Path Of A Worldwide Launch, According To Game Localizer Binari Sonori

Localization gaps between Japan and the Western world have shrank in the past decade. Believe it or not, it used to take years for a Final Fantasy game (don’t even ask about Dragon Quest) to cross the Pacific Ocean. Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be released in North America and Europe just one month after its launch in Japan.

Binari Sonori helps companies like Square Enix, Capcom, Ubisoft, and Namco Bandai localize titles and manage multiple languages since 1994. Their goal is to "simship" or simultaneously ship games around the world. This photo, taken from a conference, shows their plan for localizing a game while its still in development.