Many game developers prefer to outsource some of their work, but why? Why is outsourcing so popular? One reason is to save money and time because you don’t have to hire and train new employees. Also, after a while, the need for those full-time employees may disappear, so why hire them? Next, we’ll look at some options where a developer is advised to use game art outsourcing.
When do developers outsource work to game art?
There are several options when it is worth resorting to outsourcing. First, it makes sense to do this if the task is one-time. That is, it makes no sense to hire full-time employees because after the completion of the work they will remain idle. Of course, you can hire a freelancer, but this method is not without drawbacks either – after all, you will also have to take care of their research and training.
The studio you are applying to already has qualified and trained professionals.
Second, in case the task has a strict deadline, there won’t be enough time for hiring, training and adaptation. In this case, the company can resort to video game art outsourcing services.
And finally, there are tasks that ordinary employees may not want to work with. Usually it is monotonous work, involving the repeated repetition of the same action. Ultimately, this can affect the quality of the final product, so much work can go into video game artwork as well. Moreover, there is no need for regular staff to specialize in other areas. For example, if artists can draw character models well, it doesn’t mean that they will also be good at drawing people.
When is it too soon to outsource video game art?
In the beginning, if a team of specialists is still working on a concept, you should not immediately outsource that work to game art outsourcing. When a team is involved, there is a constant exchange of ideas, and so it can lead to something. Outsourcing game art will be useful if you need to draw identical or even nearly identical objects, and you already have your own style.
But if you do not have your own team of artists, then, of course, the best option would be to immediately turn to an outsourcing studio, which will allow you to work out the main details better.
What does it take to outsource some of the work to game art?
The most important part of working with outsourced game development studios is getting the problem right. In order for you to be satisfied with the result, you absolutely must give clear tasks and objectives that the artists must fulfill. The specification is the most important factor in the quality of the final product, as it specifies all the requirements for the product. Therefore, the skill with which it will be compiled will largely determine the end result. For their part, subcontractors must ensure proper implementation and ensure that all specified deadlines are met.
Remember that you must first properly formulate the task and eliminate any ambiguity that may be present in the instructions. It would be nice if you could show with specific examples what exactly you expect.
What responsibility does the outsourced game studio bear?
In order for the order to be fulfilled in the best possible way, it is important to stay in touch throughout the project. A reputable contractor should take responsibility for:
- Make sure the customer gets what they need. This is especially important for inexperienced developers, who may not always know exactly what they are looking for;
- Selection of a contractor. The studio’s art director must understand what is expected of artists and how to properly communicate it to them;
- Organization within team processes.
Sometimes smaller studios can work with an outsourced game art studio, which at the same time can take on some projects. Despite the limited resources of these studios, they can sometimes take on quite large projects, while the quality remains at a high level.
Benefits of outsourcing video game artwork
Now it is worth considering what are the advantages of outsourcing for developers who want to use the services of other studios.
- To save money. By outsourcing game design services, you don’t have to hire an additional full-time employee. This can save a lot of money because then you won’t have to spend money on more employees.
- Less time spent. When hiring new specialists, you need to go through all the stages, from interviewing to training candidates. Of course, it will take you a lot of time, because the whole recruitment process takes a long time. However, when you outsource this, you can, among other things, save a lot of time. The outsourcing studio has qualified specialists who immediately know what they will have to work with.
- Overheads. It’s also a big plus that you are exempt from office, hardware and software costs. As the outsourcing studio provides specialists, full management responsibility lies with them.
- Free up resources. A game development company has high demands for content creators. Outsourcing, on the other hand, allows you to add and even free up more resources when needed.
So, by using external resources, you can get the added benefit of saving time and reducing costs. Many companies outsource development, which greatly simplifies the lives of developers. At the same time, it should be remembered that special attention should be paid to the selection of a quality studio with a good reputation.
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