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Top 5 PC Game Development Outsourcing Companies

If you’re looking to create your own experience, check out our list of the top PC game development companies to outsource instead of managing an in-house team.

Level-Up with Top PC Game Development Companies

Owed to years of research and development, the gaming industry has come a long way from vintage arcades and coin-operated consoles. Fact is, gamers can now access popular video games like Minecraft, League of Legends, and Fortnite right from their personal computer or phone, thanks to cloud-based gaming.

Since video games are no longer just a pastime confined to the young, there are over 2.7 billion gamers worldwide today! The shift to monetized games by incorporating advertisements or limited-time subscriptions makes development a win-win for designers and players. Players can win in-game rewards or access exclusive features during gameplay while creators work towards earning back their investment.

Consequently, development studios are on the rise, with an average expected growth rate of 13% per year. E-sports and console games remain top choices. However, with advancements in computer graphics, the real-time capabilities and player base of video game companies continue to expand. The highlight is that technology is no longer a limitation as anyone can conveniently access free and paid games from any device, even their smartphone.

For this reason, choosing a reliable game development studio to help realize your vision can be challenging. Game development is an intricate process that requires the help of innovative and experienced professionals. Since it takes time to build a team that works towards the shared vision of a successful game, you can bypass this step through outsourcing.

This article lists everything you need to know about some of the top PC game development companies and how to select a third-party designer for your project.

What is Outsourced Game Development?

When it comes to game development, outsourcing implies assigning various production responsibilities to external video game companies. These activities might range from character creation, storyboarding, music, and animation to technical programming and quality testing. However, outsourcing may also imply delegating tasks to an external game developer or artist instead of a full-service studio.

Outsourcing PC game development companies means individuals can gain comprehensive help throughout their project, from creation to post-launch support. The most typical reason development studios are sought after is to reduce costs. For instance, quality video game companies lessen the investment for expensive software or hardware updates since they already have all the resources you may require.

Today’s gaming industry can't function without relying on external companies for their expertise for added value. Outsourcing game development is crucial to maintaining a profitable business, staying up-to-date with new generation gamers, and consistently releasing unique game ideas. Even industry-leading brands such as EA Games, Ubisoft, and Nintendo count on specialized video game companies for certain aspects of their popular video games.

Types of Game Design Outsourcing and How to Delegate

In the long run, you’ll save significant money and time while ending up with a premium result by outsourcing complex tasks to different game development companies. The fact is, there are multiple ways to delegate these tasks.

Full-Cycle Development

When you hire video game companies specializing in turn-key development, they handle organization, implementation, and follow-throughs on your behalf. These three essential stages of constructing a stellar video game call for large teams of seasoned professionals. By utilizing third-party development studios, you can overcome many challenges connected to talent and costs while accessing a broad portfolio of artists, developers, etc.

Freelance Developers or Outsourcing Individual Tasks

A freelancer works for different clients, which sets them apart from game development companies with all essential professionals on staff. If you wish to put together a group of independent workers, you will be responsible for recruitment and coordination. This option is convenient to compensate for resource shortages if you don't have a game developer that fits the required profile.

Alternatively, you can delegate specific responsibilities rather than complete game development through outsourcing. As a result, this enhances your PC game with cutting-edge technologies like eye-catching graphics and accelerates the entire process. Using this strategy, you can divide and conquer all available resources to accomplish a lot more in a relatively short time.

Key Benefits of Outsourcing development of your PC game

Sometimes, a game developer might believe they can tackle production independently or by hiring freelancers. But, this approach almost always results in the game being unsuccessful due to various factors such as lack of experience and high costs. The art of creating a PC game from scratch directly impacts how far the project goes in the future and its success.

For this reason, rather than attempting game development on your own, why not consider the possibility of working with outsourced video game companies? But, before going all in, it’s vital to have a solid understanding of all the advantages you can gain through this approach.

Cost and Time-Effective Solutions

When you opt to work with video game companies, you can benefit from a significantly lower cost and the potential to save a significant amount of time. While most people assume outsourcing game development is expensive, the assistance of a workforce with extensive training can increase profits. Of course, you may choose to hire freelancers who have created popular video games, but this may not always give you the highest return on investment.

Similarly, it takes a lot of time and effort to form a game development team on your own that can efficiently connect with your objectives and each other. By using a third-party service provider, you can reduce the amount of time spent on recruitment, training, and onboarding. In addition, these video game companies have been collaborating internally for a long time, enabling them to lead an organized process that meets all your specifications while sticking to deadlines.

Diverse Services

Most PC game development companies already have a library of successful releases. Consequently, they are constantly searching for creative partners who can leverage their brand while delivering a one-of-a-kind gaming experience. You can keep your intellectual property and concept to yourself while getting a pitch from your chosen studio. This is the ideal way to build engaging content for your audience without taxing your creativity or in-house team.

Video game companies have teams with established procedures, timelines, and habits that make collaborating straightforward. Additionally, they can offer advice on uncommon fields of expertise like animation, illustration, and special effects. As these teams broaden their game development portfolios with credited, solid games, the overall quality of their work also increases.

Game development companies can help you create cross-platform games that can be accessed on any device, be it phones, PCs, or consoles. Moreover, you can also focus on your audience by offering augmented or virtual reality titles through such providers. The odds that your gaming endeavor will be successful will be significantly higher through outsourcing.

Expand Your Horizons Flexibly and Risk-Free

There is no way to know for sure you won’t be abandoned by freelancers since there are several scammers online. On the contrary, you can restrict the scope of your game development project by solely relying on your abilities. Therefore, outsourcing video game companies is essential for a full-fledged development cycle to eliminate the risk of overlooking critical elements.

Research has shown that developers and managers within the gaming industry depend on prototypes and pre-production to reduce risks. The two most common issues faced during game development are the lack of excitement and fun and failure to adopt strategies for the project at hand. Video game companies deploy their cross-genre, tech stacks, and development knowledge to eliminate these problems.

If you require any changes or want to make improvements in the future, you can always reach out to your service provider. Reputation is critical for game development companies. Thus they are always consumer-oriented to guarantee stellar results.

How to Select the Right Game Design Partner?

The success of your game development depends on finding a suitable outsourcing partner that is up to the task and aligns with your goals. Furthermore, video game companies must be capable of delivering results on schedule without exceeding the allotted budget.

In most cases, picking a candidate begins with a scroll through the company's website to examine their game titles. The most noteworthy projects are typically presented in a clear and accessible manner right at the top of the page. Please do not give in to the temptation of eye-catching games; instead, try to discover their role in these projects.

Take the following elements into consideration when forming a strategic partnership:

Services Offered and Location

If you’re ready to outsource game development, the first thing is to check whether the chosen provider offers the services you require. This phase evaluates whether or not a business can render the work you need them to.

For example, if your game needs 2D and 3D programming, you’ll need to work with video game companies specializing in this area. Likewise, to attract young players, you may want to look for AI-focused developers.

Before settling on a partner, make sure to look at the location of the company as well. You may get a sense of their rates and schedules by looking at their demographics. Off-shore developers are generally less expensive; however, their time zones and internet connectivity could impact collaboration.

Experience Level and Reviews

Well-established gaming companies have a wealth of knowledge and experience in providing excellent service to their clients. These experts can swiftly grasp the complexities of any project to recommend the best course of action to ensure success. Additionally, these organizations can locate experts in a given field and have multiple development teams to meet any gamer's demands.

You can learn a lot about the quality and expectations of the business' work by looking at what others have to say about it. Testimonials are frequently featured prominently on websites of reputable outsourcing firms. Even though such companies likely only publish positive remarks, this information has a lot of value to offer to potential clients. Furthermore, keep an eye out on other gaming platforms and social media like Instagram or Facebook pages for in-depth insight into the firm's history.

Engagement and Pricing Models

In order to assist clients in selecting the optimal way to produce their game, most outsources have a variety of engagement models. A well-produced game could benefit from an external team compatible with your company's culture.

Depending on the scope of your game, you may want to opt for a fixed-price model that works within a set budget and deadlines. Another option is the time and material model that allows improving games through updates after they have been released.

Game Development Process

Having a well-tuned internal workflow is a sign of an effective partner. This indicates that management, developers, and designers clearly understand their duties and due dates for the game development project at hand. Additionally, companies with a defined procedure will complement your in-house team more productively and achieve outputs with fewer glitches and errors.

Recommended PC Game Development Outsourcing Companies

To save you the time and hassle of finding PC game development companies at par, we’ve put together a list of a few attention-worthy names.

Argentics.io
Argentics is a group of more than 80 Ukrainian enthusiasts and specialists brought together by a shared passion for creative expression and crisp PC games or applications. The provider offers full-cycle game development and detailed, intricate artwork for online interfaces and platforms. In addition, they also provide AR/VR, cross-platform applications, UI/UX design, and games that use Blockchain technology.

Starloop Studios
Starloop Studios specializes in top-notch game art and experience development. The Spanish firm has over 600 experts who can assist you with end-to-end development, porting, prototyping, and quality assurance. Their state-of-the-art publishing services cover software creation, video production, animation, and cybersecurity for world-class user interfaces. The company has a vast portfolio of hundreds of cross-platform games and a decade of experience.

Melior Games
Melior Games initially developed games exclusively for iOS and Android devices. Since then, it has expanded its area of expertise to produce carious console and PC games through Unity3D. Apart from game development, Melior Games is renowned for its engaging apps and games, from the simple arcade, card, and puzzle games to more detailed 2D and 3D adventures like a dog simulator. The firm also develops Bitcoin and Ethereum-based games powered by Blockchain technology and gambling games like poker and lotteries.

Skyhook Games
Based out of the UK, Skyhook Games is the answer for those seeking artists with various experiences and a keen eye for little details. As an outsourcing partner, Skyhook is a reliable producer of simulation video games with 2D or 3D game art due to its veteran developer founders with 40 years of experience under their belt. Skyhook is also well-equipped with technical fixes and skilled artists that can bring any environment, character, or prop to life.

EJAW
EJAW is an Estonian gameplay art outsourcing firm that also offers end-to-end development to users. With over 70 gaming professionals and a decade of expertise, the company’s diverse backgrounds and extensive resources make it possible to create distinctive gaming solutions for you. EJAW provides 2D, 3D, animation, visual effects, and VR/AR in addition to casual and slot game cross-platform graphics.

What Sets Argentics apart from the latter?

Our programmers always look for ways to elevate a decent concept to an unforgettable experience, from indie brands to multinationals. We take care of everything you need for end-to-end game development by combining tech stacks, design features, and other crucial elements. This includes modeling, technicalities, coding, animation, and post-release support to cultivate relationships with our customers.

To distinguish ourselves from other game development companies, Argentics’ tried and tested approach, combined with innovative concepts, helps us cater to any individual's needs. No matter how intricate, our team of gaming veterans is always proactive and keen to ensure client specifications are met precisely. We offer co-creation and full-cycle game development aside from the option to manage a dedicated team, depending on your preference. We will assign artists, team leads, and other resources you may need.

We aim to foster long-term partnerships to help clients realize and improve on the experience they cultivate. Aside from prioritizing each project and its distinctive requirements, our transparent and tailor-made strategies deliver sophisticated results that will ensure your title is successful!

The Bottom Line

If you are ready to take the plunge into the world of PC gaming, outsourcing a development team or company may just be the ideal starting point for you. With various advantages and features that can make game development a breeze, third-party firms are well-versed with player requirements. So, you can sit back, relax and let your gaming partner take care of the technicalities for you.

The suggestions and tips above will set you up to embark on your project and create virtually anything from simple characters and 2D simulators to immersive VR games. Whether you want to create an action-packed adventure or something more uncomplicated for younger players, the game development companies listed above can help you plan your route of action.
    Ukraine / USA / Israel
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