Freelance Japanese Game Localization Jobs in California

SEGA of America is seeking an Associate Producer to help deliver world-class, Japan-originated products to Western markets. Our producers are internationally minded professionals who coordinate between Sega’s Japan-based development teams, Irvine-based J2E language teams and Europe-based language teams, distributed QA services, and NA/EU Marketing teams to deliver renowned SEGA and Atlus titles to market on time, within budget, and at target quality. We are seeking individuals who are passionate about games, language, multiculturalism, and creativity, and who can speak enthusiastically about the product.

• Gather and analyze information about assigned projects to understand scope and requirements.
• Serve as the international product owner, ensuring alignment with the vision and nature of the product.
• Develop resource plans and schedules for review by management and alignment with development teams.
• Support projects through internal approval and publishing processes.
• Break down assigned projects into manageable tasks and coordinate activities with stakeholders and assigned team members to support project completion.
• Coordinate communications, prepare and distribute documentation, facilitate localization activities, and track any project issues.
• Coordinate voiceover recording activities for localized titles.
• Partner with QA teams to support product quality efforts, vetting issues, and providing direction.
• Collaborate with marketing teams on external project-related activities and provide project guidance as needed.
• Maintain accurate project schedules and communicate regular status updates to stakeholders.
• Develop project post-mortem summaries and lessons learned documentation to support continuous improvement.
• Play assigned games and provide feedback and insight as needed.
• Ensure best practices, policies, and procedures are followed within assigned projects.
• Support promotional activities, including trade shows, media tours, and community engagement events as needed.
• Other responsibilities are performed as assigned or needed.

Working in-office is an essential function of this position. This requirement of face-to-face interaction is in place to ensure effective supervision, collaboration, and teamwork. In‑office attendance is required for the following reasons:

• For effective supervision of employees and our work product, which includes ensuring all employees have necessary oversight of their work and access to supervisory assistance, which includes meetings to review work product, deadlines, and status.
• To foster communication and collaboration among team members, which includes allowing spontaneous brainstorming sessions and exchanges of ideas, quick access to team members to enable collaborative problem solving, and stronger cohesion among co‑workers and within teams.
• To enhance the sharing of information necessary to effective job performance and product creation.
• To enhance understanding of our stakeholders’ work and business needs, facilitate a more seamless and organic workflow, and ultimately increase efficiency and successful outcomes.

• Typically has 1-3+ years of production, project management, localization or related experience within the game industry.
• Near‑native English proficiency and business‑level Japanese proficiency required; additional skills are a plus.
• Highly organized with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Demonstrates an interest in localization and an understanding of localization processes.
• Ability to build and maintain production and localization schedules.
• Working knowledge of commonly used localization tools and formats, such as Excel, Word, XML, MemoQ, XLOC, and similar platforms.
• Comfortable working across regions, time zones, and languages, with an understanding of the challenges associated with global collaboration.
• Experience supporting localization and production projects.
• Experience collaborating with localization vendors and teams, as well as direct voice dubbing experience.

• Some travel required, primarily domestic.
• Event staffing required approximately 2 to 3 times a year.
• Potential international travel required approximately 1 to 2 times a year.

• Passion for video games, particularly Japanese games, with the ability to discuss game features, quality, and player experiences thoughtfully.