As gamers around the world excitedly wait for their beloved titles to release, one sore thorn sticks out. The cost or price they need to pay to play. After all, things don’t look good for the industry, with new next-gen games wearing $70 price tags. And adding fuel to the burning fire are the announcements that tell players they will no longer receive free upgrades for enhanced versions of their games. But what is the real core issue? And why is there a sudden price hike? Are developers just charging more money?
Well, the truth is that the scope of gaming is increasing, whether you’re engaging in NFT game development, heading an indie studio or just a regular gamer. And with that growth comes additional costs. But the reason why we’re seeing many companies increase their prices from the standard fees to something a lot higher can be difficult to attribute to that factor alone.
Therefore, we’re focusing on game development cost as a complex issue today. We will go over and understand why it’s so hard for developers and studios to keep up while also exploring the requirements behind developing games. So, strap in for stuff that’s going to blow your mind more than Doom guy blows up demons. And let’s get into game development cost in 2022. First, however, we need to analyse:
What Does Game Development Cost in 2022?
These days, games can cost anywhere from 5,000-$20,000 to 250 million dollars to make in the US! That cost is a little different in the UK. But it ultimately depends on the studio and scope. Of course, it can seem like a wide range. But it comes down to several factors affecting the game app development cost. They include:
- The Development Team’s Size
- Game Testing
- Patents
- Designs
- Art
- Actors/Voice Actors
- Technological Scale
- Localisation
- Long-term support
- Writers
- Music Production
These are only some elements that can make up game development cost. And we’ll discuss these in greater detail later in the blog. However, the real question we need to answer is why prices can be so high. After all, aren’t all studios using the above factors to create their games? And has the budget really gone up? So let’s take a look:
Is Game Development Cost Rising in 2022?
Not all game studios use what’s mentioned above. But we’d need to go back to the basics to understand the current game development cost.
The prices of games have changed a lot throughout the years. In the 90s, consoles like the Atari 2600 were only around £170. That seems cheap by today’s standards. But it isn’t adjusted for inflation. So after the adjustment, the price goes up to £750! And that’s more expensive than a PS5 today. Meanwhile, the games used to cost £25. But similar to the consoles, they’d go for as much as £80 at today’s prices!
Furthermore, we can also find that the current cost of video games is relatively constant and low. It’s around 42 quid for the AAA releases. Sure, that’s a jump from the £25 it used to be. But it’s cheaper today than it was in the past, especially when comparing inflated prices.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean game development costs are lower today. In fact, it’s the opposite. They’ve gone up! This is because studios now have more technical elements they need to use. And they require more artists, developers, programmers, resources, and time to develop a good game.
To further analyse a studio’s game development cost, let’s examine these elements:
Developing a Game – What Do You Need?
As mentioned above, there are several elements that companies and studios use to produce games. And they are raising the costs of game development. These include everything from a large dev team to writers and musicians. So let’s briefly analyse each one to paint a better picture:
1. Development Team
Whether you need mobile or NFT game development, the outcome will always require a team of developers. And, of course, your game development cost will rise with the more people you hire. These developers are the backbone of any studio. They create the game mechanics, the code that binds the gameplay together, and even work to fix issues that arise after release. So, naturally, we can expect a significant addition to the total as we factor in each developer’s salary.
2. Game Testing
Testing and quality are other expenses game companies need to handle. After all, no one wants another Cyberpunk 2077 situation on their hands. Unfortunately, that game was released while unfinished, unpolished, and lacking quality due to testing issues. Game testers work to resolve issues and bugs that arise in the coding process. They ensure games leave the developers completely fixed. Without their efforts, most games wouldn’t survive the market.
3. Patents and Designs
Patents for intellectual properties are often used in game development. These are designs that a company produces that cannot be stolen. Instead, others who use them must do so with the company’s permission. After obtaining a license, studios can use them to make games for specific brands. For example, Marvel’s Avengers.
4. Art
Games are visual media that engage players in digital worlds and 3D environments. However, these require artists and designers for development. As a result, game studios and companies need to hire teams of digital designers, 3D modellers, and artists to create objects, textures, sprites, and more.
5. Voice Acting and Mocap
Most 3D games these days use real motion capture actors and voice actors. It’s similar to animated movies. Thus, increasing the quality of the story elements of the game. But using these techniques also adds additional technical and talent-related costs.
6. Technology
The technology we use in games today far exceeds the tech of the past. And where we would find text and sprites before, we now see high-fidelity models, ray tracing, and more. These use specific game engines–3D software that renders and calculates inputs or commands to create the environments and levels.
7. Writing
Studios also need writers to create the narratives used to tell stories within games. So, they hire talent to produce scripts that are used as a foundation for the game’s overall direction.
8. Music
Finally, we have the sound and music elements of the game. These are produced by a sound team that records and creates scores that fit the tone. Studios and game development need to hire musicians and sound producers for that.
The Future of Game Development Cost
So, that brings you to the end of our game guide. As a studio or developer, we hope you understand the complex nature of game development cost better now. But, of course, there still are many factors that influence pricing. And these can range from industry prices to extra/unique modern techniques and technology a game-developing brand uses. Interested in making one yourself? Then use the above to understand how you can arrive at an optimal production cost. Next, try analysing these core elements further. Or discuss the game pricing with publishers to ensure your game will stay afloat.
And if you can’t resolve the complex game development cost and the AR zone App, just reach out to a good team that can work on your software needs.
