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List of the Best Game Development Companies | Hire Top Game Developers

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a game development company?

A game development company exclusively deals with building gaming software solutions compatible with digital devices. Ideating a game, designing, building, testing, launching the game, and offering post-launch support and maintenance collectively refer to game development. The entire process involves coding, incorporating the visually effective and functional elements, adding the features, testing, and iterating to make it playable. Collaboration with artists can help game development software helps them provide a world-class gaming experience.

What services do game development companies offer?

Game developer companies offer tailored end-to-end game development services right from crafting the game concept, coding, leveraging 2D/3D design, UI/UX design, developing games using specific programming languages/game engines, composing sound effects, integrating AR/VR, incorporating the monetization strategies, testing, updating, publishing, offering post-launch support, and much more.

What are the stages of game development?

There are multiple stages of game development. They are:

  • The planning stage deals with the ideating of a game and addressing questions like the type of game, target audience, features to be included in the game, etc.
  • The pre-production stage involves the decision on the number of levels, rewards, rules, and regulations of the game.
  • Production is the actual development of the game by coding along with combining the audio, visuals, and rendering of the game.
  • Rigorous testing of the gaming software determines any bugs and defects.
  • Pre-launch refers to the marketing of the game, getting feedback from beta users, and choosing the platforms to launch the game.
  • Launching is the actual release of the game software after the final trials to ensure there are no bugs or defects.
  • Post-launch involves the improvement of your product based on the feedback from users and making the game better.

What are the different types of game development?

Game development is mainly categorized into three segments: 2D, 3D, and AR/VR. Among all these types of game development, 2D games are more popular as it is easy and cheaper to build. Although 3D and AR/VR games are expensive, they are gaining more popularity due to their high-quality design and graphics.

  • 2D Game Development:
    As the name suggests, 2D game development means creating a linear (2-dimensional) game. The game does not focus on the landscape and generally moves forward from a start point to an end point. Games developed using 2D development services have accessible commands and controls, making them extremely developer and user-friendly. These games are hyper-casual and may or may not require a working internet connection to function. One of the most famous examples of a 2D game is Chrome's Dinosaur Game.

  • 3D Game Development:
    3D gaming solutions help create a life-like gaming system, allowing players to immerse themselves in the game. 3D game development services focus on creating rich visual experiences and offer the player vast possibilities to explore within the game. These games are more challenging to develop than 2D games as they require high-quality graphics and extensive gaming control. 3D games are more intricate and need extensive coding and designing.

  • Android Game Development:
    Android game development projects create gaming solutions for Android devices. With the rising popularity and availability of Android OS, mobile game development companies can help their clients acquire more users by building Android games. Android is a developer-friendly platform and offers the freedom to curate interactive features and elements. Additionally, Android Software Development Kits provide pre-defined functions, making it easier to update and modify the characteristics as required.

  • AR Game Development:
    Augmented Reality solutions create immersive experiences within the games. It allows the players to dive into the gaming world by bringing it digitally in front of themselves. It implements computer-generated objects into reality, thus delivering an engaging and thrilling experience. It requires extensive planning and programming, making it tricky to develop. However, the top AR game service providers can turn the idea of an AR game into reality with their comprehensive experience and field expertise.

  • Cross Platform Game:
    While planning to develop a game, the main goal of the business is to build a game with the highest engagement within the target market. To avoid choosing a less successful gaming industry, companies should create a game that can function across multiple platforms. Cross-platform game development solutions are the ideal options for such scenarios. Cross-platform games are developed using universal code language, enabling the game's launch across platforms like Steam, iOS, Android, etc. Moreover, it is time-efficient, as developers do not need to spend time coding for individual platforms.

  • Facebook Game Development:
    Creating a native Facebook game enables businesses to attract more people active on Facebook all day. Facebook encourages players to invite others to play, boosting the program's popularity. Additionally, when people play the game on Facebook, the activity gets displayed in the ticker, attracting additional visitors to the game. Facebook offers multiplayer games, single-player games, or a game against bots.

  • Unity 3D Game Development:
    Unity 3D offers a comprehensive platform to develop stunning 3D games without hampering the quality of the audio and video employed in the game. It provides support for over 25 platforms, making it one of the best game development solutions to create games interoperable across different platforms. Moreover, Unity game development solutions allow easy debugging and modification of game elements as the variables are visible during the gameplay.

What are the most popular programming languages used by game developers?

The most popular programming languages used by game developers include C++, C#, Objective-C, JAVA, JAVASCRIPT, Python, LUA, Swift, etc. The choice of programming language may vary according to the game development requirements to accomplish the expected gaming experience and performance.

How can I find a reliable game development company to work with?

The process of finding a reliable game development company can be made easier with the help of a trustworthy review, rating, and listing platform. Based on your requirements for the game, shortlist a few game developer companies. Assess the shortlisted companies against parameters like expertise and experience of the development team, projects handled by the company, the pricing structure offered, the timeline for the project, and the post-launch support the company offers. You can further check the reviews of the companies added by the actual users.
 

  • Expertise:
    Most companies have a distinct idea of what kind of game they wish to create. They only require the best-suited game development company to guide them through the process and deliver exceptional gaming technology. However, to understand which agency is the right fit, clients must assess their previous projects. This will allow an insight into the company's abilities and expertise. Hence, hire the best game developers with specific skill sets and proficiency in using appropriate game development tools and technologies to build your product.
     
  • Pricing Model:
    Different game development companies offer distinct pricing models. The charges can be per working hour or based on the size and requirements of the project. Whether you opt for a floating price option or a fixed module, you should sign a Service-Level Agreement (SLA) to receive what you have been promised. Moreover, you may request the service provider to maintain a time/material model to analyze the number of hours allocated to specific tasks.
     
  • Testing:
    Testing deals with system lag, coding issues, bugs, malfunctions, etc. It is imperative to employ an efficient testing solution for the game to render a rich gaming experience. Some game development service providers include the cost of testing services within the quotation for building the game. Whereas others may charge separately to ensure the game doesn't have any glitches. This can cause discrepancies in the overall budget. Therefore, before finalizing the deal, analyze whether the game development company offers testing services or not, and if yes, then are there any surcharges?
     
  • Reviews:
    In addition to their field expertise, clients must also examine the reviews offered to the game development company by their prior clients. This proffers an overall perception of the agency's operations and service quality. Request the game development companies for references from current and former clients. It is also advisable to explore independent third-party review and rating platforms, such as GoodFirms, to obtain unbiased and genuine customer feedback.
     
  • Team:
    Several divisions demand attention from different departments, such as coding, designing, plot and environment development, etc. Ensure that appropriate specialists handle specific tasks to boost the quality of your project. When partnering up with game development companies, it is also essential to judge the company's concepts, values, and other crucial aspects. Assess the LinkedIn profiles of game developers, executives, project managers, etc., to gauge their talent, expertise, and past projects. It is vital to scrutinize the vision and values of the service provider company.

What are the challenges faced by video game developers?

Balancing between the Genre and the design has been one of the major challenges faced by video game developers. Other challenges include improper documentation, finding the right technology and tools, timely execution, appropriate functionalities, poor storytelling, content errors, finding the right users, the uncertainty of game design, features, etc. Video game developer companies also deal with strict time schedules, regulatory compliances, cyber threats, etc. A well-informed game developer company understands the purpose and functionalities and can quickly mitigate these challenges.

How much does it cost to hire a game developer?

The cost to hire a game developer lies in the range of $50 to $500 per hour, depending upon the project's complexity, developer’s experience and location. Other factors that influence these costs include the type of the game genre, timeline given, deployment type, intended gameplay, game mechanics, plots and characters, monetization, etc. For instance, game developers charge around $50-$100 per hour for simple 2D games and around $100-$200 per hour for 3D game development, whereas around $200-$500 per hour for a VR/AR-based game development.

How much does it cost to develop a video game?

The costs to develop a video game can be as low as $3000 and could go up to $100,000 or more depending upon the complexity and type of game ( 2D, 3D, or AR/VR).  The average cost to develop a 2D game is around $10,000 to $25,000, a 3D game can be $30,000 to $60,000, while a complex VR/AR game development cost can go up to $100,000 to 2 million. The main costs associated with the game development include production and distribution/marketing costs; however, there are other factors that also influence the game development costs, like licensing fees, mobile game engines, game development platform (iOS/Android), and size of the game.

What are the different game development engines?

A game engine is a software framework developers use to create video games. Some of the most popular game engines include:

  • Cocos 2d-x:
    Cocos 2d-x is a free and open-source game engine created by Facebook. It offers a wide range of 2D game development tools, enabling developers to build games as small as 1.5 MB. With detailed documentation and a large support community, errors can quickly be resolved. It also supports various platforms, such as iOS, Android, and Linux.
     
  • CryEngine:
    CryEngine is a game engine that is free to use and provides complete source code and engine features without the need to pay license charges, royalties, and other fees. It is beneficial for creating a realistic environment and characters within the game and is well-suited for building VR games. Some of the most popular platforms that this engine supports include Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Oculus Rift.
     
  • Unreal:
    Unreal, a game engine developed by Epic Games, has been widely used in creating numerous games, such as the Gears of War series, the Batman: Arkham series, the Bioshock series, and many more. One of the unique features of Unreal is the ability for developers to modify the game, making it distinct from others that use the same engine. The engine is free to use for smaller projects, but for larger projects, developers must pay a royalty after crossing a fixed profit margin.

How does GoodFirms shortlist the top game development companies?

GoodFirms is a leading global B2B listing review and ratings platform that showcases service companies and software in numerous categories, allowing businesses to make a conscious choice. Leveraging a detailed and systematic evaluation process, the GoodFirms platform identifies, curates, lists, and ranks the service providers based on various parameters like the services they offer, quality, experience, pricing, and verified user reviews. GoodFirms can thus help you shortlist the top game development company for your business from the best game developers across the globe.

To hire the right game development agency, you can refer to the GoodFirms list of the best game developer companies. Filter the list based on industry, services, location, pricing, reviews, and ratings to shortlist the most reliable game development service providers for your next project.