Where And How to Hire Game App Developers? How Much Does It Cost?

In this capricious gaming world, hiring the finest game developers who can create innovative games is challenging. This article describes in depth the process behind hiring the best game developers who can get the creative juices flowing. By the end of this article, you will be aware of the various sources to hire app developers for gaming app creation, the hiring processes, and the development costs.

The world has changed its reaction towards gaming, resulting in the gaming industry flourishing like never before. With the rise of popular mobile apps and web games comes the demand for expert game programmers. However, given the technical knowledge and skills required, it is challenging to find and hire app developers with the right background, skills, and expertise for the type of gaming apps you want to develop.

If you are looking to hire a game app developer or a team of game app developers, you will be facing quite an overwhelming process chain of activities.

With the plethora of gaming options, the talent needed for different kinds of gaming apps vary. So gaming app developers with experience in creating casino games might not be the right fit for gaming apps for education and training. In addition to programming and other technical skills, a developer needs creativity and imagination to create the best user experience.

Find out about the different types of game developers before you start to hire a game app developer or hire app developers for different gaming app projects.

Types of Game Developers

Lead Programmers

A lead programmer will assign various tasks and create schedules for the game programming team. The main role of a leader is to monitor the programmers’ work and ensure that the goals are met. In addition, the lead programmer has to facilitate communication between the game programming team and other departments.

Physics Programmers

These programmers formulate the laws the game should adhere to with relation to space, matter, speed, waves, weather, etc., to simulate real-life scenarios. The vision of the overall game provides the guidelines for the programmers to create the rules. Moreover, they regulate how the various objects of a game interact with each other. The explosions, collisions, and splashes involved in the game design are also coded by Physics programmers.

Graphics Programmers

Graphics programmers design tools that bring the artwork of a game to life. Applying their expert math knowledge, they implement intricate algorithms and create 2D and 3D graphics for the games. Furthermore, these programmers work closely with artists to find ways to integrate the artwork into a game.

User Interface Programmers

The user interface programmers design simple and complex graphical menus for the game. Moreover, they build the warning display, which is crucial for the game players. These programmers work with a team of designers and artists to ensure the user interface is simple to use and lines up with the game design.

Audio Programmers

As the name suggests, audio programmers write the codes for sound effects like gunshots or footsteps and music. They are also responsible for scripting functions such as volume and the specific sound effects that are triggered by the player’s actions. Audio programmers also develop software that enables audio files to be incorporated into the game.

Network Engineers

The network engineers write the codes that allow gamers to play online from all around the world. They look into the security aspects of the game to prevent cheating and make it fair for players worldwide to compete against each other.

Artificial Intelligence Programmer

These types of programmers allow the game characters to respond realistically and tactically to the player. In other words, they create the reactions for computer-controlled competitors and partners based on a player’s movements.

Tools Engineer

The tools engineer looks into writing codes to program tasks, making the overall progress easier. Moreover, they create codes to simplify the process of creating new levels or introducing artwork into the game.

Developers For Testing and App Performance Management

These developers work on different versions of the game to find and fix any flaws beforehand. They are a crucial part of the development team, ensuring that any bugs that arise are taken care of, and the game can be played without any issues. In addition, they also monitor and manage the performance and accessibility of the software application.

Common Sources for Finding Game Developers

Online Freelancer Websites

Online freelancer websites provide a platform for freelance game developers who are self-employed and operate independently. There are several advantages and drawbacks of hiring them for your next game project. A few advantages are that they are inexpensive, have flexible schedules, and can be paid based on certain outcomes of task completion. On the other hand, they can be less committed, harder to manage, and have restricted resources to work with.

Game Developer Communities

Game development communities such as TIGSource and IndieDB enable you to post your job and give you access to the profiles of the developers. These platforms are great if you have a small budget and for developing independent games. The drawbacks of these communities are that sometimes you receive incomplete and unverified profiles making it challenging to hire competent and reliable game developers.

Recruitment Agencies

A recruitment agency consists of expert recruiters who have the necessary knowledge and skill sets to hire potential game developers. They recruit according to the requirements of the client and business objectives. In addition, these recruiters can dedicated developers who possess the essential technical and soft skills offering the client the best game developers.

How To Hire Game Developers

1. List Game Development Projects You Plan to Do

First, decide on the game development projects you want to work on. This then becomes the foundation for you to build your projects on effectively. Incorporate crucial details such as game budget, platform, genre, plot, and characters for each project. In short, this step is what helps you see the bigger picture of each project.

2. List Related Technology Stack, Platforms, and Devices

Technology stack refers to a collection of software services that you wish to use for game development. A game involves graphics, visuals, and other software developments; hence, you would need to choose the platforms on which the games will be developed, played, and shared.

For developing a game, you need to select a game engine, image editing tools, sound editor, and code editors. Once these matters are finalized, you will be able to hire a game app developer with the relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities.

3. Draft Job Descriptions for Different Types of Positions

Each position in the development team has various tasks, roles, and responsibilities to fulfill. The team can consist of lead programmers, network engineers, graphics programmers, and much more. Keep in mind the game’s vision and design, and draft your dream team’s duties, roles and responsibilities. Ensure that the job description for each position is crystal clear because this is what’s going to help you with your recruiting processes.

4. Work With a Recruitment Agency

Before hiring an agency, it’s crucial to understand the level of knowledge and skills they possess. First, discuss the specific needs and budget and find out how soon they can source you the right talent. Find out what their talent availability scenarios are and what are the different services they could provide you, such as support with background checks, reference checks, framing contracts, etc.

An established and competent recruitment agency will have a wide, diverse talent pool network and will be able to source you reliable candidates or vendors within a week.

5. Find Freelancers, Dedicated Game Developers, Cross-border Remote Staff as Per Project Requirements

Depending on your project needs, you can decide on the game development team members. Once your team size and other requirements are decided on, you can explore various sources to recruit your game developers. The sources can range from online freelancers, game developer communities, and recruitment agencies.

With the help of a recruitment agency, you could form a team that best suits your talent needs, budget, and business outcomes. For example, you might benefit more from having a core team (in-house or offshore), freelancers for certain specialized tasks, and dedicated resources for the more time-consuming tasks.

6. Select Vendors / Candidates Who Are Perfect-Match for Your Requirements

Once you know what kind of a team you will have, how many people would be part of the core team, and how many would be part of the temporary team, whether it would be worthwhile to outsource some part of the project or outsource the whole project, you will get to the stage of choosing the right candidates and vendors.

This is where a good recruitment partner could make a huge difference. You will be able to find vendors or remote teams, or dedicated resources with outstanding talent and offering services within your budget.

7. Conduct Assessments and Interviews

Before you hire a game app developer, you will need to assess his or her skills or knowledge through digital assessments and technical interviews. When you hire app developers without assessments and interviews, you might find yourself in a situation where perceived talent seems much less than real skills.

If you are a company offering game development services and want to hire professionals to meet a sudden increase in project demands, it would be wiser to conduct a detailed screening before you finalize a vendor or app developer to work on your projects.

8. Get Sample Work Done and Finalize the Deal

Assign a low-priority project to the new game developers to evaluate their overall performance, how they organize and implement their assigned works, communicate and deal with situations, etc. Closely monitor the developers on how they complete the assigned tasks, the level of their technical skills, ability to problem solve and critically analyze whenever necessary.

After assessing the performance of the developers, a deeper understanding of their work can be apprehended. So, hire the game developers that best meet your work standards.

Game Development Costs

The game development costs are determined by the functionality of the game, graphics, characters, user interface, and type of game. There are three stages for estimating the cost of game development.

1. Pre-Development Cost

This involves brainstorming, planning, strategizing, designing, conceptualizing, and prototyping. This is crucial because this is what helps you build your project, and once you lay the foundation, you can estimate your costs for the various aspects of the game.

2. Developing Cost

This phase involves bringing your project to life. It consists of programming, scripting, character creation, animation, audio, and so much more. The people, tools, devices, platforms, and technology stack you use for the project will cover most of the game development costs.

3. Post Development Cost

After the game has been successfully developed, the assigned team members will carry out maintenance, testing, and fixing bugs. This stage is important because the more accurate your development, the lower the cost for fixing flaws. Furthermore, remember that maintenance of the game is a continual cost. Server resources, the size of the game, and updates are other factors affecting costs.
Lastly, you need to think about marketing strategies for showcasing your game, and this is what plays a key role in the success of your game.

The cost for developing a game is determined by various factors like game type, experts used, tools and platforms, marketing, etc. An indie game, for example, costs anywhere from approximately $50,000 to $75,000.

Hire Game App Developer Teams Through Alliance International

Alliance International is a well-recognized global recruitment company offering recruitment solutions and outsourcing support for 11+ years.

Our company has a network of teams with specialization in recruitment for various sectors, including the gaming industry. The benefits of partnering with us include access to superior talent, smooth hiring process management, and maximum cost savings. Our IT recruiters are committed to connecting you with the best game developers that perfectly match your project’s vision and objectives.

To hire a game developer or to hire app developers for various gaming app development projects, partner with our agency, and optimize outcomes, costs, and time.