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针对手机游戏开发者进军日本市场的建议

发布时间:2015-05-05 13:25:19 Tags:,,,,

作者:Patrick Yip

日本:世界利润最高的手机游戏市场

日本主机游戏市场已经逐渐式微,但手机游戏市场却在不断繁荣壮大。

对于应用开发者来说,这是个好消息,因为日本智能手机游戏玩家消费水平极高。据Distimo数据显示,日本游戏平均下载价值达6.34美元。同时,在该地区获得新下载量的成本也相对较低,平均每次下载成本仅为1.86美元。

ARPD vs ACPI(from Distimo)

ARPD vs ACPI(from Distimo)

这个市场还很庞大,在手机游戏收益上已经超过美国。据Newzoo数据显示,该地区手机游戏收益已达54亿美元,并且这一数据仍在不断增长。预计到2016年,日本手机游戏市场收益将达80亿美元。

因此,不惧竞争的手机游戏开发者必须在日本占有一席之地。如果你想让自己的应用成为全球级的产品,就不可忽略这个关键市场。

但与本地化的问题一样,你必须了解一些日本文化常识。我们将在本文说明开发者进入日本市场需要注意的事项。

将日本视为一个独特的市场——而不仅仅是另一个亚洲国家

英语游戏开发者倾向于将亚洲视为一个整体。但亚洲地域辽阔,日本市场与中国和韩国等其他亚洲市场极为不同。它具有独特的游戏文化,截然不同的语言,以及独具特色的应用生态圈。举个例子:日本是世界上唯一极为盛行移动网页游戏的市场。

要在日本取得成果,你必须将其视为一个独立市场。

必须对游戏进行本地化处理

英语在日本的普及率还不是很高,该市场极具竞争性,所以必须将你的游戏翻译成日语。

所幸进行日语本地化处理的投资回报率也很高。例如,Distimo发现Supercell游戏《Boom Beach》翻译成日语之后,在日本下载量提升了17倍,收益也翻了4倍。

boom beach(from Distimo)

boom beach(from Distimo)

翻译成日语是项棘手的差事

尽管翻译成日语是桩划算的事情,但却并不容易操作。日语与英语差异极大——它的书写系统也会给开发者带来一系列新挑战。

不过你可以遵循以下3个建议从而成功实现这一操作:

1.日语字符可能会改变游戏UI

日语文本比英语文化更紧凑。一个词组翻译成日语时,通常会变得更短。这会让对话框留下大量额外空间,并产生其他奇怪的UI效果。所以在发布日语版游戏时,一定要确保已经完全测试游戏。

2.令字符串对应日语独特的语法结构

日语通常将动词放在语句之后(主语-宾语-动词),而不是像英语一样放在句子中间(主语-动词-宾语)。开发者整理字符串以便兼容这种语法结构。

3.适时响应翻译人员的询问

日语及其文化很重视社会阶层和社交圈。为此,翻译过程中的语气、书字和情境细节都很重要。与多数语言相比,专业的日语翻译人员会提出更多关于准确用词的问题,以便他们选择合适的措辞。为了获得出色的翻译文本,开发者要确保自己腾出足够的时间回应翻译人员的问题。

将游戏美术调整为日式风格

文化并不仅仅局限于语言。本地化也不仅仅局限于文本翻译。这需要调整应用令其融入一种全新的文化。在一个市场管用的视觉元素在另一个市场却未必可行,甚至可能产生麻烦。

在日本,游戏玩家对设计失误的容忍度相当之低。他们也有一系列特定的文化偏好。新加坡游戏公司Gumi Asia首席执行官Daivd Ng在最近采访中分享了自己将一款游戏推向日本市场的经历。

Gumi Asia将《Puzzle Trooper》推向日本时,他们令其中的主角Hulk Hogan换上了新的漫画风格外观,“我们在亚洲执行测试的时候,发现他们并不是那么喜欢西方美术风格。之后我们又测试了一些日式风格的美术,反响却很不错。”

与Gumi Asia一样,如果你真的想在日本市场发力,但你的游戏视觉风格却很西化,你可能就该考虑给游戏换装了。你可以找些自由职业美术师来调整游戏视觉风格。

不要忘了采用本地客服支持

日本玩家在抱怨、困惑或者称赞的时候,一般都会用本地语言脱口而出。据Sensor Tower数据显示,日本应用商店中有95%以上的用户评价是用日语撰写,用英语者不到4%。

所以在将游戏转换成日语之后,不要忘了提供本地客服支持,例如符合日本市场需求的FAQ。

除了瞄准App Store和Google Play,还要考虑Line

苹果App Store和Google Play是世界上最大的手机应用市场。但通信应用Line也是一个有效的发布平台——它在日本拥有5400万用户。

由Playart Inc.,开发的《LINE Revenant Gate》,以及Hanbitsoft Inc.,推出的《LINE Football League Manager》就是在该平台表现良好的典型。

移动广告竞争不算激烈

日本手机游戏市场很拥挤并且极具竞争性,你该如何让自己获得知名度?

有一个技巧就是在移动平台投放广告,这是日本游戏行业观察者Serkan Toto的建议。他指出日本智能手机上的广告业务还没有跟上美国市场的步伐。因此我们可知该领域的竞争状况还不甚惨烈。

你可以同Inmobile或Applift这类手机游戏广告合作伙伴联手,让自己的游戏在日本市场立足。(本文由游戏邦编译,转载请注明来源,或咨询微信zhengjintiao)

A Quick Guide to Japan’s Huge Mobile Game Market

by Patrick Yip

Japan: the world’s most lucrative mobile game market

Japan’s console game market is in decline. But the mobile game market there is booming.

For app developers, that’s great news, because Japanese smartphone gamers are huge spenders. According to Distimo, the average game download in Japan is worth $6.34. Meanwhile, getting new downloads is pretty cheap—just $1.86 per download, on average.

Average Revenue per Download versus Average Cost per install

And the market is huge. Japan has surpassed the United States in terms of spending on mobile games, according to data from Newzoo, with a staggering $5.4 billion in revenues. And it’s growing. By 2016, mobile games in Japan are projected to form an $8 billion market.

As a result, competitive mobile game developers need to have a presence in Japan. If you want your app to be a global player, it’s an essential market.

But, as is always the case with localization, you need some cultural know-how, too. In this post, we’ll show you how to make a splash in the Japanese market.

View Japan as a unique market—not just another Asian country

English-speaking game developers tend to think of Asia as a single entity. But Asia’s a big place, and the Japanese market is very different from other big Asian markets, such as China and South Korea. It has a unique gaming culture, a different language, and a distinctive app ecosystem. Just to give one example: Japan is the only market in the world where mobile browser gaming is very popular.

To do well in Japan, you need to treat it as an independent market.

Localize your game, or go home

English proficiency in Japan is not very high, and the market is exceptionally competitive. Translating your game into Japanese is crucial.

Fortunately, the ROI for Japanese localization is strong. For example, Distimo found that the Japanese translation for Supercell’s game Boom Beach boosted downloads in Japan by a factor of seventeen, and quadrupled revenue.

Boom Beach downloads increase by 17x after adding a Japanese localization

Translating into Japanese is tricky

Translation into Japanese is worth the investment. But it’s not easy. Japanese is very different from English—and its distinctive writing system can bring a new set of challenges for developers.

Follow these three tips, though, and you’ll be on your way to translation success:

1. Japanese characters can alter your UI

Japanese text is more compact than English text. When a phrase is translated into Japanese, it typically gets a lot shorter. That can leave a lot of extra space in dialogue box, and create other strange UI effects. Make sure to test-drive your Japanese version before releasing it to the world.

2. Wrap your strings to fit the distinctive grammatical structure of Japanese

Japanese puts the verb at the end of the sentence (Subject-Object-Verb) instead of the middle, as in English (Subject-Verb-Object). Developers need to wrap in-game strings in order to accommodate that grammatical structure.

3. Respond carefully to translator inquiries

The Japanese language and culture place considerable emphasis on social hierarchy and social groupings. As a result, fine points of tone, wording, and context matter a lot in the translation process. More so than in most languages, professional Japanese translators will have a lot of questions about the exact meanings of phrases, so that they can pick the right wording. To get a great translation, make sure to budget time to give thorough responses to your translators’ questions.

Looking for more guidance about localizing a mobile game? Check out our free beginner’s guide to mobile game localization.

Adjust your visuals to Japanese styles

Culture is about a lot more than language. And localization is about more than just translating words. It’s about adapting an app to an entirely new culture. Visual items that work well in one market may falter in another, or even cause offense.

In Japan, gamers have an especially low tolerance for design errors. They also have a distinctive set of cultural preferences. In an interview with Global Post, David Ng, CEO of the Singapore-based gaming company Gumi Asia, shared his experiences of localizing a game to the Japanese market.

When Gumi Asia took the game Puzzle Trooper to Japan, they ended up giving a major character, Hulk Hogan, a new manga look. “When we started doing testing in Asia, we realized that they don’t really like the western art that much. Then we tested with some more Japanese-looking art, and the response was really good,” said Ng.

Like Gumi Asia, if you want to make a serious effort in the Japanese markets, but your visuals have a more western look, you might want to consider a revamp. A freelance artist can help you tweak your visuals for the Japanese market.

Don’t forget to localize user support, too

When they have concerns, questions, complaints, or compliments, Japanese gamers will want to be use their native language. According to Sensor Tower, over 95% of reviews in Japanese app stores are written in Japanese, while fewer than 4% are in English.

So, after translating your game into Japanese, don’t forget to offer localized user support as well, such as an FAQ that’s adapted and translated to the Japanese market.

Looking for more information on handling customer outreach abroad? Check our guide to dealing with app store reviews overseas.

Don’t just distribute on App Store and Google Play. Think about Line

Apple’s App Store and Google Play are the biggest markets in the world. But the messaging app Line is also an effective distributing platform—especially in Japan, where it has 54 million users.

“LINE Revenant Gate,” by Playart Inc., and “LINE Football League Manager,” by Hanbitsoft Inc., are games that have done well through that platform. For more information about partnering with Line, check out this link.

Mobile advertising is less crowded for now

The mobile game market in Japan is crowded and competitive. How can you get your name out there?

One tactic is to advertise on mobile. That’s the recommendation of Serkan Toto, CEO and founder of the Tokyo-based Kantan Game. As Serkan points out, advertising has been slow to adapt to the smartphone age. That’s particularly true in Japan, where, Serkan says, smartphone advertising has lagged behind the American market.

As a result, working with a mobile game advertising partner like Inmobile or Applift might give you an extra leg up in the Japanese market.(source:oneskyapp


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