Game Localization Lead - Japanese

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WHO WE ARE

2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). Founded in 2005, 2K Games is a global video game company, publishing titles developed by some of the most influential game development studios in the world. Our studios responsible for developing 2K’s portfolio of world-class games across multiple platforms, include Visual Concepts, Firaxis, Hangar 13, CatDaddy, Cloud Chamber, 31st Union, HB Studios, and 2K SportsLab. Our portfolio of titles is expanding due to our global strategic plan, building and acquiring exciting studios whose content continues to inspire all of us! 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including sports, shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, casual, and family entertainment.

Our team of engineers, marketers, artists, writers, data scientists, producers, thinkers and doers, are the professional publishing stewards of 2K’s portfolio currently includes several AAA, sports and entertainment brands, including global powerhouse NBA®️ 2K,  renowned BioShock®️, Borderlands®️, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization®️ and XCOM®️ brands; popular WWE®️ 2K and WWE®️ SuperCard franchises, TopSpin 2K25, as well as the critically and commercially acclaimed PGA TOUR®️ 2K

At 2K, we pride ourselves on creating an inclusive work environment, which means encouraging our teams to Come as You Are and do your best work! We encourage ALL applicants to explore our global positions, even if they don’t meet every requirement for the role.  If you're interested in the job and think you have what it takes to work at 2K, we encourage you to apply!

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform their essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Own the localization strategy, quality bar, and final sign-off for Japanese content across all 2K titles
• Review and edit localized content (in-game text, UI, scripts, VO) for tone, clarity, fluency, and cultural relevance
• Develop, maintain, and enforce glossaries, style guides, and cultural content policies for the Japanese market
• Select suitable fonts for the LANGUAGE and work with stakeholders that any font related issues are solved in a timely manner.
• Collaborate with LQA team on linguistic bugs
• Work with and support age-rating team as necessary.
• Collaborate with regional marketing team for marketing terminology, tag-lines, metadata and review MKTG texts as necessary.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams—localization producers, embedded LQA, marketing, publishing, and dev—to guide language decisions and alignment
• Serve as the main linguistic escalation point for Japanese-related bugs, tone disputes, or QA challenges
• Supervise and provide feedback to entry- and mid-level linguists or vendors working on Japanese content
• Consult with game studios and content owners on Japan age rating requirements, terminology usage, and visual/language compliance
• Lead VO casting, script review, and direct creative sessions during Japanese voiceover production
• Regularly review in-development and near-final builds to audit for tone, consistency, and cultural resonance
• Recommend and help implement process improvements that improve quality, reduce error rates, or optimize turnaround time for Japanese localization
• Participate in Global Loc 2.0 initiatives, working with senior leadership to shape evolving localization standards, practices, and tooling

REQUIREMENTS

• 4–6+ years of professional localization experience in games, tech, or entertainment
• Native fluency in Japanese, with demonstrated mastery of tone, grammar, and regional nuance
• Advanced English fluency (written and spoken); capable of representing language decisions across global teams
• Proven ability to work independently on complex language projects, exercising judgment and creativity in ambiguous or conflicting situations
• Keep up with the gaming and localization trend of the language and region
• Must be a highly engaged gaming enthusiast with extensive gaming/IP knowledge
• Strong working knowledge of platform-holder guidelines, naming conventions, and brand alignment principles
• Support localization manager with various tasks
• Comfortable overseeing or mentoring junior linguists and freelance vendors
• Familiarity with localization tools (e.g., CAT tools, translation memory systems, XLOC, JIRA, CMS)
• Deep understanding of Japanese culture, media, and the Japanese-speaking gaming audience
• Experience with VO scripting, dubbing production, and linguistic performance direction is a plus
• Bachelor's degree in translation, linguistics, media, or related field preferred

Why Join Us?

As a Game Localization Lead – Japanese, you will directly shape how our players in Japanese regions experience our games. You’ll own language strategy, guide voice and tone across titles, and play a key role in 2K’s broader effort to deliver best-in-class localized content through a modern, embedded, and scalable localization model.

*Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com accounts.* 

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