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HOW WE DID IT
Logrus was founded as a group of software experts offering business
software localization into Russian. Having localized killer apps from
the largest software publishers, such as IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and
many others, we set out to extend our localization services, by
performing multimedia localizations into Russian for our traditional
customers only to find out that multimedia software operates on a
totally different business model. Instead of just being paid to localize,
we had to license the product, translate it at our own expense, and
find distribution channels to assure a good ROI.
Despite the relative novelty of this approach, we decided
to take the plunge. We licensed the Pink Panther Series
from the now defunct Wanderlust Interactive, bringing to
this project all our localization experience, quality
standards, and know how of American and European
business practices. The Russian Pink Panther, released
five years ago, was the first ever Multimedia Localization
Project Done Right, and it was a tremendous success. Our
Pink Panther distribution partner, Noviy Disk, believes it to
be the most full box successful multimedia localization
project ever to hit the Russian market in the 20th century
(with new hits for the new Millennium :-).
More localized games followed. Products localized by Logrus have
won numerous awards for localization quality (Pink Panther being our
first award winner, at Anigraph 98), because they look and sound as
though they were originally created in Russian.
Still, this was all «expensive» boxed software (with retail prices of $15
and up), targeted at the emerging middle class consumer. Sales were
only in the thousands, which wasn’t much competition for the pirate
editions. And after the Russian economic meltdown in 1998, the
market for this software shrank rapidly, along with the middle class
that had supported it. The time had come for some innovative survival
thinking.
At the same time, though, the framework for the new approach
described above was already falling into place:
- The distributors were pushing publishing companies to allow them
to release localized jewel box versions — simply the only acceptable
type of product in that crisis ridden market. Some
publishers had digested and accepted this idea.
- The general public had high expectations, and wanted not just
games but localized games with both translation and sound track
on a par with the original product. But still, people were reluctant
to pay more than a few dollars per title…
- Distributors were coming to realize that localization is not just
translation but a separate, sophisticated process. They were also
figuring out that they themselves could not produce quality
localizations without substantial investment and at the risk of
losing their business focus. But they were unable to pay standard
prices for localization while still continuing to shoulder all the risk
alone.
In 2001 and 2002 Logrus International has significantly expanded its computer
games licensing and localization business for the Russian market.
Working in close cooperation with the largest Russian distributor 1C,
Logrus has licensed and localized several AAA titles, such as Serious Sam: First Encounter,
Max Payne, Tropico and others from Take2 Interactive, Pool of Radiance 2 from UbiSoft
and Syberia from Microids (licensed by 1C). More titles are expected to be released in 2003.
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