Chapter 4.4: Offshore Game Development Outsourcing


Overview

Javier F. Otaegui—Sabarasa Entertainment

<javier@sabarasa.com>

The classical definition of outsourcing applies when a company transfers one or more recurring processes to another organization under a contractual agreement. Outsourcing is different from subcontracting and other similar business practices in that it focuses on recurring processes instead of one-time projects [Kelly01].

In the game development community, outsourcing and subcontracting mean the same thing: a game company hiring another company to handle a task such as programming, 2D art, modeling, texturing, audio design, music, scripting, levels, research, testing, or even complete development.

Offshore outsourcing occurs when a company located in another country (usually outside of North America and Western Europe) is hired. The main justification for this growing phenomenon is monetary: offshore game development professionals can be hired for a fractional part of what U.S. or European game developers earn [Yourdon96]. This can imply savings of up to 50% for the entire project budget, a significant and important figure to take into account for your new game development projects.




Secrets of the Game Business
Secrets of the Game Business (Game Development Series)
ISBN: 1584502827
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 275

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net