'Uma Musume' Captivates Men in Their 20s... Kakao Games' Localization Strategy Proves Successful

[Asia Economy, reporter Lee Seungjin] "Uma Musume Pretty Derby," a mobile game serviced by Kakao Games and developed by Japan's Cygames, has surpassed 1 million downloads, enjoying significant popularity. Analysts attribute this success to Kakao Games' sophisticated localization strategy.

According to Kakao Games on July 16, "Uma Musume," which was launched on June 20, surpassed a cumulative 1 million downloads within just 20 days of its release. In the first ten days after launch, the game achieved 830,000 monthly active users (MAU).

The game is especially popular among men in their 20s. Data from Mobile Index shows that between June 20 and July 2, 68.7% of "Uma Musume" users were male, with men in their 20s accounting for 46.9% of the total user base.

The game's popularity is credited to its translation approach, which preserves the original Japanese feel while using expressions that are easily accepted by local users. For example, one of the races, "Sakura Sho," was translated as "Cherry Blossom"-a term commonly used in Korea-rather than a direct translation. On the other hand, terms like "Satsuki Sho," which refers to the lunar month of May, were transliterated from Japanese to maintain authenticity.

To fully capture the original's sentiment, the text font was carefully chosen to ensure it felt natural in Korean, both in terms of font effects and imagery. In addition to standard text translation, Kakao Games even developed a custom Korean font that captures the nuances of Japanese brush strokes, winning over subculture enthusiasts who value such meticulous attention to detail.

A Kakao Games representative stated, "We will do our utmost to provide a smooth and enjoyable service environment so that Uma Musume continues to be loved by players."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.