There was a time when Japanese games reached us through imports and magazines, and the opposite path seemed impossible for a foreign studio. US localization company Alconost and Japanese giant DeNA announced a partnership that tries to shorten that road, with a full Japanese market entry service that also works for Japanese companies that want to go abroad.
What is on the table
- Free onboarding on DeNA’s AndApp platform, with technical support and a developer account at no cost until the game generates sales.
- A larger revenue share in the first six months on AndApp, compared with other major platforms.
- Free promotion on AndApp, with banners, landing pages and exposure on the official X account.
- Free localization of up to 5,000 characters of promotional material from English to Japanese.
- Discounted professional localization, with native translators and AI tools (LM/NMT).
AndApp lets you play smartphone titles on PC. According to the companies, the Japanese market passed US$22 billion in 2024 and is expected to exceed US$53 billion by 2033.
“Our partnership with DeNA creates a solution that removes the traditional barriers to entry,” says Yoshiyuki Suginome of Alconost. “By making it easier to launch titles from around the world in Japan, we hope to bring joy to more developers and users,” adds Shaohui Lee of DeNA.
Our take
For the Brazilian indie studio, Japan has always been the land of arcade dreams. A package that combines translation and a storefront can be a good first step, as long as the localization treats the game with the care the Japanese have always shown for our favorite cartridges.
Source: Alconost and DeNA press release.
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