The video game market is expected to reach USD 924.8 Billion by 2032, thanks to the advancements in visuals. After logging into a game, that's the first thing players notice. Powering these visuals is game art, a fundamental aspect of any game. From the beginning, each unfolding second matters to keep players engaged. Each element is crucial to a game's success, from hand-drawn characters to immersive surroundings.
The role of game art in a game's success cannot be overstated, especially when it's being revolutionized by AI and other emerging technologies. Outsourcing game art can fill your skill gap and develop an engaging product at reasonable prices.
We have written this detailed guide to help you find the best game art outsourcing studios. Read on and discover all the important details about them.
Before we discover the best game outsourcing companies, let's discuss some benefits of outsourcing games.
The most noteworthy advantage of game art outsourcing is how much you save as a company. Sure, you can have an in-house team of game artists who can do it, but they require hefty salaries and bonuses. As a result, your budgets will be stretched in an environment where game development costs are already going through the roof. By outsourcing game art, you can get a similar or even better expertise by spending much less.
Game art outsourcing lets you access a wide range of markets globally. Talented people and quality studios are ready to offer their services at affordable prices. Once you tap into this talent pool, you can negotiate the projects and ensure you get what you want.
Game development doesn't always follow the same route. You're dealing with a massive project one day, and the other day, you have a smaller one. Therefore, it doesn't make much sense to hire an in-house team to pay them a consistent amount. Instead, it's much better to hire game outsourcing companies that can be paid according to a project's scale.
Now, let’s get straight into the top-tier game art outsourcing studios list. These studios have been selected after in-depth research, careful consideration of multiple factors, and customer reviews.
The first entry on our list is Cominted Labs, a 3D content powerhouse with a grand vision behind it. The CEO & Founder, Guillaume Chichmanov, is a digital and immersive media expert who has worked on digital media strategies of leading brands like Burger King, LVMH, BMW, and COTY. The Core Team at Cominted is made up of highly talented people including 3D artists and programmers who are fully dedicated to their craft.
The talent of Cominted’s team shows up in the vast portfolio that contains everything from avatars to branded environments. To date, Cominted has collaborated with over 50 companies, including TCG World, Baby Doge, MadWorld, and many more. Let's explore some other appealing aspects of this class-leading game art outsourcing company.
Cominted Labs has a creative-as-a-service model that lets you outsource game art and enjoy 3D art services at affordable prices. Moreover, Cominted Labs provides a predictable pricing pattern with a monthly subscription fee. The studio informs you about the monthly working hours; the unused hours are simply shifted to the following months.
Cominted Labs has a highly efficient work environment where every process is streamlined. Moreover, an elaborate briefing system ensures the swift development of 3D art.
Working with Cominted Labs ensures you don't have to hire in-house game artists and pay them hefty salaries. You can simply outsource all the work to Cominted Labs at a much lower price than you would pay for in-house services.
They start working on the project once you tell the studio what you want. Cominted Labs continuously lets you review the work and provide suggestions or improvements. Once you have approved everything, you receive the final product that is ready to be used in a game or ad.
Cominted Labs has a massive portfolio of original designs and concepts developed by a capable team.
RocketBrush is one of the most well-reputed game outsourcing studios in Cyprus that creates 2D and 3D characters and environment designs. The company has earned its positive reputation by timely completion of projects and quality maintenance. To date, they have completed more than 150 projects and have collaborated with over 100 leading companies, such as Applovin, Romero Games, Belka Games, and more.
Let's discuss some of the strengths of this studio:
One reason why many clients outsource game art to RocketBrush is that they want to save the in-house costs. As a result, they can invest in other aspects of game development, such as software testing, audio, and more.
RocketBrush has developed into a studio that can quickly scale up when needed. The artists can seamlessly integrate into client pipelines and address growing project demands effectively.
RocketBrush assesses every project in detail and makes teams handle different projects. Each team of 3D game developers has an Art Head who leads the project and streamlines collaboration to ensure timely delivery.
Moreover, the teams quickly adapt to the client's style and ideas. It helps the studio understand and achieve the end product without any hurdles.
Transparent pricing mechanisms are essential for any successful game art studio. RocketBrush always maintains pricing clarity through a subscription model. Moreover, their teams contact clients throughout the project lifecycle to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Kevuru Games is a Ukrainian game art developer who has gained a reputation for 2D/3D art, environment development, and spine animation. This studio also provides full-fledged development on front scratch. Kevuru has many artists and programmers who handle mega-gaming projects.
One of the best things about Kevuru is that it can guide you even if you don't have a detailed game plan. The expert designers know about the important, latest ideas and mechanics to help you develop a stellar game.
Kevuru has been in the game art business for over ten years and has completed over 100 projects. The studio has partnered with companies like GoodGames, EA, Epic Games, and Socialpoint. Over 70% of these companies have collaborated with Kevuru repeatedly and over extended periods.
1518 Studios is a US-based game art development company acquired by PTW in 2021. It specializes in creating 3D gaming art and focuses on animation, concept logo designs, illustrations, and the like. The studio has collaborated with well-known names like Splash Damage, Brainseed Factory and Redemption Games. Thanks to their collaborations, they have worked on popular titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Borderlands 3, and more.
1518 Studios can collaborate with a company no matter their game art project size. From 2D art to 3D art and animation, they have a vast portfolio that speaks volumes about the quality of their work. Outsourcing your game artwork to 1518 studios means that a capable team of experts will handle and deliver it within the given timeline.
Besides art and animation, the company also works on building co-development teams. Today, 1518 has more than 35 studios participating in more than 1,500 titles.
AAA Game Art Studio is a US and Cyprus-based art studio with over 20 years of industry experience. They provide high-quality services and are known for always honoring the time frame supplied by clients. AAA has worked with renowned clients like HarperCollins, Bandai Namco, and Konami. It specializes in several aspects of game art, such as UI/UX and 2D and 3D art, to deliver high-quality products.
Some salient qualities of AAA Game Art Studio are as follows:
The studio has a customer-centric approach, with its main priority being customer satisfaction. Once clients contact the studio, the latter assesses the project in detail and suggests a suitable development approach. The budget and the overall time frame are considered before developing a detailed plan.
AAA Game Art Studio also has a highly skilled team of 3D game developers dedicated to their craft. They stay within your budget without compromising the quality. Partnering with them means benefiting from their rich skill set, helping you develop complex ideas into real games.
Games involving puzzles or city-building require an isometric view that AAA knows well. The studio has created impactful isometric art in the past and continues to do so today. You only need to share your idea, and AAA will start working on your isometric art immediately.
Similarly, AAA also develops eye-catching 2D and 3D characters. The 2D characters look intriguing, while the 3D ones feel like they're leaping out of the screen.
Game art outsourcing is an excellent way to relieve yourself of responsibility and focus on more important game development elements. From saving costs to accessing global talent, game outsourcing brings several benefits. However, picking the right game outsourcing companies like Cominted Labs is equally crucial.
We have amassed significant experience in game art development thanks to our capable team, always ready to handle complex projects. Our mission is to provide the best game art outsourcing at affordable prices within the given timeframe because we understand how tight the schedules can be.
From 2D art to complex 3D environments, Cominted Labs can handle everything. So, contact us today, book a free demo, and get your game development project going quickly.