Happy 20th Anniversary PTW Shanghai
Jun 13, 2022
2002 – 2012: The Establishment of PTW Shanghai
In 2002, PTW’s Shanghai studio was established under the name "Shenfa Software".
At that time, China was undergoing a transition from the foundries for Nokia and Motorola devices to the consumer market for mobile phones. By November 2002, the total number of mobile users in China exceeded 200 million.
Riding on the wave of the booming mobile market, Shenfa Software’s game development team began creating Java-based mobile games. These game-loving developers, artists, and designers have created a variety of games in different genres, from RPG to racing.
At the same time, a separate team was in full swing with game localization and QA. Shenfa Software formed partnerships with top game console manufacturers from both Japan and Europe, assisting the localization and testing of Japanese, English, and Chinese games.
Unfortunately, the release of console games was disrupted due to the game console ban in China in 2000. Thereafter, the QA and Game Development teams worked together, developing and testing their own mobile games in Java and later for smartphones like Android and iPhones.
2012 – 2022: PTW Shanghai Becomes the Gateway to China with offerings in Localization, QA, Player Support, and Audio
In 2012, PTW International was officially established. Leveraging its studios worldwide, PTW became a one-stop service provider delivering multi-lingual localization, QA, and player support services to the gaming industry.
Shenfa Software joined PTW in the same year, renamed as PTW Shanghai. Serving as the gateway to China, it dedicated its resources to game localization and QA services and terminated the self-developed games.
The console ban finally came to an end in 2015. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo entered the Chinese market with their own consoles. PTW Shanghai supported localization and QA for the debut games of both the Playstation 4 and the Nintendo Switch, giving Chinese gamers the authentic experience of world-class AAA games.
The Localization team in Shanghai worked on a large number of projects every year. In addition to authentic translation, the team members also worked hard on cultural adaptation to ensure gamers could enjoy games without any cultural barriers. The high quality of their work has been recognized by clients across the world, and the team translates over 10 million words and characters every year.
Since 2015, PTW Shanghai has supported QA for 250+ games on different platforms, across console, arcade, and mobile games.
With the acquisition of game art, development, and audio studios, PTW offers a truly global one-stop game development solution to partners. PTW Shanghai has also expanded their business offerings: In 2016, PTW Shanghai offered player support services. In 2018, PTW’s top game audio provider, SIDE, set up a state-of-the-art studio in Shanghai to produce localized audio in Mandarin Chinese. Working with an array of voice talent and audio directors, SIDE Shanhai delivered exceptional performances for various titles across genres, including the FPS game Call of Duty: Online, the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV Online, and the sports game Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure.
This June, PTW Shanghai celebrates its 20th birthday. We couldn’t have accomplished this milestone without the efforts of our team members.
Here’s what they love about working at PTW:
“I like the work culture at PTW. I get along with my colleagues easily, so I can focus my energy on the work I love. There’s a lot of freedom when doing my work, and I choose my own pace. More importantly, I know all the effort I put into my work is recognized.”
“The overall atmosphere of the company is very harmonious. Each department has its own charm. People from different cultural backgrounds form a diverse, equal, and inclusive corporate culture at PTW. This attracts many excellent, enthusiastic, sincere, and down-to-earth team members, working together like a family."
Suya Chen
HR
joined in April 2003
"What I like most about PTW is its flexible and humane working atmosphere. We enjoy the freedom of our own work style, family situations, and personal preferences. From flexible working hours, work-from-home model, no dress code, to office posture (standing or sitting), and so on, the examples are endless."
Yici Zhou
Japanese Project Manager, Player Support
joined in Jan 2020
"I love working with this group of young people and energetic colleagues. The flexible working hours are really nice, too."
Zhiru Xie
Game Tester
joined in Nov 2021
"What I like most about PTW is that I have the opportunity to work on various games. I also like the relaxing working environment and friendly colleagues.”
Bajiu Qi
Project Manager, Translation Department
joined in July 2019
“At PTW, I work closely with colleagues all across the world, including America, Europe, and other regions in Asia to reach the same goals. I enjoy the diversity and inclusion at PTW, and learn more about different cultures and markets.”
Zixi Qi
Marketing Manager
joined in May 2020
“I love that you can express your own opinions freely at PTW. We also got quite a few employee benefits.”
Hiratsuka Kiyomi
LQA Project Assistant
joined in July 2018
“PTW allows the studios in different regions to develop their own management system according to local customs and cultural habits. Every employee’s voice can be heard, and everyone feels respected. I am so grateful to work with my colleagues in Shanghai, who are passionate about games, and dedicated to delivering the best Simplified Chinese localization to great games across the world.”
Karen Xia
Site head
joined in June 2005
They also shared their most memorable moments at PTW Shanghai
“When the pandemic first broke out in early 2020, the Shanghai office faced a lot of difficulties maintaining its operation. It was very touching that other PTW studios sent a lot of masks, hand-sanitizers, and other things that were in short supply in Shanghai at the time.”
Jeff Zheng
IT & Admin Manager
joined in April 2003
“The most memorable thing was the restructuring of PTW International in 2012. With the launch of PS4 and XBOX One in China, Shanghai studio had a rebirth.”
Xing Zhang
QA/LQA Department Head
joined in June 2003
“When I first got onboard, I was the only one at SIDE Shanghai and I had to handle a pretty big project, which was quite challenging. Luckily, I got support from both my colleagues at PTW Shanghai, and SIDE colleagues from the UK, and I completed the project successfully. I felt so grateful to have such nice teammates!”
Ruiting Dong
Production Manager, SIDE Shanghai
joined in November 2011
“I am so happy that the data analysis reports I created for the Compliance department in the US and Malaysia got some positive feedback, and such collaboration encouraged me to keep learning.”
Garfield Yao
L&D specialist
joined in September 2021
"For me, every project and every day is memorable. I'm so glad to stay at PTW, because I love games, so everything I do feels meaningful, challenging, happy, and fulfilling.”
Jingjing Li
QA/LQA Project Manager
joined in 2016
Jiaru Gu
Localization Project Manager
joined in March 2018