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Game localization
into Italian
Interesting facts about Italian
- Italian is spoken by round 70 million native speakers (2022)
- Italian is an official language in Italy, Switzerland (Ticino and the Grisons), San Marino, and Vatican City
- Italian has an official minority status in Croatia and in some areas of Slovenian Istria
- Italian is spoken by populations in other countries such as Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Australia
- Italian is one of the working languages of the Council of Europe
- Italian is the second-most-widely spoken native language in the European Union
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Italian users around the world
Italian is spoken by round 70 million native speakers (2022). Italian is an official language in Italy, Switzerland (Ticino and the Grisons), San Marino, and Vatican City. It has official minority status in Croatia and in some areas of Slovenian Istria. The main variant of Italian is Tuscan, but there are other mutually intelligible variants like Lombard, Sicilian, Neapolitan and Venetian.
Italian as a language
Approximately 60 million speakers live in Italy. Another 9 million reside in other countries, such as Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, Croatia, and Slovenia. Because of migration, it is spoken by populations in other countries such as Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Australia. For instance, it is spoken as a second language by 13.4 million USA citizens. Besides, Italian is a very popular language that tens of millions of people study worldwide.
Italian is a major language in Europe, being one of the working languages of the Council of Europe. It is the second-most-widely spoken native language in the European Union. It is actually the third in the European market if we count the United Kingdom.
Italian in game localization
Italian is a commonly localized language in video games, especially those developed for the European market. Italy is a large market for video games, and Italian players expect games to be available in their native language. According to a survey conducted by the Italian Games Industry Association (IIDEA) in 2019, 80% of Italian gamers prefer to play games in Italian. For this reason, many of them feature Italian-language voice acting, as well as subtitles and a translated user interface.
As of February 2023, Italian-speaking users made up 0.7% of the Steam community. This puts Italian 14th on the most used languages used by players on Steam. Across all platforms, Italian gamers’ favorite genres in 2022 were action-adventure (37%), sports (32%), strategy (31%), shooters (22%) and simulation (20%).
Revenue and number of players
in the countries that use Italian
Video game revenues in Italy were estimated to reach $3 billion in 2022, accounting for almost half of all digital media revenue. It was the world’s 9th largest market. According to a report by IIDEA, as of 2020, there were approximately 33.4 million gamers in Italy. This represents about 57% of the country’s population and includes both casual and hardcore gamers across all age groups.
According to IIDEA, in 2020, the biggest share of gaming software revenue came from console and PC games, while mobile apps were a close second. Console gaming is particularly popular in Italy, with the PlayStation 4 and 5 being the most popular consoles. Over 60% of male gamers play more than 21 hours per week and own a console or PC.
Esports is also a growing sector of the Italian gaming market. In 2021, a survey showed that 18% of the Italian population regularly consumes eSports content. In fact, 37% of Italians have a positive opinion of eSports because they create connections between people.
Sources:
Some interesting facts
about the Italian speaking game market
- 80% of Italian gamers prefer to play games in Italian
- Italian is 14th on the most used languages used by players on Steam
- Italian gamers’ favorite genres in 2022 were action-adventure (37%), sports (32%), strategy (31%), shooters (22%) and simulation (20%)
- Video game revenues in Italy were estimated to reach $3 billion in 2022
- The Italian speaking market is the world’s 9th largest in regards of video games
- Over 60% of male gamers play more than 21 hours per week
- 8% of the Italian population regularly consumes eSports content
Ready to grow?
Spend little. Gain a great deal!
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.
