The gaming industry has experienced unprecedented growth over the past decade, with a global audience that spans diverse cultures and languages. The global gaming market will generate $205.7 billion in 2026, and as games become more accessible worldwide, so will the importance of translation and localization grow.
Technological advances will keep influencing the video game localization industry in 2025 following last year’s trends. However, efforts in terms of accessibility and media trends will also have a big impact on game development and localization.
This article explores the key localization trends in the industry this year.
1. Increased AI Integration
We will generally see increased adoption of MT and LLMs –GenAI specifically– in the localization industry. In the game localization arena particularly, there will be increased MT integration into workflows with the help of advanced AI models. This technology can enhance efficiency and reduce costs, allowing developers to localize games into multiple languages with faster turnarounds.
These integrations will come in several forms:
- Quality estimation tools.
- AI-enhanced analytics.
- Speech-to-text and speech-to-speech capabilities.
On their 2024 recap, for instance, Slator highlighted the growing importance of AI Dubbing in the coming year. With companies like YouTube integrating AI dubbing into their services, we’re very likely to see a race for high-quality AI dubbing services in the upcoming months.
2. Focus on Cultural Sensitivity and Personalisation
As video games expand their reach, understanding and adapting to cultural nuances will be crucial. Developers must ensure that translations maintain the game’s tone and essence while being culturally relevant to different audiences. This includes adapting dialogue, cultural references, and even gameplay mechanics to meet regional preferences.
Another reason why cultural adaptation takes even more importance is profit. For instance, the increase in revenue due to mobile games in 2024 and growing markets such as Latin America and the Caribbean, highlight the ROI of offering remarkable localized experiences. Trends like “hyper-localization” have been growing to provide ultra-tailored experiences for target audiences. We will be hearing this term more often from now on.
Emerging concepts:
Imagineering: Imagination + Engineering
Term used by Disney to describe the company’s principle of “if it can be dreamt, it can be built”
This is an emerging trend taking importance in the localization scene. Some have already started talking about using this concept applying GenAI in creative industries to maximise the creative process. This would allow teams to use the technology to go beyond and create more.
3. Raising the Bar and Reaching More Audiences
MT quality has always been an issue in the localization industry in general. However, with MT and AI translation improvements comes the need to update and refine quality measures that adapt to the new reality of the market. Robust quality assurance (QA) processes will be essential to maintaining high standards.
We are entering an era of more regulated AI and more accessible services and products. In general, technology providers need to make sure that users have no restrictions to using their products. According to recent data, 31% of players in the US, and 29% in the UK have a disability. Taking this into account, designing games for accessibility turns out to be not only an ethical choice but also a sound investment that will increase player base and engagement.
4. Data-Driven Localization Strategies
Utilizing player data to inform localization choices will become more prevalent. Understanding player demographics and preferences can guide developers in selecting which languages to prioritize for localization. As we see an incursion of AI in marketing for instance, with tools to gather consumer insights, reports and behaviours, we can expect these practices to be applied to the video game industry.
Moreover, players’ feedback will be key in redirecting and creating development and localization efforts. Now players around the world have more say on the games they play thanks to player support platforms, forums, blogs, streaming platforms and social media. Integrating users’ feedback into localization becomes more and more important in this scenario to increase engagement.
Following the trends in the localization industry, we can see that this year will also be full of AI integration in the gaming industry. As usual, as a word of caution, localization strategies with integrated AI only might not be a good solution. Combining human expertise with AI precision and scalability can help tackle remaining issues in terms of cultural adaptation, language accuracy, and inclusivity.
