Case Study

tinyBuild eases life for game developers and localization managers

The localization team at tinyBuild, a leading game publisher and developer, operates in a fast-paced and creative environment where things are constantly changing and each project is different. Explore how the team overcame the challenges of early-stage localization and established smooth collaboration with developers to make global game releases smoother and faster.
hero-image
2x
faster preparation of localization batches
50+
development hours saved in the first 2 months
1/3
less time spent fixing localization issues

tinyBuild is a leading game publisher and developer headquartered in the United States, renowned for supporting creative projects across various genres and bringing innovative, engaging games to market. Known for popular titles like “Hello Neighbor” or “Graveyard Keeper”, tinyBuild is committed to fostering strong developer relationships and ensuring high-quality localization to reach global audiences.

TinyBuild

Challenges

Early-stage localization with frequent changes and updates

tinyBuild collaborates with game developers from the early stages of game development, which often requires the production team to adapt to constantly changing things. This dynamic puts significant pressure on the localization process.

“In our fast-paced environment, it’s not uncommon for changes to be made without detailed communication. Even when changes were highlighted, it was difficult to track them accurately, as we often ended up with files filled with various colors, making it hard to understand what they represented,” says Lisa Sidorova, Localization Lead at tinyBuild.

TinyBuild

Flexibility, control, and localization efficiency were the key reasons why Lisa sought a solution capable of handling tinyBuild’s diverse range of projects.

An inefficient CAT tool adding extra work

The CAT tool tinyBuild initially chose was more focused on translation rather than localization management. Issues arose when the API connection flooded their repository with garbage caused by unwanted pull requests.

The collaboration with localization service providers (LSPs) wasn’t optimal either. LSPs found the CAT tool’s interface for translators and reviewers user unfriendly and preferred to download separate files, work in isolation, and then import them back. This put additional pressure on Lisa’s team to ensure that all exporting and importing was correct.

Solution

After a recommendation from a localization peer from another gaming studio and seeing a presentation where a well-known gaming company showed how they use Gridly for localization management, Lisa scheduled a demo and began exploring Gridly.

Smooth collaboration with developers

Lisa quickly figured out that Gridly would make it much easier to manage their localization pipeline and simplify collaboration with developers.

Out-of-the-box plugins for game engines and connectors with Google Spreadsheets, which some developers used, eliminated the need for building custom API connections. Additionally, Gridly has a user-friendly interface, similar to spreadsheets, making it easy to understand and work with for people who have never used a localization tool.

In tinyBuild’s first project managed with Gridly, Level Zero, Lisa could easily set up localization statuses that were automatically updated based on changes developers made. The issue of constantly changing lines became irrelevant.

Shortly after implementing Gridly, developers started working independently, adding their source text and effortlessly pulling back updated text with translations.

Branches provided speed and flexibility

Another major improvement for Lisa’s team was the ability to work safely on “upcoming” lines of text that weren’t in the game and didn’t have keys assigned. This enabled proofreading and translation without waiting for developers to build the corresponding parts in the game engine, greatly speeding up the process.

“We can work with text even before it’s implemented in a separate branch in Gridly. We merge it to our master branch connected with the game engine later on when it’s ready”, comments Lisa.

Additionally, Branches provide both the localization and development teams with better flexibility, allowing them to try new things without breaking anything.

Easier life for the localization team

As tinyBuild continued using Gridly, Lisa recalls various projects where it proved particularly useful.

“In one of our as-yet-unannounced projects, developers generate PO and CSV files with formatting that is difficult to work with. We use Gridly as a “bridge” that helps produce good translation files for the localization agency,” says Lisa and adds, “Another huge help for a different project was Regex search. We faced an issue with mixed translations in different languages, and thanks to this function, we could easily filter them out and fix them.”

Creating and managing Tickets is another handy feature that makes the localization team’s life easier. With Tickets, they can collaborate with developers who can leave a ticket if a line is too long or a translation is incorrect, as well as with translators who can use them to ask questions for better context.

Source proofreading and bridge languages

Beyond localization, Gridly helped tinyBuild facilitate the proofreading of source text, particularly for projects where developers aren’t native speakers. Using Columns and Dependencies, the team can easily track what needs to be proofread and what is ready for translation.

For projects like Deadside, where the source language is different from English, Unreal Engine’s built-in localization system doesn’t work well when a bridge language is involved. Gridly simplifies this process, making the liaison much smoother. Preparing translation files and transferring them to the game engine is no longer a nightmare.

Results

By switching to Gridly, Lisa and her team saved a significant amount of time and avoided countless headaches in their localization workflow, making their lives as project managers easier. Furthermore, Gridly substantially relieved developers collaborating with tinyBuild by providing them with a solution that seamlessly integrates with their games.

Key metrics enhanced

  • 2x faster preparation of localization batches. With the auto-detection of new updates and changes, the localization team can prepare a localization pass for LSPs in half the time.
  • 50+ development hours saved across various projects in the first two months. Developers no longer need to build their own solutions to facilitate the transfer of content and translations, or manually import and export files.
  • 1/3 of the time spent on fixing localization issues saved. Centralizing all translations minimized the need to switch between languages, reducing the time required to fix localization errors.