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The use of generative AI (GenAI) in game localization elicits strong opinions. Some developers, localization professionals, and players oppose it, worried about its impact on creativity, quality, and authenticity. Others see its potential to improve efficiency as game studios face mounting pressure to accelerate global releases.
Where exactly does AI belong in game localization? Where can it improve workflows? Where does it fall short? Industry experts explored these questions and more during the webinar, “Taboo or Tool: Redefining AI’s Role in Game Globalization.”
Hosted by MultiLingual Media with support from Lionbridge, the webinar featured moderator Eddie Arrieta, CEO of MultiLingual Media, and panelists Brynn Andrews, Localization Manager at NC America; Mark DeLoura, VP Content Strategy at GDC, Informa; and Nicolas Underwood, Director of Games Product Management at Lionbridge Games.
The panel asserted that AI is neither good nor bad, but it can help studios overcome some of their most pressing challenges.
Want to watch the webinar in full? Click the button below to access the on-demand recording.
How Do Players Typically View AI for Games?
“In [the general player’s mind] there’s an association between something being AI and it being bad quality. ... There are many ways in which it can and should be improving the player experience.”
—Nicolas Underwood, Director of Games Product Management at Lionbridge Games
In large part, players are skeptical of AI in games. Why? Many have endured disappointing experiences in which AI was obvious, and game quality suffered. Unsatisfactory results have fueled distrust and dislike of AI. But is this perception fixed?
Lionbridge’s Nicolas Underwood envisions a day when players not only accept AI but also demand it because of the improvements it brings to gameplay. Poor outcomes are avoidable when AI and humans work together collaboratively.
How Is AI Changing Game Localization?
AI is reshaping the game localization landscape by offering a broader range of tools for studios and localization teams and introducing new ways of working and collaborating. The focus is no longer on whether to use AI; it’s on how to integrate it thoughtfully into the workflow and strike the right balance between technology and human expertise.
Panelists emphasized that AI is not a replacement for people but a way to reduce their mental load and augment their capabilities. It has prompted studios to reconsider traditional approaches in favor of more flexible processes tailored to each game’s unique needs. AI is now part of the toolkit for handling large volumes of repetitive text, freeing professional linguists to focus on the creative aspects that require a human touch.
This evolution is also reshaping expectations for quality and authenticity. With human oversight, localization teams can ensure that AI-assisted game localization feels as carefully crafted as the original. As AI matures, studios are learning to leverage its strengths and manage its limitations.
What Are the Benefits of AI Game Localization?
AI game localization delivers tangible business outcomes that help studios succeed.
By integrating AI into localization workflows, studios can accelerate time-to-market, enable faster multilingual launches, and expand their reach to new audiences while respecting cultural nuances and each game's unique identity. This speed gives game studios a strategic advantage, helping them build momentum across regions.
Cost reduction is another key benefit. Studios report a strong Return on Investment (ROI) from AI, as it helps reduce localization costs without compromising quality. By localizing content that resonates with diverse communities and cultures at a lower cost, game studios can reinvest their savings to add new languages.
The advantages of faster launches, cost savings, and broader reach help studios expand their player base, strengthen their brand, and compete more effectively.
How Does AI Strengthen the Game Localization Workflow?
With human oversight, AI improves the localization workflow by delivering:
- Efficiency through accelerated workflows
- Consistency because it always works from the same set of instructions
- Rigor in adhering to rules that are not as easy for humans to maintain
Moreover, here’s how AI can further improve game translation outcomes. It understands implicit messages in dialogue and can relay this additional awareness to the translator working on the content as part of the workflow. AI post-editing may be used to identify additional issues during Quality Assurance initiatives.
Where Should Humans Take the Lead in Game Localization?
“It takes the curatorial element of a human to make something which feels good to a human, at least in the majority of cases.”
—Mark DeLoura, VP Content Strategy at GDC, Informa
While AI excels at consistently applying coherent instructions to accelerate processes, human contributions remain essential for more creative aspects, such as defining those instructions and reinforcing nuanced content, including dialogue, lore, humor, and cultural references.
Human judgment is essential for adapting character voices, ensuring jokes land and emotional moments resonate. Their decisions make content feel naturally tailored to each audience. The most successful localization blends AI’s speed and consistency with the creative insight only humans can deliver.
How Can You Promote Successful Outcomes When Using AI for Games?
Provide impeccable instructions to AI
While Large Language Models (LLMs) are an effective tool, they won’t produce desired results without effort.
First and foremost, be sure to give the engine clear instructions so it understands what you are asking it to do. Missing an element in your prompt? Expect mistakes. Moreover, your translation output will vary depending on your word choice, such as whether you call a character "robust" or "strong."
Pro tip: Use fewer, more accurate words in your prompt.
Opt for real-world testing
While it might be tempting to rely solely on publicly available information about AI models, you’ll gain greater insight by using it alongside your actual data. That’s because an engine that works well for one game may not perform as well in another. Similarly, an engine that works well for one industry may not work well for games.
Pro tip: Narrow your AI options through research, then pilot the engine before integrating it into your workflow.
Never trust a single source
Protect yourself from poor AI translation by using cross-checks. Implement localization governance, enlist a human in the loop who is trained on the content (not just a native speaker), or use multiple LLMs to cross-check one another.
Pro tip: : Always check your AI output early in the process.
Why Are Generic AI Tools Insufficient for AI-Powered Game Localization?
Generic AI tools may be helpful for basic translation tasks, but they often struggle with the complexity and diversity found in games. Games introduce unique worlds, characters, terminology, and technical requirements that demand specialized solutions. Generic language models are not trained to handle the context-specific challenges of game localization or the management of formatting and gender variations across languages.
Lionbridge Samurai™ is designed specifically to address the needs of game localization. In this AI-powered game localization approach, expert human linguists guide the LLM and translate content to deliver human-quality game localization with unprecedented efficiency.
Samurai delivers context-aware, high-quality translations for every content type, including dialogue, menus, patch notes, item lists, minigame titles, and more. Beyond translation, Lionbridge Samurai excels at text transformation tasks, offering rapid iteration and on-the-fly LLM strategy tweaks from translators.
What Should You Look for in a Partner When Implementing AI in Game Localization?
When selecting a partner to help implement AI-driven localization, studios must factor in trust and governance to protect their game’s mission-critical content.
Robust governance ensures sensitive material remains secure. A reliable localization partner will be transparent about how your content is handled, safeguard your intellectual property, and adhere to strict confidentiality standards.
What Are the Key Webinar Takeaways?
This webinar explored AI for games and its role in game localization.
Here are the key points:
- AI is transforming game localization by helping studios release games faster, reach more markets, and launch globally. Still, it raises important questions about preserving each game’s unique voice and maintaining player trust.
- Rather than viewing AI as positive or negative, the focus should be on identifying where AI belongs in the process.
- AI is easiest to deploy for automating tedious or formulaic localization tasks, such as skill descriptions and repetitive strings, reducing linguists’ mental load and allowing them to focus on creative content.
- Human expertise remains essential for defining the way we want the AI to behave and leveling up creative, context-heavy aspects of localization, such as dialogue and lore, to ensure player immersion remains intact.
- Game localization requires AI solutions specifically designed for game-specific context, rather than generic language models, because of the diverse worlds, characters, terminology, and technical constraints unique to each game.
- Collaboration between AI and human experts can bring greater efficiency, consistency, and rigor to the localization process. Still, a human-in-the-loop approach is vital for creative guidance and quality control.
- Governance, trust, and vendor relationships are increasingly important as studios share mission-critical information with AI tools and localization partners.
Attendees’ Questions Answered
Panelists highlighted that anything fundamentally human, such as humor, continues to pose challenges for AI. Cultural adaptation is another area in which AI struggles.
Cost reduction was identified as the most significant driver of ROI, with studios able to lower expenses while maintaining quality and accelerating time to market. The adoption of AI began in Asia but is now being considered by studios worldwide.
It’s crucial to establish robust review processes and quality controls. Best practices include never trusting a single source, cross-checking outputs across multiple AI models, and involving human reviewers for oversight. Clear communication of requirements goes a long way toward ensuring translations meet expectations, and testing with real project data is essential before committing to any workflow.
Lionbridge has observed that translators are noticeably more engaged when working with high-quality AI output than with conventional Machine Translation (MT). They are motivated to go beyond fixing errors and rewrite AI-generated text to ensure not only correctness but also excellence, thereby enhancing the player’s experience. While difficult to quantify due to its subjective nature, this shift contributes to more efficient workflows and higher quality outcomes.
Panelists expressed a desire for technology that enables seamless collaboration between translators and AI, with AI agents assisting in consistency and other improvements. The hope is for a future in which game development is democratized, allowing diverse creators to deliver experiences players genuinely want, supported by efficient, high-quality localization.
If you’re interested in exploring Lionbridge’s library of webinar recordings, visit the Lionbridge webinars page.
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