How Indonesian Game Translation Boosts Battle Royale Game Success in SEA
One of the most captivating video game genres that has quickly dominated the international playing arena in the last few years can be referred to as Battle Royale. To this effect, this genre was able to enlist millions of players worldwide through games such as “PUBG Mobile” and “Free Fire.” While battle royale games from countries such as South Korea, Japan, and China dominate, Indonesia offers huge and oft-untapped market potential, with a population of over 270 million.
Informed by Statista, as of March 2021, a whopping 74.6% of gamers in Indonesia are players of battle royale games. Therefore, to truly maximize market penetration and guarantee the success of your battle royale game across Southeast Asia, Indonesian game translation would be a solid gold investment!
The Potential of the Indonesian Game Market in SEA
Southeast Asia is one of the fastest-growing gaming markets in the world. According to a report from Newzoo, revenue from the gaming market in Southeast Asia is estimated at billions of dollars.
Currently, Indonesia is a country that stands out as having the largest gaming market in Southeast Asia. According to data from Niko Partners, Inc., Indonesia represents 45.8% of all gamers in Southeast Asia. Not only that, but Indonesia is also one of the three largest gaming markets in terms of revenue and the fastest-growing video game market in Southeast Asia.
Additionally, Niko Partners, Inc. also estimates that the gaming market share in Indonesia will be worth more than US$1.5 billion in 2027 and grow faster than other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore. The large number of internet users is also reflected in the number of gamers in Indonesia, which currently numbers more than 130 million people.
This huge, unexplored potential can certainly be a golden opportunity for international game companies or developers to expand into the Indonesian game market. One effective strategy that should be implemented is to rely on experienced and professional Indonesian game translation companies.
Strategies for Seamlessly Indonesian Game Translation
To optimize the chances of success of your battle royale game in the large and growing market in Southeast Asia through Indonesian game localization, the following game translation strategies should always be considered:
1. Title Translation
In Indonesia, most foreign applications and games still use their original brand names. Some of them choose to translate brand names into Indonesian, such as Snake.io, which was changed to Ular.io, although this is not mandatory. However, many apps and games add generic descriptive keywords to their titles. These keywords are sometimes in Indonesian and sometimes in English. In general, titles that use English keywords are well received by users in Indonesia, for example, Free Fire, Rules of Survival, Arena Breakout, etc., while maintaining their game titles in English.
2. Translating and Localizing Game Ads
In Indonesia, customizing apps creatively to suit the local market is a common practice. Many international games change the content displayed on social media or YouTube to be more creative and attractive to Indonesian audiences. In general, Indonesians tend to prefer battle royale game content displayed in landscape orientation. Consider PUBG Mobile Indonesia’s exciting advertisement as an example. As the advertisement is related to the long, dry season that occurs in Jakarta, PUBG Mobile raises this issue in a hilarious advertisement. The advertising video tells of the extreme hot weather that occurred on the Miramar map. Residents were seen only wearing underwear because of the extreme heat. Nurul's truly out-of-this-world narration makes this video even more stomach-churning, where this extreme weather turns out to be caused by a potato cellphone that was used to play PUBG Mobile without the casing removed. At the end of the video, PUBG Mobile advertises the Moonlight Realm Royale Pass (RP) by urging people who are not familiar with clothing to immediately buy the RP to get a costume. The ending was truly unpredictable; the costume still couldn't change the extreme heat that occurred, and it still made the residents feel stifling.
3. Showing Islamic Culture and Elements in Special Events
Islam is the majority religion in Indonesia, with around 87% of the population being Muslim. Therefore, many foreign games feature local Islamic elements and culture in their advertising materials to make it easier for local users to understand and increase the potential for in-game purchases. You can take the example of Garena Free Fire (one of the most popular battle royale games in Indonesia) collaborating with Habib Ja'far Husein Al Hadar (the most popular Islamic preacher in Indonesia at the moment) in the "Booyah Don't Forget Ibadah" (Booyah Jangan Lupa Ibadah) initiative in a special event for the month of Ramadhan 2024 to voice the importance of maintaining worship and playing games simultaneously. In this event, Free Fire will present various exclusive items, ranging from missions to various special Ramadan interactions that not only encourage playing games but also continuing to practice worship and do good deeds in the holy month of Ramadan.
4. Embracing Local Communities to Attract Gamers
Another strategy for successful Indonesian game translation for battle royale games is embracing local communities. This strategic step is important to build strong relationships between game developers and players in Indonesia. The Indonesian gamer community is very active and diverse, with a wide interest in various game genres, especially battle royale and MOBA games. For example, in the Free Fire game, the number of daily active players has reached 80 million (based on Sea Limited's 2020 report), while PUBG Mobile is recorded as having 100 million monthly active users in Indonesia in 2023.
5. Separate Social Media Accounts by Country
Social media has a crucial role in expanding reach and gaining loyal followers in Indonesia. Creating separate social media accounts aimed specifically at the Indonesian market can optimize communication and interaction between game publishers and the fanbase.
6. Presenting Famous Local Characters or Influencers
By presenting characters or elements in the game that are related to famous figures or influencers in Indonesia, you can increase the appeal of the battle royale game among local players. This could include local heroes, historical figures, or celebrities who have popularity not only on the national stage but also internationally. For instance, recently Garena Indonesia released the character Jota (Joe Taslim), which can be used by gamers in the Free Fire game. This certainly succeeded in reaching the gamer market in Indonesia, so they were willing to top up and buy these characters.
7. Take Advantage of E-Sports Which Is Always Booming in Indonesia
In 2020, e-sports was recognized as an official sport by the Indonesian government. Since this recognition, e-sports has experienced significant growth, even today. Gaming culture in Indonesia is now increasingly developing, marked by the many tournaments and leagues that continue to emerge. Apart from branding, e-sports is also a means for publishers or game developers to provide more value to their community.
Conclusion
Indonesia, with its large population and rapid growth, readily accepts applications and games from abroad, making it a potential target to penetrate the Southeast Asian market. For your game translation project to be successful, we highly recommend using Indonesian game translation services that are supported by native-speaker translators.
For this reason, Digital-Trans Asia is here as the most trusted game localization partner, ready to help unlock access to 300 million game communities in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Our translation services are not limited to app store banners but also include app store descriptions and in-game translations. Some popular games in the world include Genshin Impact, Mobile Legends: Bang-Bang, and Ragnarok Origin, including examples of localization projects that we have worked on.