10 Best Game Art Outsourcing Companies

The global gaming industry is worth around $200 billion. So no wonder many businesses want to jump on this lucrative bandwagon.

Yet, creating a game from scratch may not be an easy task. The market is overwhelmed with the proposition, so standing out is a must. As players like to be impressed and visually pleased, art design should be your priority.

Of course, your game’s visual aspect alone does not guarantee you instant success. Its plot, mechanics, and gameplay are no less significant here.Ye t, graphics are the hallmark of your game. If they do not meet modern standards or are poorly produced, players can abandon the game without starting it.

The visual component establishes the game’s atmosphere and tone and introduces players to the characters, locations, and other objects. That is why the game’s artistic aspects must be of the highest quality.

How to put a visual concept into action? Doing it alone might be challenging. However, this is not a problem. There are many 2D or 3D art outsourcing companies that will take over the art design of your game.

Whimsy Games has created a guide on choosing a reliable game art outsourcing studio for you. And to help you narrow down your search, we’ll list ten such companies. In addition, we gathered some practical tips drawing on our experience.

How to Choose the Right Outsourcing Studio and What Aspects You Need to Consider?

Many game art outsourcing companies offer their services. But how can you be sure you’ve chosen the right one? Note the following:

Check how many years this company has been on the market

Here your preference depends on your specific needs. It’s okay if you go with a company that has been around for more than ten years. It probably has the experience you need, yet, the services can be costly. On the other hand, companies with fewer years of experience can provide the same services at a much lower price.

Review the company’s portfolio carefully

Don’t go for just big names and fancy projects. It is more crucial to check if the company provides detailed descriptions of its projects. In this way, you will understand your outsourcing vendor’s main areas of competence and see exactly how they organize work processes within the team.

Study customer feedback

Study customer feedback directly on the selected outsourcing company’s website. For a bigger picture, read reviews about your service provider on third-party resources, such as Clutch or GoodFirms.

Consider the company’s scope of services

Before working with any game art company, specify what services you need. It is necessary to determine whether this firm can provide you with the appropriate specialists in advance.

Learn more about the team

Depending on their size, game art outsourcing companies typically have 20 employees or more. Look for the following experts: art directors, artists, designers, animators, developers, QA specialists, and project managers. Such a team will be able to approach the creation of the visual part of your game comprehensively.

Ask how the company organizes its processes

You need to understand all the peculiarities of outsourcing vendors’ workflow organization before starting a collaboration. Here, you have to determine how you and the remote team will communicate and how often you will meet to discuss the tasks performed.

Find out what guarantees the company provides

Reliable art outsourcing companies usually provide data security guarantees, quality assurance, and timely completion of tasks. Before you start, you can also further discuss the terms and expectations of cooperation.

These are the main aspects you should pay attention to when choosing the right outsourcing company. You can also consider such factors as the cost of services or the geographical location of your outsourcing vendor.

Typical Mistakes When Choosing Art Outsourcing Companies for Game Development

If you create a game, you surely want it to be flawless, including its visual component. But it won’t be perfect if there is a misunderstanding between you and the contractor. Or if you choose the service provider that is not suitable for you.

Let’s see what mistakes you need to avoid when choosing game art outsource studios.

Not knowing your resources

Before hiring an outsourcing company to provide art design, animation, or other services, you need to assess your resources carefully. And it is not just about money. Here you also need to estimate the expected time to market, and the size of the team needed to implement your project.

Unclear product requirements

Do not rush to blame the outsourcing provider for poor task realization. First, consider how precise your requirements for the visual part of your game were. Having detailed specifications ensures that your product will look exactly as planned.

Choosing a company that is new to the services you need

Imagine you approached the outsourcing company to deliver a few illustrations for you. You liked everything they created, so you instantly started working together.

But when it came to more serious things like 2D or 3D animation, your outsourcing vendor couldn’t provide a satisfactory result. Why so? It turned out that the company didn’t have enough relevant experience. Therefore, it is worth learning the scope of your contractor’s services in advance.

Poor onboarding of the outsourcing team

Before starting cooperation, it is necessary to get acquainted with the peculiarities of work processes in an outsourcing company. If your remote team does not fit in, various misunderstandings may occur. For instance, missed deadlines and unsatisfactory quality of work performed.

As you can see, the choice of the outsourcing company and all further cooperation depends significantly on your arrangements. Therefore, before starting work, you should make sure that all parties clearly understand the terms of collaboration.

10 Best Game Art Outsourcing Companies

There are many aspects to consider when looking for the perfect candidate for cooperation. As a result, the search process can be complex and time-consuming. That’s why we did it for you, and now we will share the list of the best game art outsourcing companies.