The development of high-quality games requires lots of money and a squad of various skilled specialists to tackle the task. The more workers you hire, the higher the production budget becomes. However, if you are working on some projects simultaneously or wish to add the newest technologies, you may lack resources. Game development outsourcing solves all these issues.
Transferring some work to another corporation allows you to assign resources, save money and time, and get a better product. In this article, you will find prepared detailed instructions with answers to frequently asked questions about game outsourcing. After reading our article, you will be able to outsource your game development with your eyes shut!
Types of game outsourcing
You can also delegate game development by outsourcing it to vendor companies, passing on some tasks to an external team, or hiring freelance game developers. Let’s look at all these options in detail.
Full-cycle game development outsourcing
This outsourcing type can be used even if you create your first game. You will get more profit in such a way than by finding, hiring, and supporting the game development team yourself. You will constantly have access to the best technical and intellectual resources. For example, the Stepico team includes 200+ seasoned specialists of various profiles: game developers, designers, artists, etc. And we have 9+ years of experience in game development and are ready to take your project onboard.
Take a look at our successful development projects to get a glimpse of our expertise! You can also check out our stunning artwork on Behance and Artstation! Get in touch with us to start making an epic game together!
Delegation of individual parts of the game development process
Using the services of an external team is suitable for game development companies. Dividing some tasks between other companies will help to strengthen your project with new technologies, add impressive graphics, or speed up the development process. This approach will allow you to distribute resources effectively and get great results in a shorter period.
Hiring Freelance Game Developers
The difference between game outsourcing companies with all the necessary specialists and freelance game developers is that the latter usually work with different employers simultaneously. Hiring freelancers doesn’t guarantee quality which is an integral criterion in game development. Accordingly, there are risks of poor-quality delivery, which entails additional financial costs and time spent on the project.
If you want to assemble a team of freelancers, you will have to find and coordinate them yourself. Plus, keeping them all updated and synchronizing their work within your project may be tricky. However, this option helps you to fill in the missing resources for your game development if you need more specialists for a specific profile.
Advantages of game development outsourcing
When outsourcing game development, you get access to the talent pool with rich and diverse experience and efficient management. You get to work with a team of extraordinary enthusiasts and professionals ready to implement your ideas right away. What other benefits of outsourcing are there?
Lower costs
There are several factors that reduce the costs of game development via outsourcing.
- Vendor’s location. The price range for game outsourcing services differs depending on the region. Companies often choose developing countries to outsource their projects. For example, you can get cheaper software development services in Eastern Europe compared to the USA, UK, or Western Europe without compromising product quality. For example, an annual salary of a game developer from the U.S. is $91,000, while a Ukrainian game developer makes approximately $24,000 per year.
- No maintenance costs. Employee hiring and upkeep take up a large chunk of your budget. With game development outsourcing, you pay only for the working hours of specialists of the required profile.
- Saves on investment. You don’t have to spend on infrastructure, as your vendor already has all the tools and technologies necessary to create your game.
Well-established processes
In professional game development companies, all processes and stages of software development have already been worked out to the smallest detail. You do not have to build them from scratch by yourself.
Fast development
With clear-cut processes comes rapid development. Outsourcing game development will allow you to speed up the making of your gaming solutions. A well-coordinated outsourcing team will work on all stages of development faster than an in-house one. How so? The vendor provides you with a ready-to-go team that has a laser focus on your project, responding to your requests immediately.
SECURITY
The average cost of a data breach for organizations globally is $4.35 million (in the US, the number reached $9.44 million!), according to the 2022 Cost of Data Breach Study by the Ponemon Institute. At Stepico, we take the project’s security seriously. We also keep our work fully transparent so the client can see each stage of the game development process in detail.
SCALE UP AND DOWN ON DEMAND
We advise you to look for teams of game developers rather than individual specialists if you need assistance with game development but do not require this expertise in-house. You can get help during peak season or per project, scaling up and down whenever required.
Vendor teams have pre-built workflows, methods, and work habits. Plus, they have shared creative experiences, and that diversity will serve well for your project. They can also offer you professional advice in highly specialized fields.
Advantages of Ukrainian game development outsourcing
Picking up the country for outsourcing also plays a significant role in game development. When choosing a vendor, you should consider your budget limits, time zone, connection quality, and other usability aspects. The cultural part is also essential: for games with a specific setting, it is better to involve the appropriate specialists.
But mainly, game development is an international process. So, if the game does not have specific cultural characteristics, it is best to focus on a company’s portfolio. Showcased works will let you see the vendor’s capabilities and game styles and genres they work in.
Ukraine has a vast talent pool of tech specialists to choose from. Ukrainian game developers have made games known worldwide, like S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Cossacks, Metro, Frontline, Sherlock Holmes game series, and many more. Among their works are large AAA projects and more niche but no less popular ones.
The gaming sector in Ukraine is getting bigger and developing annually. An estimated market volume of US$316.00m by 2027 results from revenue growing at a projected annual rate of 12.39% (CAGR 2022-2027). So, game development outsourcing to this region sounds like a profitable idea. In Ukrainian outsourcing companies, especially in Stepico, the production of games of any level is well-established. A convenient geographical location, stable business structure, favorable costs, and a massive number of professionals make Ukraine one of the best destinations for outsourcing game development.
One of Stepico’s significant accomplishments to date is that during the Russian aggression, we have kept more than 90% of the company operational, maintained collaboration with all of our partners, and engaged them to fund Ukraine’s humanitarian needs. We have equipped our office with a power generator, ensuring a constant electricity supply for our game developers and artists. Our seasoned specialists are ready to take your project and make a mind-blowing game!
Make your game epic with Stepico
Contact usWhat is the price of outsourcing game development
Development rates aren’t the same for every client and depend on the difficulty of the project, the required equipment, the number of employees in the vendor’s team, etc. But don’t worry, Stepico experts can name the approximate cost of game development if you provide a detailed description of your project requirements. The more detailed it is, the more accurate our estimate will be. Get in touch to receive your estimate promptly!
STEPS TO SUCCESSFULLY OUTSOURCE GAME PROJECT
Step 1: Lay out your requirements
Unless your future vendor practices mindreading, there is no way they can guess what you want your project to be. There is a simple solution to that – communication! Listing your detailed requirements to the game outsourcing team will help you achieve your desired results easier. Even if you haven’t finalized everything, having a clear idea still works as long as you can explain it nicely.
Here’re some points to cover to help you stir your thoughts in the right direction:
- Game purpose;
- Graphic quality;
- Game style;
- Target audience;
- Monetization strategy;
- Features of the game;
- Game platform;
- Complexity (2D, 3D games or AAA games, VR, etc.);
- Your budget.
Step 2: Find a game outsourcing company
Now it comes to picking a vendor for your project. You can either google some freelancers & game outsourcing companies or save your time by going through rating platforms like GoodFirms. Client reviews on these platforms will help you check the vendor’s credibility. You can contact their previous clients to get more information as well.
If you’d like to look at the vendor’s successful cases, go to platforms like Behance and ArtStation, where you can find various vivid gaming projects. Exploring cases will help you determine whether the company has enough experience in creating your desired game style, graphics, mechanics, and so on.
Step 3: Reach out & discuss your project
Once you’ve found the game outsourcing vendor you like, it’s time to talk. When reaching out, don’t hesitate to ask questions concerning the project plan, pricing strategy, etc. Take all your requirements from step one, structure them, and forward them to the company.
After all, sorting out all the details at the very beginning is the key to a fruitful collaboration.
Step 4: Sign a contract
Sign a contract with a chosen game outsourcing company. All terms of the agreement should be specified in the contract, including:
- Game concept;
- Timeframes;
- Work specifics;
- Payment terms;
- Involved specialists;
- Data protection details.
The contract should also cover tricky scenarios, for example, when outcomes fall short of expectations or when one party fails to provide expected results.
JUMPING-OFF POINT FOR YOUR GAMING PROJECT
Outsourcing is a method to create a project without worrying about risks and costs compared to finding and hiring a team on your own. By choosing outsourcing game development, you will have a squad of genuine, experienced professionals at your disposal. You can start working on your project in the shortest possible time.
We at Stepico have 9+ years of experience creating games that capture players’ hearts. We make our gaming solutions with heart and soul, having provided outstanding game development services to the world’s leading game distribution companies like Gameloft, Immutable, Marvel, and others. Contact us, and let’s make your game a worthy rival to the top 10 most-played games in the world!
