How much does it cost to hire unreal game developers?

The following are the average unreal engine game development costs broken down into the major factors that affect the overall cost:

The cost of unreal engine game development also depends on the location. The USA, India, the Philippines, the UK, and several other countries have some of the best game developers working with unreal game engines. Here are the overall costs based on the location of the developers:

Unreal game engine has many intricacies that affect the overall development process. Here we have listed some of the factors that influence the cost to hire unreal game developers. One must consider these factors while estimating a budget for their game development project:

Type of video game

The type of video game significantly impacts the cost of hiring game developers. Games with simple mechanics do not require too many resources or precise skills to get designed and developed. Games like puzzles, trivia, and 3-way-match on a smaller scale are considered simple enough to get created by one developer. But as the complexity grows like in RPG, FPS, or games with complex storylines, the resource requirement grows as well. This is because every aspect of game development such as programming, game art, sound design, and game balancing becomes complex with the changing requirements of the project.

Type of hiring

The type of hiring is another crucial factor that affects the estimated cost of hiring unreal game developers. Freelancers, in-house developers, contractors, and outsourcing are some of the typical modes of hiring top unreal game developers. It all comes down to the scope of the project and the amount of control you want over the team working for you. Freelancers have a very flexible method of working is yields great results but you have the least control over the work process.

Hiring in-house developers is a long process and a significant commitment. One must be clear about their requirement and timeline to determine if in-house hiring is a financially feasible option.

Outsourcing/contractual hiring

Outsourcing is the most popular and preferred mode provided you to hire a reputed game development company. It is faster and more cost-effective depending on the location of the development team and their stature. A dedicated game development company has access to the latest and superior technology essential for game design. Outsourcing the project to such a company means you need not invest in such tools and software and yet gain access to their benefits.

You get full-fledged benefits from game development tools without investing in all of them. The outsourced company takes charge of all these tasks and you can simply supervise the work. This way, you can focus on the core business while the game development gets managed by the outsourced experts.

Qualification and experience of game developer

The cost of hiring unreal game developers varies considerably depending on the qualifications, expertise, and overall experience of the team. The game developers’ versatility and expertise in handling different types and scales of projects can make them a valuable asset that impacts the overall success of the game.

An experienced game developer who has a better understanding of the latest developments of the unreal game engine completes the project in the stipulated time frame and effectively does so. However, the hourly charges of such a game developer would be significantly higher. In such a situation, it is wise to select experienced people from regions where the average hourly rate is lower to stick to a budget.

Complexity of the project

The complexity of the project is intertwined with the type of game project being developed. A project with many layers, complicated game mechanics, and plotlines will require more work hours and a larger developer and designer team to handle its magnitude. As a result, the overall cost to develop such a game would be higher when every factor adds up.

The complexity of the game requires more time to be dedicated to planning, coordinating, and researching the best approach to the development process. This is the primary factor affecting the overall budget in the long run.

Services inclusive of the project

Do you require just the programming and code development for the game? Or do you need post-launch assistance occasional bug fixing and periodic game content generation over the years? All such factors have to be laid down in detail when drawing up the contract specifying the services inclusive of the project.

The services also influence the team size and the different professionals who must be included in the team to successfully streamline the project workflow.

Publishing platform

The game must be published on a platform that is widely accessible and popular to maximize its reach to the target audience. However, the cost of publishing on such popular platforms also incurs a significant cost and should be calculated within the overall unreal game development cost. the game developer can help with choosing the right platform to publish the game as well as help with the entire publishing process.

Developers’ location

This is another crucial factor that affects the overall budget of the game development process. Most unreal game developers charge on an hourly basis for their service. This rate differs from one country to another. The UK has the highest hourly rate for unreal game developers while the Philippines and India have more cost-effective rates for such developers. The difference in game developer’s location does not affect their expertise.

You can find some really good game developers when there is no geographical boundary to limit the search. The hourly charges vary from one place to another primarily because of the economic condition of the region, the living conditions, etc.

Game platform

The game platform is an important determinant in the game development budget. Usually, the cost of game development is significantly higher for the iOS platform. Similarly developing AAA games for PlayStation or Xbox would cost much more than making a mobile android game.

Last but not least, cross-platform development is significantly costly. But at the same time, it is the most feasible way to reach out to maximum potential users across the world. Especially if the game account can be accessed from multiple devices and players can access the game’s progress on the go as with Genshin Impact, they are more likely to enjoy the game.

Future scalability

The future scalability of the game is another factor that should be considered in the process. The game developers can help you generate game content or program the game such that it can be scaled in the future as per the growing demand from users.

Unreal game engine allows such versatile development that ensures the game becomes easy to scale later based on the real-time feedback from the users. Also, often the initial contract can include terms regarding the future scaling of the game which will also affect the overall development cost.

Post-development services

Post-development services such as fixing bugs in the gameplay or tweaking the procedural game content based on real-time user feedback. These services are essential to keep the game relevant and playable for years to come. Game developers generally quote the project cost including the post-development services. It is wise to have a detailed contract on what these services would include to accurately determine the game development cost using the Unreal game engine.

The cost to hire unreal game developers depends largely on the type of game and the platform for which you are developing. The following are some of the popular game types that are developed primarily using the Unreal game engine. The cost to develop such games is influenced by the factors shared above as well as the genre-specific factors:

Augmented reality games

Augmented Reality games or AR games are rapidly gaining popularity over the years, especially since the advent of the game Pokemon GO. Such games are extremely addictive and immersive as they juxtapose the game elements with the real world. On average, such game development on an unreal game engine costs between $ 50,000 and $5 million to develop the game with AR elements. The cost varies based on the complexity of the video game.

Online games

Online games that can be streamed over game platforms are gaining widespread popularity over the years. These days, online games are becoming more and more popular as it gets easier to stream them. Depending on the game type, the cost of developing the game can range between $20,000 to $ 2 million. Consider the location when you hire unreal developers as it also affects the average range of the development cost.

PC games

Developing PC games is much more complex than mobile games and other similar types. As a result, the cost of development is also significantly higher. The cost can range between $50000 to $10 million. The duration of the game development, team size, and the location of the game developers altogether influence the cost of the game development process.

VR games

VR games are the latest trends in the industry which require specialized skill and knowledge of unreal game development. They require proper hardware to make the games enjoyable to the fullest. The cost to hire unreal game developers for VR games can range between $80000 to $2 million depending on the game’s complexity and the features being added to it.

Mobile Games

Mobile games are highly popular as users can enjoy them on the go whenever they want. There are a wide variety of game genres that are designed for mobile games. From puzzles to RPG and action games- you can find mobile versions of all such games. The cost of mobile game development using the Unreal game engine ranges between $10000 to $2.5 million. Simpler game mechanics can cost much lower at and around $ 10,000 while developing AAA games for mobile can go up to $ 2.5 million. Certain games can cost even $100,0000 when the design is much more complex.