Game localization into
Simplified Chinese
Interesting facts about Simplified Chinese
- 16% of the world's population speaks Chinese as their first language
- Chinese is not a single language, but rather a number of related dialect groups
- Chinese has 2 different systems for writing Chinese characters: simplified and traditional
- The newest Table of General Standard Chinese Characters is consisting of 8,105 characters
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Simplified Chinese users all over the world
Chinese is spoken primarily in China, and it is widely spoken in other parts of Asia, including Taiwan (23 million), Singapore (4 million or 74% of its population), and Malaysia. Additionally, there are significant populations of Chinese speakers in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
Simplified Chinese as a language
About 1.35 billion people (approximately 16% of the world’s population) speak a variety of Chinese as their first language. However, Chinese is not a single language, but rather a number of related dialect groups. Currently, most classifications posit 7 to 13 main regional groups. These are united by a common writing system.
There are 2 different systems for writing Chinese characters: simplified and traditional. Simplified Chinese characters were created in the 1950s and the 1960s to increase literacy. Simplified character forms were created by reducing the number of strokes and simplifying the forms of a sizable proportion of Chinese characters. However, many characters were left untouched and are thus identical between the traditional and simplified Chinese orthographies. The newest Table of General Standard Chinese Characters consisting of 8,105 characters was officially implemented in 2013.
Simplified Chinese is used in mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, and international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank. Therefore, Simplified Chinese characters have more users. Nonetheless, many speakers have no trouble identifying characters in both writing systems.
Simplified Chinese in game localization
Chinese is one of the most demanded languages in game localization. Following English, Simplified Chinese, with 26% of users as of February 2023, is the second top language for Steam games. Besides, China is the world’s foremost market for mobile apps.
Chinese consumers tend to enjoy shooting games and MMO/MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) games. They also like social casino, puzzles, racing, action, and adventure games. They especially enjoy games that show creativity.
Many game developers and publishers have recognized the importance of localizing their games into Chinese in order to reach this massive audience. Some of the most popular games that have been localized into Chinese include League of Legends, Fortnite and Car Mechanic Simulator 2021.
Revenue and number of players
in the countries that use Simplified Chinese
China, where Simplified Chinese is the standard, is the country that makes the most video game revenue in the world. China has a turnover of 45.8 billion and 744.1 million players. Additionally, Singapore made $158 million in revenue in 2022.
Regarding mobile game spending, China led in 2022 with $42.4 billion in player spending, according to data.ai. This is 38% of the global $110 billion spent on mobile gaming. Moreover, China generated the most mobile game downloads in the world, with 31.43 billion. This translates to 35% of the global 90 billion downloads.
Sources:
https://newzoo.com/insights/rankings/top-10-countries-by-game-revenues
Some interesting facts
about the Chinese game market
- Chinese is one of the most demanded languages in game localization
- With 26% of users as of February 2023, is the second top language for Steam games
- Chinese consumers tend to enjoy shooting games and MMO/MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) games
- Chinese is the country that makes the most video game revenue in the world
- China generated the most mobile game downloads in the world, with 31.43 billion
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Localizing a video game into more languages is a relatively small outlay compared to how much you will gain.
Spend a few thousand and gain several million new players.
Spend a few thousand and gain several million new players.
