Many people think that outsourcing and freelancing are the same things. Hence, they use these words as synonyms because they don’t know exactly what these concepts actually mean. The selection of talented and experienced developers who will satisfy clients’ needs is very important in game development. Their approach to game development directly affects the end result and whether the project will be successful in the future. 

Many developers are looking for a full-fledged development team who already know how to work with each other and have created many successful games together. Others are looking for experienced freelancers and interacting with them. Each option for game development has its pros and cons. This article will explain the difference between an outsourcing game development company and freelance game specialists. We also will tell you what you should define before looking for a good team. 

What Should You Consider Before Hiring Game Developers?

In order to take a closer look at your needs and select game developers, you should keep in mind the stages of game development. These are pre-production, production, testing, and post-release. The first thing before you start looking for game development experts is to find a game idea and create a game concept. You need to understand which specific technologies will be introduced in your game. Without this, you will not be able to understand what kind of gaming specialists you need. As we know, everything starts with an interesting idea. Think about what features to implement into the game and what kind of person could help you with the implementation of your wishes. 

For instance, you want to add an interesting storyline to your game. Therefore, you need to go in search of an experienced and talented storyteller who can come up with a compelling story and engage your audience. Game developers are different, for example, one can write codes in Python, the other chooses C#. You need to determine on which engine the game will be developed, choose a programming language, the type of game graphics, the presence of animations and soundtracks, and so on. 

The size of a game development team depends on the complexity of the game you want to create. If you want to develop a hyper-casual mobile game, it will not take a long time to create it. You only need a few game developers. Another thing is when you want to create a large AAA game or VR game that will require many years of development and the efforts of many game specialists. If you want to implement the latest technology into your game and make it meaningful, that will also affect the size of your team. The choice of the game genre also directly affects the number of developers you need. For example, creating typical puzzles will not be as expensive as multiplayer. The explanation is very simple: the latter option requires additional funds and specialists to ensure the interaction of players in real-time.

Advantages of Outsourcing Game Development Studios

Wide Experience 

The main difficulty when looking for freelance game developers is opacity. The qualifications, real experience, and responsibility for the result are not clear. Therefore, choosing a freelancer is often like a lottery. A large number of freelancers are represented on the Internet. Unfortunately, reviews, ratings, and portfolios may be fictitious. The outsourcing company ranks the qualifications and rates of the developers. The client must be sent a resume of the developer allocated for the project. The resume indicates project experience and knowledge of technology. Game developers work in a team and discuss difficult points, improving knowledge of each other. Thus, the overall qualification of the team is constantly growing.

Reliability

Unfortunately, very often freelancers do not meet deadlines and may not get in touch. Freelancers support freedom of choice and can abandon a project any time they want. You can never be convinced that a freelancer will work to the end. And this can lead to bad consequences and delay the development of the game. A good outsourcing company is distinguished by the presence of several telephones for communication, a single email of technical support, and a mandatory response to inquiries during the day. If an outsourcing company has been operating for a long time, has a large number of regular customers with whom you can contact and get feedback, such a company can be transferred to complex and urgent tasks. A well-reputed outsourcing company will abandon the project if it cannot complete it efficiently and on time, since it values ​​its reputation earned over many years. An outsourcing game development studio guarantees reliability and you will not worry about the fact that your project will be thrown halfway.

Interaction

When developing a game, game specialists should have access to each other, can interact, and provide the necessary materials. When choosing freelancers, you need to reunite them and create an effective team, providing them with the ability to communicate. It also takes time, and an outsourcing team is a great option because they have already developed games together and know how to quickly and effectively use each other’s knowledge, interact, and transfer information. Outsourcing game development companies have a ready-made work scheme that saves time and allows you to achieve effective results. 

Profitable 

Using outsourcing makes it possible to attract high-level specialists to the project at a price comparable to the salary of freelancers, while you save on recruiting, office work, and so on. When choosing a freelance game developer, you should remember that each specialist sets a certain price for its services, which is different from all others. You will also need to hire an accountant in order to keep an efficient calculation and give the salary accurately, especially if you decide to hire a lot of game specialists.

Advantages of Freelance Game Developers

Cost-Effectiveness

The biggest benefit of working with freelancers is that you can save money by choosing them. Outsourcing game development companies require more investment as it guarantees reliability, adherence to deadlines, efficiency, and quality. Freelance rates are often lower, but not always. If you are looking for a true professional, it doesn’t matter if he is a freelancer, because the rates can be the same as outsourcing studios.

Flexibility 

One of the main advantages of choosing freelancers to develop your games is flexibility. Freelancers can easily work from home and set a convenient schedule that suits both the freelancer and the client. An outsourcing company specifies its deadlines at the beginning of work and is not as flexible as freelancers. You can contact them at any time and make changes to your order.

Summary 

The advantages of an outsourcing game development studio include:

  • A full-fledged team of game developers;
  • Experience in developing various games;
  • They have all the necessary tools, technology, and manpower;
  • They have the cost and timeline beforehand.

Disadvantages:

  • Hiring a game development company will be more expensive than a freelancer game developer;
  • The development process is predetermined at an early stage, therefore, development studios will be less flexible than freelancers.

The advantages of freelance game developers include:

  • There are many talented game development freelancers that you can get in touch with;
  • Freelancers are cheaper if compare them to hiring a game development company;
  • The freelancer will be more flexible.

Disadvantages:

  • Freelancers can give a lack of experience in developing games similar to your game;
  • Sometimes there can be troubles with connection, especially if you have a difference in time-zone;
  • Freelancers don’t guarantee the end result and can cut off the connection with you.

To develop a game, you need a good idea and a reliable game development team. Once you’ve created a clear vision of the game you want to create, the next step is always to find a team of programmers who will bring it to life. Finding the best game developers who are truly passionate about video games is not an easy task. The choice of specialists depends only on you, you can give preference to an outsourcing game development studio, like EJAW, or you can choose freelancers. It all depends on your financial capabilities and the size of the project.