Client Background
Client Background
TapTap is a mobile gaming community and distribution platform launched in 2016, operated by Yiwan (Shanghai) Network Technology Co., Ltd. and backed by XD Inc. The platform allows developers to publish games without mandatory SDK integration. TapTap International launched in March 2019, and by 2020 its international version had reached 12.24 million monthly active users — a 154.3% year‑over‑year increase.
Challenge
Challenge
In June 2022, TapTap launched its first online mobile game showcase targeting mature markets worldwide. The complexity of the undertaking was easy to underestimate. Games are composite cultural products — spanning language, art, music, narrative, game engines, and player psychology — and industry shorthand like "involution," "pay‑to‑win," and "grinding" carried little meaning for Western audiences without significant cultural unpacking. Adding to the challenge was the reality of coordinating teams across China, Canada, and the United States: Western vendors operate within a deeply ingrained work‑life balance culture, and even as deadlines loom, overtime is rarely a given.
Our Approach
Our Approach
Our China–US team came in as TapTap’s localization strategists, working three angles at once. First, language: a pre‑prepared glossary and knowledge handbook kept both sides aligned in every meeting — no lost‑in‑translation moments. Second, project management: the relay‑race model, with cross‑timezone early‑warning checkpoints built in, so a time difference never became a missed deadline. Third, media strategy: we challenged the instinct to chase Forbes and Bloomberg as the gold standard, and refocused — through overseas PR partners — on vertical mid‑tier outlets known for targeted reach and consistent delivery, rolling out email pitches in two to three waves across the two weeks before launch.
Execution Highlights
Execution Highlights
- 1. GTM strategy consultation and a Chinese–English gaming glossary built to keep both teams speaking the same language
- 2. Relay‑race project management across China, Canada, and the US — with cross‑timezone checkpoints so no handoff ever fell through the cracks
- 3. PR outreach coordinated through overseas agencies, with mid‑tier outlets filtered by traffic, industry focus, and regional reach
- 4. Gaming KOL activations across Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter — a multi‑platform content push built for Western audiences
- 5. Visual and copy localization calibrated to Western gaming culture — not just translated, but genuinely adapted
