Gamedev Report: Outsourcing vs. In-house
Outsourcing has become an increasingly prevalent practice in the global business landscape and the game development industry is no stranger to this trend. On one side, it offers game studios the opportunity to leverage specialized skills and excel at the production stages where internal teams lack expertise, reduce operational costs, and improve efficiency.
On the other hand, game companies may face quality control issues, miscommunication, misalignments with internal game vision, and high dependencies on third-party agencies. In our latest research report, 80 Level Team aimed to comprehensively study the biggest challenges game studios faced during game production, understand the current state of the game outsourcing market, evaluate its implications for developers and publishers, and anticipate future trends.
What’s Inside?
✔️ Market Overview – Outsourcing in game development is predicted to reach $1.8B by 2030 with double-digit annual growth.
✔️ Survey Insights – Data from 181 professionals across 54 countries on outsourcing experiences, budgets, and decision-making.
✔️ Internal Strengths & Weaknesses – Areas where studios excel in-house (development, game design) and where they fall short (marketing, research, porting).
✔️ Most Outsourced Areas – Art production, QA, localization, and porting remain top choices despite stated preferences to keep them in-house.
✔️ Challenges Faced – Low quality, poor communication, and misaligned project vision as the biggest outsourcing pain points.
✔️ Cost Comparison – Why the true cost of outsourcing is ~18% higher than the rate, while in-house development can cost up to 50% more due to hidden expenses.
✔️ Case Studies & Examples – Real-world outsourcing successes and failures from studios of all sizes.
✔️ Future Outlook – How AI, automation, VR/AR, and co-development models are reshaping outsourcing strategies.
You'll Get Access to:
✔️ First-hand insights from game developers, outsourcers, and executives.
✔️ Exclusive interviews with leaders from Grid Paper, Game Art Brain, Kabum, Threedee.io, Lav Games, and more.
✔️ Balanced perspective for both studios outsourcing work and agencies providing services.
Who Is It For?
✔️ Game Developers & Publishers deciding between outsourcing and in-house.
✔️ Outsourcing Studios & Agencies refining services and understanding client needs.
✔️ Investors & Analysts tracking growth in external development markets.
✔️ Researchers & Students studying industry practices and future production models.
Format
📄 60+ pages of data, expert interviews, survey results, and global market analysis.
Contact Info
If you have any questions or comments about the report, please contact us via research@80.lv
Read our exclusive industry news and expert reports from our research team at https://80.lv/articles/research
You may also get a free online consultation: our experienced research team provides insights to help you make smarter business decisions. Submit your request here.
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