Game art outsourcing – is it worth it?

Many game developers prefer to outsource some of their work, but why? Why is outsourcing so popular? One of the reasons is to save money and time because you don’t have to hire and train new employees. Besides, after some time the need for these full-time employees may disappear, so why hire them? Next, we will consider some options in which it is advisable for a developer to use game art outsource.

In what cases do developers give work to game art outsource?

There are several options when it is worth resorting to outsourcing. Firstly, it makes sense to do this if the task is one-time. That is, it makes no sense to hire full-time employees since after the completion of work they will sit idle. Of course, you can hire a freelancer, but this method is also not without drawbacks – after all, you will also have to deal with its search and training.

The studio you are applying to already has qualified and trained professionals.

Secondly, in the case when the task has a strict deadline, there will not be enough time for hiring, training, and adaptation. In this case, the company can use the services of video game art outsourcing.

And finally, there are tasks that ordinary employees may not want to work with. Usually, this is a monotonous work, involving repeated repetition of the same action. In the end, this may affect the quality of the final product, so much work can also be given to video game artwork. Also, it is far from necessary for regular staff to specialize in other areas. For example, if artists can draw character models well, this does not mean that they will also be good at drawing people.

When is it too early for video game art outsourcing?

In the early stages, if a team of specialists is still working on a concept, you should not immediately give this work to outsourcing game art. When a team is involved, there is a constant exchange of ideas, and thus it can lead to something. Outsource game art will be useful if you need to draw the same or even almost 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 better work out the main details.

What does it take to give part of the work to outsourcing game art?

The most important part of working with outsourcing game development studios is the correct statement of the problem. In order for you to be satisfied with the result, you definitely need to give clear tasks and goals 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, how competently it will be compiled will largely determine the final result. For their part, outsourcers must ensure the correct implementation and ensure that all specified deadlines are met.

Remember that first, you need to correctly formulate the task and eliminate any ambiguity that may be present in the instructions. It will be nice if you can show with specific examples what exactly you are waiting for.

What responsibility does the outsourcing games studio take on?

In order for the order to be executed in the best possible way, it is important to stay in touch throughout the entire project. A reputable outsourcer should take responsibility for:

• To ensure that the client gets what he needs. This is especially important for inexperienced developers, who can’t always be clear about what they’re looking for;
• Selecting a contractor. The art director of the studio must understand what is required from the artists and how to properly convey it to them;
• Organization within team processes.

Sometimes small studios can work with an outsourcing games art studio, which, at the same time, can take on certain projects. Despite the limited resources of such studios, sometimes they can take on fairly large projects, while the quality remains at a high level.

Benefits of outsourcing video game artwork

Now, it’s worth considering what are the benefits of outsourcing for developers who want to use the services of other studios.

• Saving money. By outsourcing game design services, you do not have to hire an additional full-time employee. This can save a lot of money because then you will not have to spend money on more employees.
• Less time spent. When hiring new specialists, you need to go through all the stages, from the interview to the training of candidates. Of course, this will take a lot of your time, since the whole recruitment process is very time consuming. However, when you outsource this, you can save, among other things, a lot of time. The outsourcing studio has qualified specialists who immediately know what they will have to work with.
• Overheads. It is also a big plus that you are exempt from office, hardware, and software costs. Since the outsourcing studio provides specialists, the entire responsibility for management lies with them.
• Releasing resources. A game development company has high requirements for content creators. Outsourcing, on the other hand, allows you to add and even free up more resources when they are needed.

Thus, by using external resources, you can get the added benefit of more time and less cost. Many companies outsource development, which greatly simplifies the life of developers. At the same time, one should not forget that special attention should be paid to the selection of a quality studio with a good reputation.