Black Geyser: Multilingual Success of a Voluntary Project
At 23 Studios, an essential part of our company culture is reaching out to the developers behind the games we believe in and helping them understand the potential of the Turkish gaming market. This mission has guided many of our past efforts in video game localization, where we voluntarily brought Turkish language support to titles like Tower of Time, Icewind Dale Enhanced Edition, and Operencia. These experiences helped shape our identity as a reliable partner for indie game localization and multilingual localization services.
In 2021, with the same passion, we approached several RPG studios and expressed our interest by saying, “We truly love this project, and we can deliver the best possible Turkish localization to your players.” During this outreach, we met David, the founder of the Hungarian developer GrapeOcean. That first exchange marked the beginning of one of our most memorable RPG localization journeys.
When we first discovered Black Geyser, we were captivated by its classic RPG spirit, its atmosphere, and its narrative depth. We shared this excitement with David. Before showing us the files, he asked, “There are 300,000 words. Are you sure?” It was a valid question, especially for a volunteer project. But with our experience in branching dialogue localization and narrative-heavy games, we were confident in our ability to maintain consistent character voices and preserve the cause-and-effect flow that RPG fans expect. All we asked in return was for our name to appear in the credits.
At that time, Black Geyser was in its Kickstarter phase. The team shared the script, detailed materials, and beta keys with us. This gave us the chance to fully explore the universe, understand the lore, and localize the content in a way that felt culturally authentic. Our workflow, shaped by years of Turkish game localization and indie developer support, allowed us to handle the RPG’s complex dialogue trees without losing the natural rhythm of the story. In 2022, we completed and delivered the Turkish localization of the main game. A few small additions followed, and we incorporated them as well.
Just when everything seemed finished, another message arrived: “A new DLC is coming, around 10,000 words. Would you like to handle it?” We gladly accepted. Eventually, those 10,000 words grew to nearly 60,000, expanding the project into a much larger localization effort. Throughout this process, we communicated closely with the GrapeOcean team and introduced them to our IndieSync program, an affordable and high-quality multilingual localization solution designed specifically for indie studios.
It was at this point that they approached us about Simplified Chinese. Although we had not handled the Chinese game localization for the main game, they trusted us because of the quality of our Turkish work. We prepared the plan, provided a suitable rate, and continued the DLC localization in Chinese. This marked a significant milestone for us, transforming a volunteer RPG localization project into a full multilingual localization partnership.
Today, we are proud to have completed Black Geyser’s localization in both Turkish and Chinese. From the earliest stages of an indie title to its narrative expansion, this project has become a strong example of how 23 Studios approaches video game localization: with commitment, cultural understanding, and a focus on delivering natural player experiences. For us, it was never just about translating text. It was about preserving the soul of an RPG world and ensuring that players in every supported language could experience the story as if it were originally written for them.
Black Geyser entrusted its universe to us in two languages, and we rebuilt that world with respect for the game’s vision. Looking back, it is inspiring to remember how a simple email sent in 2021 evolved into a collaboration that still continues today. Being part of this journey remains one of the highlights of our work in Turkish localization, Chinese localization, and indie game support.
