Video games stand out in the tech industry with their multidimensional nature. Such complex projects require a team of highly skilled and qualified engineers, designers, artists, producers, and more. However, partnering up with a game development outsourcing company will open doors for you to a whole new dimension of innovative, out-of-this-world ideas and passion-driven creators. There is no need to limit yourself to an in-house team or freelancers when professional scouts have already found worldwide talents who are passionate about game production as much as you are.
Why choose an external game development company over an in-house team?
Let’s face it, recruiting needed qualified human resources for the project could slow you down. And setting up a working environment and arranging office management is a stressful task. Indeed, there are advantages to having in-house game developer teams. Dedication to the project, better micro-management, face-to-face brainstorming, and the ability for instant changes could win you over. Nevertheless, outsourcing the game development team has its perks:
1. Gain access to the talent-pool
The game development and game art industry is a competitive and narrowly specialized field. Hence the lack of experienced, qualified specialists. If you put yourself in the developer’s shoes, you would clearly see that working for a media production studio would be more secure and financially beneficial. That’s why the recruiting process could take you a while. Game development studios have access to the talent pool of the brightest brains in the video game industry. Gain access through outsourcing game production agency to an unlimited source of talent, ideas, and skills to make your vision come to life in the blink of an eye.
2. Quality guarantee
There is no doubt that quality is the main ingredient to the overall success of the product. Full-cycle game development studio will support you during every stage, from creating a concept to post-release.
3. Organized workflow
Full-cycle game development studio guarantees you a stress-free life. The project managers are responsible for organizing the workflow, progress updates meetings, transparent communication, and setting the timeframes. All they would need from you is your ideas, requirements, and detailed feedback to help the team reach your expectations by presenting a flawless final result.
4. Cost-effective solution
When outsourcing, you can find the agency to fulfill your requirement for a budget cut and still deliver a high-quality product on time. There would be no need for training expenses, supporting the office, and social packages for your in-house game development team. In the long run, you’ll be saving a lot more even if, in the beginning, the game development agency’s fees might seem overwhelming. After all, the faster you get your product ready to sell, the more quickly your investment will pay off.
Guide to game development outsourcing
You don’t know what to start from and what to look for in the game production company? No problem. Here is all you need to know.
1. Set your requirement first
To find the best-suited outsourcing company, you first need to know what you are looking for. As a starting point, create a list of your requirements. Think about the budget, level of complexity, possible characters or environment, any cool features, or anything that gets you excited about the idea. Perhaps you saw some refreshing technology and want to use it in our project. Just keep every little detail in the notes.
Don’t stress if you don’t have a clear vision of the final project so far. The game production team will help you navigate the development process to reach the top results.
2. Decide on a type of outsourcing service.
The gaming industry has really powerful companies located in Eastern Europe, the USA, and India. Depending on the geographical location, the outsourced team could be onshore or offshore/ nearshore.
- The onshore or local agencies would be easier accessible. If you would still prefer to have a face-to-face meeting once in a while, that could be an option for you. However, it could limit your selection.
- The offshore company could win you over with budget-friendly fees. Keep in mind if you’re partnering up with the oversees agency, both parties have to be flexible with their time zones.
3. Choose a trustworthy agency to partner up with
Whether you use the recruitment platforms, google searches, or friend’s recommendations, make sure always check for the next:
- Portfolio. Explore their previous work. Pay attention to how big the projects were, the complexity, and the art styles they used. Compare it to the game idea you have in mind. Would those candidates be able to pull it off? Testimonials. Learn more from their previous clients. It never hurts even to contact some of them directly to get insights on how the working process was organized, etc.
- The technology they use. If you have any specific or unique requirements, make sure that the agency has developers that can provide such service for you.
- Pricing strategy. What are their price range and fees? Don’t hesitate to find out if they use a fixed or flexible price strategy.
What are the average prices for game development in the US?
- Mini-game development could reach up to $20k, with prices starting at $3k. Those would be a simple game like Sudoku.
- More complex 3D games with outstanding graphics and visuals, on average, would cost you between $30k and $60k.
- Next on the price range would be Mid-level games reaching on average $100k. The minimum for a mid-level game like Angry Birds is $60k.
- High-end game development is in a price range of $120-250k for a game of Call of Duty level.
- All famous AAA-quality games start cost is $300k. The games like FIFA or GTA are a worldwide standard for high-quality games.
The final say
Partnership with a full-cycle game development studio is an investment in your future success. The secret to finding the best-fitted option is choosing an agency that would be passionate about changing the gaming industry with you. Don’t hesitate to benefit from the crazy storm of new ideas on how to concur the video game world with companies like Walla Walla Studio https://wallawallastudio.com/.