For decades, outsourcing has proven its efficiency in the global game development industry. Game developers continuously seek ways to achieve better results and optimize their budgets. Outsourcing offers a strategic solution, allowing companies to leverage external expertise while focusing on their core competencies.
Outsourcing game development involves hiring external teams to work on various aspects of the project. Game companies gain access to a global talent pool, specialized expertise, prototyping, art production, and sound design by outsourcing.
A company can focus on its strengths while external teams handle the technical aspects, resulting in more efficient and cost-effective development. Outsourcing offers specialized expertise, flexible staffing, and faster development.
In this article, we’ll explore the efficiency of collaborating with outsourced game developers and how it can help you create high-quality games on time and within budget.
Why Outsource Game Development?
Access to Global Talent
Outsourcing provides game companies with access to a global talent pool, allowing them to tap into expertise and skills that may not be available locally. This access can be particularly beneficial for specialized tasks such as character animation, complex programming, or sound design. By leveraging global talent, companies can ensure that their game development projects are handled by the best professionals in the field.
Cost Efficiency
One of the primary reasons companies outsource game development is cost efficiency. Outsourcing can significantly reduce development costs, as companies do not need to invest in hiring full-time employees or maintaining a large in-house development team. Instead, they can hire external teams on a project-by-project basis, allowing for more flexible and efficient budget management.
Focus on Core Competencies
By outsourcing technical aspects of game development, companies can focus on their core competencies, such as creative direction, marketing, and business development. This strategic focus can lead to higher quality games and more successful launches, as companies can allocate their resources and energy towards what they do best.
Flexibility and Scalability
Outsourcing offers flexibility and scalability, allowing companies to scale their development efforts up or down based on project needs. This adaptability is particularly valuable in the fast-paced game development industry, where project scopes and timelines can change rapidly. By partnering with outsourcing firms, companies can quickly adjust their teams and resources to meet evolving demands.
Risk Mitigation
Outsourcing can help mitigate risks associated with game development, such as missed deadlines or budget overruns. Experienced outsourcing partners bring project management expertise and proven methodologies, ensuring that projects stay on track and within budget. Additionally, outsourcing can provide a buffer against unexpected challenges, such as staff turnover or technical issues.
How to Manage an Outsourced Team of Game Developers
Establishing Clear Expectations
Effectively managing an experienced outsourcing team requires setting clear expectations to ensure a profitable collaboration. Here are key steps:
- Defining project goals and objectives: Clearly specify the number of levels, frame rates, target devices, and game appearance to give the outsourcing partner a precise understanding of the expected outcome.
- Setting deadlines and milestones: Establish realistic timelines for each milestone to avoid delays and ensure timely project completion.
- Clarifying roles and responsibilities: Assign specific roles and responsibilities within the outsourcing team to enhance accountability and track progress effectively.
Encouraging Open Communication
Clear and transparent communication is vital for successful co-development with an outsourcing partner. Key elements include:
- Building trust and rapport: Establish a reporting process that suits both parties, providing sufficient project updates without overwhelming the partner with unnecessary correspondence. Utilize task-tracking software to streamline communication.
- Respecting cultural differences: Be mindful of cultural differences that may impact communication, work style, and expectations. Foster a culture of mutual respect and openness to learning from each other’s cultural norms and customs.
- Providing feedback and recognition: Regularly communicate your satisfaction with the outsourcing partner’s work. Set clear reporting and evaluation processes, and share feedback in a timely and transparent manner.
- Resolving conflicts promptly: Address conflicts promptly and effectively to maintain a harmonious working relationship and ensure project continuity.
Establishing Clear Expectations
Putting an experienced outsourcing team on your game development project is often meaningful and empowering, but it only brings profit if you can manage the development team. One of the key factors for successful collaboration with the game development outsourcing company is setting your expectations in a transparent way:
- Defining project goals and objectives: The more countable your goals are, the better result you get – define the number of levels, frame rates, target devices, and appearance of the game so the outsourcing partner has a clear view of the expected result.
- Setting deadlines and milestones: Nobody wants to break the deadlines for the release date, so realistic timing for every milestone is a must-have even in the most urgent projects.
- Clarifying roles and responsibilities: The “divide and conquer” motto works vice versa in our matter – it’s more like “share responsibility and manage the development team.” You’re much more likely to succeed if your outsourcing team is divided by specific roles and responsibilities for specific things. Know who does what and keep track of their progress.
Encouraging Open Communication
Another key thing in managing the co-development of your game with an outsourcing partner is establishing clear and transparent communication:
- Building trust and rapport: Business relationships should be based on trust. Make sure to set up a reporting process that would fit both sides and provide you with enough information to keep a decent track of the project’s progress but not to flood your partner with unnecessary correspondence, out-of-border paperwork, and unnecessary calls. Task-tracking software does a lot of this work for you. We will cover it a little lower in this article.
- Respecting cultural differences: When collaborating with an outsourcing game development team, it’s crucial to be mindful of cultural differences that may impact communication, work style, and expectations. To ensure a successful partnership, it’s important not just to establish clear communication protocols, define roles and responsibilities but also to respect cultural norms and customs. Additionally, it’s important to foster a culture of mutual respect, open communication, and a willingness to learn from one another. By recognizing and embracing cultural differences, game companies can create a more inclusive and collaborative work environment, leading to more successful and satisfying game development outcomes. Treat your possible cultural difference like a strength, a chance to go beyond your way of doing things, not an obstacle.
- Providing feedback and recognition: A correct way of informing your outsourcing partner of your level of satisfaction with their work can save you months of work and tons of money. Define the goals, organize the reporting and work valuation processes, and develop a strict, timely, and transparent way of sharing your feedback on your partner’s work and requiring changes, if necessary. And don’t forget to document it!
- Resolving conflicts in a timely manner: You work with people, not robots, and sometimes you’re very likely to face some kind of conflict, especially in a big team of various people. Avoiding conflicts is good, but if they take place – make sure you’re aware of them, and you know what to do to solve them in a timely manner.
Tools for Managing Outsourced Game Development Projects
The right software tools are crucial for managing remote collaborations and tracking progress. Here are some popular tools used for video game project management:
1. Jira
Jira is likely to be the most commonly used video game project management tool. With its customizable workflows, task management, and progress tracking features, Jira has been used by our partners and us to release dozens of games. With Atlassian’s game development outsourcing service, this software can help manage tasks and timelines, track progress, and ensure everyone is on the same page. In addition, it allows time-sensitive adjustments to be made in order to ensure project success by identifying potential issues and bottlenecks.
Price: Starts from $7.75 per user per month for teams of 10+ users.
2. Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project offers features like Gantt charts. Managing resources, scheduling tasks, and tracking progress are all useful uses of Microsoft Project in game development outsourcing. This enables better communication between team members, stakeholders, and clients, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and that the project is completed on schedule.
Microsoft Projects can be a reasonable addition to your game development tools if you use other Microsoft software for making the game and there is a subscription offer that allows you to use multiple Microsoft products.
Price: Starts from $10 per user per month.
3. Airtable
Airtable, a cloud-based spreadsheet and database management system, offers flexible, collaborative ways to organize, track, and manage data. As an alternative to Jira and Microsoft Projects in game development outsourcing, Airtable can be useful. Teams can collaborate, manage data, and streamline their workflows with its customizable templates, automations, and integrations. Overall, Airtable improves project visibility, communication, and organization.
Price: Starts from $10 per user per month, free for teams of 5 or fewer members.
4. Kanban Tool
Kanban Tool is a visual project management tool that utilizes Kanban boards to help teams manage their workflow. Kanban is a good methodology for developing video games, and Kanban Tool is one of the best tools for managing video games. With it, users can create boards, cards, and columns to represent their progress and work, and they can move tasks across the board as they are completed.
The Kanban Tool, apart from the standard project management software, is especially useful for identifying potential bottlenecks in the development process – you can literally view them on a visual board!
Price: Free for 2 users, starts at €5 for larger teams.
5. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a cloud-based project management tool with customizable templates and integrations. It offers Gantt charts, task management, and resource planning to help manage complex projects efficiently.is a good cloud-based project management tool. Featuring customizable templates and integrations with other tools, Smartsheet makes it easy for game development teams to manage complex projects and achieve high productivity. You will be able to manage your game development outsourcing project with ease and enough control with its Gantt charts, task management, and resource planning. Price: Free for teams of 2 or fewer users, starts at $7 per user per month for teams of 3+ members.
The Future of Game Development with Outsourcing
Even with the most advanced game development tools, achieving success in the industry remains challenging. At Kreonit, we believe that surprising gamers is key to meeting business goals. While stunning visuals and trendy genres may no longer suffice, there are still numerous ways to captivate players.
Innovative Game Mechanics
Developing unique and innovative game mechanics can set your game apart from the competition. By collaborating with outsourcing partners who bring fresh perspectives and specialized skills, you can explore new gameplay ideas and create engaging experiences that resonate with players.
Platform Adaptation
Adapting games to different platforms is crucial for reaching a wider audience. Outsourcing partners can provide the technical expertise needed to optimize games for various platforms, including consoles, PCs, and mobile devices. This ensures a smooth and enjoyable experience for players, regardless of their preferred gaming device.
Smoother Gameplay Experience
A seamless and smooth gameplay experience is essential for retaining players. Outsourcing partners can help identify and address performance issues, optimize game code, and enhance overall gameplay quality. This results in a more polished and enjoyable experience for players.
Social Interaction Features
Exploring new ways to socialize within games can enhance player engagement and community building. By integrating innovative social features, such as in-game chat, multiplayer modes, and social media integration, outsourcing partners can help create a more connected and interactive gaming experience.
Why Collaborating with Outsourcing Teams is the Future of Game Development?
Collaborating with experienced outsourcing teams can significantly contribute to these aspects. Combining your team’s expertise with external professionals can create a unique mix of skills and creativity, resulting in groundbreaking games.
Kreonit’s team can assist with:
- Bringing your game to any platform you envision: Our team can handle the technical challenges of adapting your game for various platforms, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience for players on consoles, PCs, and mobile devices.
- Providing art and animation specialists: Enhance your game’s visual appeal with stunning artwork and animations created by our talented artists and animators.
- Ensuring quality and compliance: We ensure your game meets platform certification requirements and player expectations, providing thorough quality assurance and compliance testing.
- Optimizing game performance: Make your game run faster and smoother on target devices with our performance optimization services.
- Solving game development challenges: Address any game development challenges your project may present with our expert guidance and support.
If you consider us as a partner for your upcoming or existing game, please visit our Contact Us page to learn how we can help you create a better game.
In conclusion, the strategic advantages of outsourcing in game development are clear. By leveraging global talent, reducing costs, focusing on core competencies, and ensuring flexibility, game companies can achieve remarkable success. Effective management, clear communication, and the right tools are essential to maximize the benefits of outsourcing. As the game development industry continues to evolve, outsourcing will remain a pivotal strategy for creating high-quality, engaging, and successful games.
