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Arabic, ranked as the fifth most spoken language globally, commands a significant presence in the gaming community. The Arabic-speaking gaming market is not one to overlook when considering market expansion and localization strategies. However, the Arabic language presents distinct linguistic, cultural, and technical challenges that must be addressed to foster a genuine and enduring connection with the target audience. This blog discusses Arabic game localization: why it matters and how to get it right.
Tapping into the Arabic Gaming Market: Key Considerations
The Arabic gaming market spans 22 territories where Arabic is the official language. Among these, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Egypt stand out as leaders in gaming revenue. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which encompasses 18 countries, is dominated by Arabic, although Farsi, Urdu, Turkish, and Hebrew are also spoken.
Why Focus on the Arabic Gaming Market?
Key Insights:
- Saudi Arabia leads the Arabic-speaking market in profitability, ranking 22nd globally in gaming revenue. A staggering 92% of its gamers are passionate about gaming.
- Mobile games, particularly puzzles, dominate the Arabic market. The UAE, known for its significant gaming expenditure, sees 39% of gamers preferring mobile games, followed by 33% for PC and 38% for console gaming.
- Smartphone penetration is at 46% in Saudi Arabia, affecting 15.5 million people, while the UAE boasts a penetration rate of 80.6%.
The MENA Region: A Rapidly Growing Online Market
Despite Arabic being the most widely spoken language in the MENA region, local app stores offer only 1% of content in Arabic. This presents a substantial opportunity for games in the Arabic language to become market leaders. Arabic is also the fastest-growing online language, having expanded by 9,348% from 2000 to 2020, outpacing all other languages in the top ten online. This growth is mirrored in the gaming industry, increasing the demand for high-quality localization services.
The Critical Role of Precise Arabic Game Localization
In 2009, "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" included a map of Pakistan with Arabic content, despite the country's official languages being English and Urdu. Conversely, "Uncharted 3," released in 2011, demonstrated higher cultural sensitivity with the accurate portrayal of an Egyptian character by an Egyptian-American actor. These examples underscore the importance of knowing your audience and respecting every language, culture, and country represented in a game.Best Practices for Arabic Game Localization
Dialects, Spoken, And Formally Written Language
The Arabic language has its peculiarities, such as gender specifications. The main linguistic challenges are the spoken versus formal written language and regional dialects. For neutral and professional content, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is suitable, but for creative content, hiring a linguist with regional expertise is crucial. For instance, "FIFA 2012" was localized for Tunisia using MSA, with native Tunisian commentators providing voice-overs to emulate authentic football commentary.
Arabic dialects are complex, often not mutually intelligible, necessitating multiple translations to connect personally with each region.
Cultural and Religious Sensitivities in Localization
Games should honor the cultural values and norms of the target locale. For example, "Happy Farm" was successful in Arabic-speaking countries because its localized version respected local customs by not featuring pigs, which aligns with Muslim practices.
Technical Considerations for Right-to-Left (RTL) Languages
Arabic, an RTL language, poses technical challenges for visual translations related to layout and user interface. Localization engineers must find customized coding solutions to address these issues.
Addressing Text Expansion in Localization
Arabic text often requires 25% more space, and when translating to English, it can contract by 20-25%. Language Service Providers (LSPs) should utilize Translation (CAT) Tools to manage text expansion and prevent related errors.
Ensuring Quality Assurance (QA) in Game Localization
A comprehensive QA process is crucial for optimizing a game for its audience. This includes linguistic QA for grammar, spelling, and cultural appropriateness; visual QA for UI/UX issues and graphics; and functional QA for overall game performance and coding issues.
Conclusion
Successfully introducing games into the fast-growing Arabic online market requires addressing linguistic, cultural, and technical considerations with precision. In addition to the major points above, the first step in localizing your game for the Arab market is to translate and optimize your app metadata for the Arab market.
App Metadata
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