When to Outsource Your Mobile Game Production?
Deciding when to outsource your mobile game production depends on several factors, such as the scope of the project, available resources, and internal expertise. Outsourcing can be particularly beneficial in the following scenarios:
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Limited Internal Resources
If your development team lacks the necessary skills, expertise, or bandwidth to handle certain aspects of game production, outsourcing becomes a viable option. It allows you to tap into external talent pools, access specialized skills, and leverage the experience of professionals dedicated to specific areas.
Tight Deadlines
When faced with demanding project timelines, outsourcing can help accelerate development. By delegating specific tasks to external teams, you can ensure a faster turnaround and meet release dates without compromising quality.
Cost Optimization
Outsourcing can offer cost advantages by eliminating the need for hiring and training additional in-house staff. It allows you to leverage the expertise of external teams who are already equipped with the necessary resources, saving you time and money.
Development Phases Ideal for Outsourcing:
- Concept Art and Design:
Engaging talented artists and designers to create captivating visuals, character designs, and concept art. Outsourcing this phase ensures access to creative professionals who specialize in game artistry.
- Programming and Development:
Outsourcing programming and development tasks can expedite the coding process and ensure a robust and efficient game engine. Expert programmers can handle complex technical aspects while adhering to industry standards and best practices.
- Quality Assurance and Testing:
Thorough testing is critical to ensure a bug-free and polished gaming experience. Outsourcing QA and testing can provide access to experienced testers who can perform comprehensive tests across different devices, platforms, and scenarios, enhancing overall game quality.
Which Development Phase to Outsource
Outsourcing can be beneficial at any stage of the development process, but it’s important to choose the right phase to ensure that you get the most out of your investment. Here are the three main development phases where outsourcing can be most effective:
- Pre-Production: Outsourcing during the pre-production phase can help you save time and money by allowing you to focus on the game’s concept and design while leaving the technical aspects to the outsourcing team.
- Production: Outsourcing during the production phase can help you speed up the development process and ensure that your game is released on time.
- Post-Production: Outsourcing during the post-production phase can help you save time and money by allowing you to focus on marketing and distribution while leaving the technical aspects to the outsourcing team.
Reasons and Benefits of Outsourcing Your Mobile Game Production
There are several reasons why outsourcing your mobile game production can be beneficial for your company. Here are some of the most important ones:
Cost Savings
Outsourcing can help you reduce development time and cost by delegating tasks to specialists who have the skills, experience, and tools to complete them efficiently and effectively. Outsourcing can also help avoid hiring and training new staff, paying for office space and equipment, or managing payroll and taxes.
Improving quality and performance
Outsourcing can help you improve the quality and performance of your games by accessing a pool of talented and creative professionals who can bring fresh ideas, perspectives, and solutions to the project. Outsourcing can also help developers ensure that their games meet the standards and expectations of different platforms, markets, and audiences by leveraging the expertise and knowledge of local or global partners.
Time Savings
Outsourcing can help you save time on development, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business, such as marketing and distribution.
Scalability
Outsourcing can help developers scale up or down their production according to their needs and goals. Outsourcing can allow developers to expand their teams and capabilities when they need to handle larger or more complex projects or to reduce their teams and expenses when they need to focus on smaller or simpler projects. Outsourcing can also help developers adapt to changing market conditions and customer demands by adjusting their scope and budget accordingly.
However, outsourcing also comes with some challenges and risks that developers need to consider and manage carefully, such as:
- Losing control and ownership: Outsourcing can make developers lose some control and ownership over their game development process, as they have to rely on external parties to deliver their work on time, on budget, and on quality. Outsourcing can also expose developers to potential legal issues or disputes regarding intellectual property rights, contracts, payments, or confidentiality.
- Communicating and coordinating: Outsourcing can create communication and coordination challenges for developers, as they have to work with different teams, cultures, and languages across different time zones and locations. Outsourcing can also increase the complexity and uncertainty of the game development process, as developers have to deal with multiple stakeholders, dependencies, and feedback loops.
- Finding and trusting: Outsourcing can be difficult for developers to find and trust the right partners for their game development projects, as they have to evaluate their skills, portfolios, reputation, and reliability. Outsourcing can also involve some trial and error, as developers have to test the compatibility and quality of their partners’ work before committing to a long-term relationship.
Therefore, outsourcing is not a one-size-fits-all solution for mobile game development. Developers need to weigh the pros and cons of outsourcing for each project and decide when, what, and how to outsource based on their specific needs, goals, and resources. Some of the factors that developers need to consider when outsourcing are:
The development phase
Developers need to determine which phase of the game development process they want to outsource, such as pre-production, production, or post-production. Each phase has different requirements, challenges, and opportunities for outsourcing. For example, outsourcing pre-production tasks such as concept art or prototyping can help developers validate their ideas and vision quickly; outsourcing production tasks such as asset creation or coding can help developers speed up their development cycle; outsourcing post-production tasks such as testing or marketing can help developers polish their games and reach their target audience.
The type of work
Developers need to identify which type of work they want to outsource, such as creative or technical work. Each type of work has different implications for outsourcing. For example, outsourcing creative work such as art or design can help developers enhance their game’s aesthetics and appeal; outsourcing technical work such as programming or testing can help developers optimize their game’s functionality and performance.
The level of involvement
You need to define how much involvement they want to have in the outsourced work, such as high or low involvement. Each level of involvement has different advantages and disadvantages for outsourcing. For example, high involvement means that developers have more control and ownership over the outsourced work but also more responsibility and effort; low involvement means that developers have less control and ownership over the outsourced work but also less responsibility and effort.
Conclusion
Outsourcing mobile game production can be a strategic decision that offers numerous benefits for game developers. By leveraging external expertise and specialized skills, you can optimize resources, save time, and focus on their core competencies. Outsourcing is particularly advantageous when internal resources are limited, tight deadlines must be met, or cost optimization is essential.
Reasons to outsource mobile game production encompass cost savings, improved quality and performance, time savings, and scalability. Outsourcing provides access to a global talent pool and enables developers to meet market demands efficiently. It allows for flexible scaling and ensures games are delivered on time and within budget.
Ultimately, the decision to outsource mobile game production should be based on a thorough evaluation of project requirements, internal capabilities, and business goals. By considering the specific needs and resources of each project, developers can harness the advantages of outsourcing to create captivating, high-quality mobile games that captivate players and achieve success in the competitive gaming market. At Agate, we understand the importance of game development outsourcing and can provide the expertise and support needed to level up your mobile game production.
Are you looking for co-development, art services, or game porting? Look no further than Agate!
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today and learn more about how we can help you take your project to exceptional heights.
