We are gearing up for Europe’s leading B2B conference for the global mobile games industry, Pocket Gamer Connects London, and we could not be more excited to share with you the fantastic speakers gracing us with their knowledge and expertise at PG Connects on February 14-15!

You can view the entire speaker line-up so far here to get a full scope of the talent that will be speaking this February. To give you a glimpse of what you can expect, we are spotlighting some of the most highly anticipated speakers to showcase the incredible talent and top-tier businesses that will be sharing their insights with us.

We spoke with Kayla Madsen, EMEA director of gaming solutions at TransPerfect Gaming Solutions. Kayla will discuss getting your game ready to engage more players and launch in new markets, why localisation and internationalisation are an important priority for the most successful global gaming companies, and how you can leverage best practices and technologies to grow, no matter what your current size or scale.

What’s the most common mistake you see being made in the games sector?

One of the biggest mistakes we see is treating localisation as an afterthought. There is an assumption that translating words is enough. It is not.

We have all heard of brands, products and games that have flopped due to lack of cultural consideration or simply poor translations. If you leave the international strategy too late in your development process, you could run out of time to perform the needed steps to have a successful global launch.

Games teams must realise the importance of having a defined internationalisation strategy for launching your game in a new market. This includes a clear understanding of the cultural references and nuances, the target audience for your game, the local regulations by market, and what players in that market are expecting. Translating the content with the most context is key and then linguistic QA testing should be considered on all devices.

Further consideration should be given to the question of player support or community management in that language once launched too, which often is overlooked. And remember this isn't a one-and-done, this is something that will need to be a part of your ongoing releases and updates for the lifetime of the game.

What sessions/speakers (apart from your own) are you planning to attend?

The state of mobile gaming by App Annie and also the marketing mavens fireside chat about marketing in the metaverse. I am excited to hear about how people are already planning to advertise and leverage the metaverse.

What topics do you want to hear more about at industry events?

I am eager to learn about what the metaverse means for the gaming industry as well as others and how quickly people think audiences will adopt it. I am also keen to hear more about monetisation and use of NFTs in gaming.

Can people get in touch with you at the event? What sort of people would you like to connect with?

Yes, please. We would love to provide a free consultation on localisation for any game you have on your roadmap. We will have a booth and you can connect me on email, Linkedin, Skype, Whatsapp, or Wechat!

What was the fundamental appeal of the mobile games industry that brought you to it?

For me, it was the sheer size and opportunity. I believe that the forecast of growth even in the next four years for $200 billion by 2024 is insane to think about. Things like the metaverse and the access to technology and internet will make the world more connected and gamification is a huge part of how people will learn going forward.

What’s your favourite ever mobile game?

I have to admit I am a huge Candy Crush fan, I commute a lot so having a distraction is great on the train, bus, or when traveling.