Localization Strategies of Multinational Internet Game Companies: A Comparative Analysis of VALORANT and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Abstract

Localization has become an important strategy for multinational internet game companies in overseas markets. However, existing studies often treat localization as a broad concept and do not clearly distinguish the relative importance of different localization strategies. This issue is especially important in the game industry, where localization involves not only access systems, but also communication, community, and long-term ecosystem development. A comparative analysis of VALORANT and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) was conducted to examine how different localization strategies are used in practice. Four dimensions were applied in the analysis: platform localization, governance localization, market communication localization, and ecosystem localization. The findings show that the two games rely on different combinations of localization strategies. VALORANT shows stronger evidence in platform localization and governance-related regional operation, while MLBB shows stronger evidence in creator-centered communication and ecosystem localization. The analysis also suggests that these strategies do not have equal importance. Platform and governance localization mainly play a supporting role, while communication and especially ecosystem localization contribute more directly to deeper local identification. It is therefore argued that ecosystem localization is the deepest and most important strategy in this context.