Outsourcing art has become an attractive option today for game developers seeking to finish on time and on budget. While China has been running its monopoly in the outsourcing business for quite some time, India is becoming one of the preferred destinations for gaming giants because of its affordability and massive talent pool.
Agreeing with the fact that India has become the preferred destination of game developers, Reboot Game Studios director Tanu Jain shared, “Not only does India offer services at a competitive cost without compromising on quality but it also boasts of a talent pool across IT, QA, Design and Arts. Another major factor is the diversity and adaptability the country offers which makes it a preferred destination for game developers to outsource game art. With the pace India is capturing the gaming market, it is expected to be the hub for game outsourcing in the upcoming years.”
Jain also shared that today gaming companies don’t step back from experimenting in order to expand their services. “Instead of being limited to a few specialized services like character or hard surface, they are offering extensive services such as props, concept art, environment, even animation and rigging,” she added. Apart from that, acquisition and investments are other key trends that is being witnessed in the industry where mobile game developers are being acquired or being invested in by gaming giants as per Jain.
Although most of the Indian talents are in the outsourcing business, few have started creating their own IPs. “In recent years, many small to mid-level game developer studios have popped up who are creating their own IPs. These IPs might not be of big stature but they became an instant hit with the audiences. In the next few years, we can definitely expect some high-quality IPs being launched by Indian developers that will further attract the attention of investors globally,” commented Jain.
The game outsourcing business is constantly booming in the country. The fast-paced growth of the gaming industry all across the globe is definitely making it a competitive and demanding market for the businesses. The competitive environment of the business has actually motivated businesses to level up and deliver their best to stay ahead in the game.
However there are still challenges when it comes to onboarding the right talent with the right attitude and skill set. “Today, big game development studios are looking for complete art solution partners to meet their end to end requirements instead of limited services. Considering this rapidly changing industry, it is challenging for game studios to speed up and adapt to these changes swiftly,” she added.
The tremendous growth of the gaming sector has further opened up and created avenues for businesses. For Reboot Game Studios, the workload is also burgeoning. The studio can’t disclose their ongoing projects because of the non-disclosure agreement, however, they have a clientele of the biggest names in the industry such as Krafton with whom they closely work. For Krafton, they managed to create and deliver assets such as Loot-truck and Apache Helicopter for their popular game PUBG which became the key highlight of respective seasons and received appreciation and was loved by the gamers globally.
They have a team of 30 to 40 people which consists of 2D, 3D character and environment artists who are working on AAA titles. They aim to provide premium quality art that combines with A-class project management, and QA service and try their best to ensure they deliver quality work and meet their partners’ expectations. Their partners worldwide trust their ability to create state-of-the-artwork both on time and on budget. Keeping in line with the objective, definitely, they are planning to expand their team and services.
“We have been fortunate enough to be working with some of the biggest names of the industry globally within a short span of time. We are further aiming to expand our portfolio in the coming months and also be art partners to the array of games announced recently while expanding our team and services. Our aim this year is to be a part of as many gaming summits taking place offline to collaborate with the industry leaders and in the coming years, we aim to venture into co-development,” she shared.