11 Bit Studios have unveiled a fascinating new tool to help their game – This War of Mine – become more accessible to players all over the world. Their innovative addition, known as Babel, lets the game’s community of players contribute new languages and translations to the settings to help the relatively small studio with the mammoth task.
This War of Mine originally released at the end of 2014, and 11 Bit have been adding new content and support to keep the community interested ever since. With this most ambitious project yet, however, they’re seeking help. The official description for the Babel project explains it as follows:
Babel project is a community based initiative, that will allow to bring This War of Mine experience to people all around the world. Thanks to the effort of all participants, soon the game will be available in all major languages, allowing everyone to play in his native language. You can be a part of the project register and start working on the translation right away!
Many commenters are already talking about the wider implications for the gaming world as a whole. Babel is a fantastic way of allowing a small studio to make the most of their passionate fans who all want to help the game grow and become more popular. If properly implemented, indie studios all across the world could employ similar tools to help boost their own games in a global market.
If you’re looking for a way to get This War of Mine into yet another language, check out the trailer above for an introduction to the project. You can then get involved over at babel.thiswarofmine.com.