In September 2020, Ubisoft announced a remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and in a press release, the French boasted that the game was being developed by the Indian studio Ubisoft Pune. In the Ubisoft system, this team has been in a support role since its inception, like many other similar divisions.
Outsourcing game development is a simple and cost-effective way to realize your game development vision with minimal investment. We have prepared 5 main advantages of cooperation with an outsourcing company.
How does gaming outsourcing work?
Outsourcing advantage # 1. Everything is under control
By outsourcing the project, the client knows that the firm will regularly keep him informed of the process. You can control the update around the clock. The outsourcing firm will take care of everything from setting deadlines for developers to dividing and assigning tasks for developers.
In the case of direct hiring, the client also has the ability to assess progress, but everything will have to be done independently.
Outsourcing advantage # 2. Cohesion above all else
The outsourcing firm knows the strengths and weaknesses of the employees and assigns tasks based on these points. She has already selected programmers, game designers, artists, testers, and other IT specialists with the necessary skills and tested them in their work. In addition, since the company specializes in game development and similar projects, this is not the first day, the mutual understanding between team members will be better. The absence of organizational and communication problems is necessary for the timely completion of the project and effective cooperation.
In the case of direct recruitment, it will take some time to establish communication between team members. In addition, the employer will have to personally assess each developer of computer games in order to find out the strengths and weaknesses.
Outsourcing advantage # 3
By outsourcing the game development, there is a better chance of completing the project on time. Outsourcing firms are better at planning and trying to meet requirements.
If during the work on the project it becomes necessary to increase the engineering capabilities, the outsourcing company will cope with this faster. She has the trump card up her sleeve in the form of experienced HHs and HR specialists who will quickly recruit staff to develop custom games. And most of the self-respecting outsourcing companies have a staff of engineers, so to expand the team, it is enough to turn to internal resources.
In the case of direct hiring, the client is directly dependent on the developers. If suddenly he is not a coder himself and is not personally familiar with Python, Ruby, Java or other beasts that live in the programming forest, developers are free to set goals at their own discretion. This is fraught with the fact that the game code will be written in a rare programming language and in a manner that no one outside the company will understand. And let’s not forget about the delays associated with the search for specialists.
Outsourcing advantage # 4. Expert level in everything
Offshore firms are equipped with the software and hardware required to develop mobile or computer games. For example, to develop a game for the iPhone or iPad, you only have to write code on Apple Inc. devices.
By hiring an outsourcing company, the client gains extensive technical capabilities and skills. Experienced developers know how to avoid common mistakes and implement proven effective solutions. To avoid additional costs associated with further maintenance and bug fixes, you can simply order the game development for outsourcing.
Outsourcing Advantage # 5. Incredible Savings
Going to conquer the world of games, the client decides to create a separate center. When building such a business in Ukraine or another country, the startup expects to invest a lot of money in this business. The client expects to receive a considerable profit from such investments, in the longer term, of course. But the profitability of such an investment is questionable. Lack of knowledge of the specifics of the market and simply a huge number of managerial, economic, and other risks increase the cost.
Therefore, although the cost of outsourcing game development seems high, the cost of the service is not overhead and covers the overhead costs. You can find out the cost of creating a mobile game here.
In addition, we must not forget about the priceless nerve cells, the connections between which will not be disturbed by the stress that accompanies the procedure of starting a business. The client will not spend a dime searching and reviewing coders and designers. Forget about: licenses for the software used, hardware, laptops, monitors, northern vaults, tables, chairs, and other equipment; social benefits; office rent; the Internet, cables, adapters, and other consumables.
In addition, the cost of paying taxes and legal services will also be reduced. After all, before creating a computer game development studio, a novice businessman should study the legislative system, make sure that safety and taxation standards are observed, and also comply with employment laws. Having picked up a legal option for registering a business, you need to go through a simple registration procedure, and then observe difficult rules and laws for a very long time. Whereas companies such as Coloro, offering outsourcing development services, have already developed effective legal schemes to support relations with international clients.
Game development stages outsourcing
Individual tasks, such as code development or testing, have long ceased to be outsourced, divided between firms. A more common technique is when firms offer a range of services, from improving an idea of placing fully developed applications in stores. It’s easier to choose an office where game development services are available under one roof, as it makes the job really easy.
Having found a cool company with experienced developers who are worth their money, you don’t always want to pay that very money. Therefore, in order to save money, the development of component parts that are not related to the game itself is transferred to another company. Novice developers are not against simple orders and do not pretend to be science-intensive developments. This approach is often dictated not only by economic considerations but also by the unwillingness to spend the time of experienced developers on routine work, which the Junam can do.
Most often, this includes working on typical code – creating game components (plug-ins, COM objects, or class libraries) according to given specifications. This kind of work is often done by newcomer companies.
Writing documentation and advertising
Compilation of game descriptions and promotions in stores can be entrusted to a company specializing in this type of work. The staff includes technical writers, SEO, SMM-boxes, marketers, editors, proofreaders, translators, designers, layout designers and other specialists.
This kind of outsourcing has survived because if technical writers can always find work in a company that develops custom games, then the editor, proofreader or translator will be unloaded, and therefore an unprofitable employee.
Testing the finished game
The quality of the finished toy can only be verified through thorough testing. the existing language versions of the game are tested on all kinds of devices and different versions of the OS. Not every start-up company has the resources to support such events. Therefore, testing can be transferred to a company specializing in these processes.
Game development outsourcing – final touches
It is not enough to just outsource a project and forget about it before release. There are a number of minor problems to take care of. For example, there is a possibility that the idea will be copied, so it is the client’s responsibility to disclose the idea only after signing the NDA agreement.
Not only does creation make sense, security and protection also play an important role in the success of the game, and the client must take care of such aspects. Before accepting the final version, you should check for compatibility issues and carefully review the game. The client’s creative ideas must find the right firm, because only then can the task be completed. For example, now VR technologies are becoming more and more popular, so it makes sense to order the development of a computer game using these technologies.
Do some research about the firm before making your final decision, and don’t be fooled by false reviews and a stolen portfolio. Feel free to change your company if it doesn’t meet the established standards. Finally, the client can cancel the agreement if the offshore firm has not met the agreed requirements.
Starloop Studios is a leading game development outsourcing company, providing full game development and game art services to the global gaming industry.
Unity Game Engine
The Unity engine is the most popular third-party game development software. Unity is real-time development platform. Unity is a cross-platform engine. The Unity editor is supported on Windows, macOS, and the Linux platform, while the engine itself currently supports building games for more than 25 different platforms, including mobile, desktop, consoles, and virtual reality.
The Unity game outsourcing is a simple and cost-effective way to realize your game development vision with minimal investment.