

It might seem like Lionbridge should be able to effectively promote games on the Russian market. However, its lack of a branch in Russia interferes with its ability to provide this service. All the company’s resources are located in the US.

Pros: leading positions on international rankings of linguistic service providers, partnerships with leading video game brands, ability to provide localization-adjacent services.

Cons: lack of production resources for translating games in Russia.

Localize Direct

Localize Direct has been localizing games for over a decade. The company’s headquarters is located in Switzerland. Localize Direct does not have branches in any other countries. However, the company does have a large pool of representatives living in the UK, Vietnam, Russia, Ukraine, and other countries. Localize Direct’s game localization processes are based entirely on recruiting freelancers. Unlike the other companies on this list, it does not provide localization-adjacent services.

Localize Direct works with AIGRIND, RIPSTONE, Pixonic, Fuzzi Logic, Rebellion, and other companies.

Pros: timely project completion.

Cons: lack of production resources for translating games in Russia.

Logrus IT

Logrus IT is the largest game localization company in Russia. It has over 170 employees. Logrus IT has been translating and localizing games since 1997.It has localized over 500 titles during this time. Its projects include major AAA games (Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs, etc.) as well as mobile games (Champions Legion, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, etc.). Its partners include brands such as Ubisoft, Blizzard, Riot Games, Wargaming, Microsoft Xbox, NetEase Games, Moonton, Perfect World, Creative Mobile, and more. Logrus IT also works with indie game developers.

The company’s headquarters is located in the US, but its main production office and recording studio are in Russia.

In addition to translation and localization, Logrus IT provides voiceover recording, content development, and promotional material development for video games. The company also provides customer support. It offers these services in Russian, English, Chinese, and Korean.

Pros: production office in Russia, partnerships with leading video game brands, ability to provide localization-adjacent services.

Cons: its size, although the company is very well-represented in Russia.

Pole To Win

Pole To Win (PTW) is one of the leading companies in the Eastern European localization market. Its partners include brands such as Sega, Capcom, Deep Silver, Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and more. The company has about 2,000 employees. It has its own recording studios.

In addition to game localization, PTW’s services include:

• Multilingual customer support
• Localization quality assurance
• Game development consulting

PTW has ten offices located in the US, the UK, Romania, India, China, South Korea, and other countries. Unfortunately, it does not have its own resources for localizing games into Russian. It outsources these projects.

Pros: partnerships with video game brands, ability to provide localization-adjacent services.

Cons: lack of production resources for translating games in Russia.

TransPerfect

TransPerfect is one of the largest corporations providing game localization services. Its partners include brands such as NCSOFT, Netmarble, Tencent, Ubisoft, and Garena. The company has an impressive staff of 5,700 employees. TransPerfect’s headquarters is located in New York City. It also has offices scattered across the globe. One of them is in Russia. However, TransPerfect’s core resources are located elsewhere. The company does not have in-house employees in Russia who are responsible for localizing games into Russian.

In addition to game localization, TransPerfect offers a number of adjacent services, including:

• Localization testing
• Community management and customer support
• Game design and original character creation

It’s worth noting that video game localization is not TransPerfect’s primary focus. The company’s main strengths include mobile app and website localization, documentation translation, consulting, and HR.

Pros: leading positions on international rankings of linguistic service providers, partnerships with leading video game brands, ability to provide localization-adjacent services, representation in Russia.

Cons: lack of production resources for translating games in Russia.

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