Original Versions with Multilingual Voices
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Building a video game requires time and resources to help different specialized teams craft a consistent experience. As the launch date approaches, you enter the final stages of development and begin thinking about localization, with one question in mind: how do you ensure players around the world experience your game exactly as intended? In a fast-paced world, localization is sometimes reduced to a step for quickly launching in international markets. So you send a spreadsheet to translators and import the text straight away. But translating your vision and bringing your universe to life across different cultures requires more than that, and if nothing has been prepared, you’re heading straight into a wall.
You need to prepare a Localization Kit or Lockit, and no, it is not just an export of your game content.
Here's the thing: a spreadsheet full of raw and isolated text is not a Lockit as it can sometimes be called, but rather a text dump. A true lockit is the link between linguists and the development team. It’s not just an export of game content, but a comprehensive package of resources designed to provide as much context and information as possible. Far from being a single file, a well-built lockit brings together a wide range of assets, which we’ll break down in this article. Rather than simply giving translators words to convert, your lockit needs to act as a portal, an open window into your game’s universe, helping understand the story and connect with your characters, tone, and lore.
Putting together a lockit might feel like an extra step in an already tight production schedule, but it’s actually one of the smartest investments you can make. Treating localization as an afterthought can put your budget at risk and lead to negative reviews. Here’s how your lockit can become a real safeguard against those issues.
If building a comprehensive package of resources feels overwhelming, take a deep breath, you don’t need to recreate everything from scratch. You already have what you need, creating a lockit is simply about gathering it all in one place. We have prepared for you an extensive checklist of what you need to make the perfect game lockit. Here are the categories of the elements you'll find below:
This is the first step in preparing your localization process: exporting the source game text. But how you organize and send it makes all the difference: format, order, notes, every detail matters.
Export your text using standard, structured localization formats. The exact file format matters less than the content organization itself.
Classify your string ID to keep text in the exact order it appears in game so translators can naturally follow the flow of the content.
Add a notes column or metadata field to provide additional context when necessary, such as puns, cultural references, or ambiguous interactions.
Clearly define what any dynamic code variables are. Sometimes they are explicit, like {PlayerName} or {Weapon}, but sometimes they are less clear, such as {%s}, {0}, or {1}.
{%s} refers to a grenade (feminine) or a shield (masculine), the following adjective must change accordingly.
Whether you are using a TMS or just an Excel file, having a tag that tracks the current state of each text string is crucial. The most common status are Draft, Need Translation, Translated, To Proofread, Source Change, Reviewed or Validated
Test your typography early using approximate translations or pseudo-localization to ensure your chosen fonts support all target languages and character sets.
Translating text without seeing the screen is like trying to parallel park blindfolded. Translators need to experience your game and have access to visual elements to reinforce their understanding of the context.
If you have a stable beta version or a demo, give the linguists access to play it directly.
Playing the game takes time, and even when translators have already played it, they may still need a refresher. By providing recorded gameplay, walkthrough videos, or images, developers can make contextual understanding much easier.
UI elements usually require careful attention. Providing clear images of menus, inventory screens, skill trees, and dialogue boxes helps anticipate potential UI issues.
Think of this as the master guide to your game. You don't have to share the entire GDD, but streamline the main creative pillars to make sure linguists and translators can soak in the lore atmosphere.
Provide an overview of the core vision of a game, including its mechanics, gameplay systems, story, characters, level design, user interface, and technical requirements.
Share your characters sheets, including concept arts, names, ages, physical descriptions, and distinct personality traits.
Clearly map out the relationships between characters, how they are connected, and what they think of one another.
Provide a clear flowchart or visual map of branching conversations, showing exactly how player choices connect to responses.
This document will act as your specific game lexicon, containing all linguistic assets and unique vocabulary proper to your game, allowing to set the foundation that will support the entire translation team.
Include names of characters, cities, factions, planets and so one. Then decide if they need to be localized or not.
Establish a list for loot, gear, materials, weapons, spells and more. This includes defining standardized naming rules, contextual usage notes, and references.
Certification ensures game text follows each platform’s required terminology and compliance rules.
This includes any terms in the glossary that either need to remain unchanged from the source language or have specific IP-related translations.
While your glossary ensures specific terms are used consistently, your style guide defines the broader picture of your tone, writing personality, and target audience.
Clearly define who the game is intended for and the target age group, but keep in mind that age rating strictness varies widely across the globe.
Specify the narrative tone, whether it should feel gritty and cyberpunk, whimsical and medieval, or sterile and corporate.
Outline any specific phrasing styles, slang guidelines, or forbidden words.
No matter how comprehensive your Lockit might be, localization is a deeply human process, and questions will inevitably come up. The secret to keep your production timeline on track isn't just preventing questions but managing them efficiently. That's why establishing a structured communication pipeline can transform potential development bottlenecks into a smooth and collaborative workflow.
Establish a unified communication channel for project managers and translators to ask questions and clarify ambiguities with the developers.
Create a unified document used by linguists to ask questions about unclear or ambiguous elements in the source text and to flag specific string IDs.
Building a comprehensive, well-structured game localization kit is everyone’s concern, from the dev team and producers to narrative designers and even concept art teams. It’s not just another task in your development process; it is your development process. Centralizing everything is key to unlocking successful localization and pleasing a global audience.
By organizing your workflow and taking the time to bring together all key elements: source files, visual context, game design, glossaries, style guides, and communication, you set your localization team up for success. The time you invest today in creating a loc kit will certainly save you weeks of bug fixing, protect your creative vision, and ensure it is carried perfectly across the world.
So now you know.
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