The gaming industry worldwide is currently set to reach $435 Billion by 2028. That’s not all. Not only is the sector expanding at a tremendous rate, but its expansion only seems to accelerate.

Now that’s a very appealing slice of a pie. But you do not need me to tell you that, if you have found your way here, chances are that you have just started a game development company and are looking at potential game art outsourcing companies.

Now that’s a very fair thing to do. The first thing a prospective player is exposed to about your game is its art. They will look at promotional pictures, pieces of artwork, early renders, screenshots, trailers, you name it. To them, foremost before even considering playing a game is finding it visually appealing.

Whether that be through realistic graphics or beautiful fantasy aesthetics, what matters is that your game needs the best art possible.

Despite that, it is not as if the only part of full cycle game development that is important is art. Good artwork is just as much a prerequisite to success as the quality of the gameplay.

Accordingly, you may be considering contracting a game art outsourcing studio, and you certainly deserve to find a reputable, reliable, and consistent game art outsourcing company.

HOW DO I FIND THE BEST GAME ART OUTSOURCING COMPANIES?

That’s probably a question tickling your brain right now. Your game development company should produce the best product it can. Why settle for something subpar when you know you can get better?

And while there is plenty of fish in the sea, we all do not go eating puffer fish, now do we? Some are more appealing (and easier to catch) than others. Similarly, some game art outsourcing companies are more likely to bring favorable results than others.

Here are the key factors to put into play for securing the best game art outsourcing:
A scrutinizing review of the company portfolio
Any worthwhile game art outsourcing company will have an easily accessible, curated portfolio to allow you to get an immediate feel for the quality of work they produce.

Accordingly, this is perhaps the most critical part of the process; at the end of the day, what matters is how the art looks.

Find out the specific range of services the studio provides
There is no strict rulebook or definition for what game art outsourcing companies do. There is significant variation in what sorts of services you can expect between different companies.

Some might require your game development company to take a more hands-on role in collaboration. Others will consider your requirements and hack away at the task while merely regularly checking in.

Neither end of the spectrum is necessarily better than the other, but at this stage, you should have some idea of what you are looking for in a game art outsourcing studio.

Consider past projects
A carefully selected collage of pictures shows you the best of what the company offers. But to ensure that you get the best game art outsourcing reliably, you need to know what their talent will look like in an actual game.

Self-respecting studios will own up to their projects and allow you to view their work readily. If what you see satisfies you, then you know that this company’s work will be pretty good.

Evaluate project processing
At specific points, there will undoubtedly be a collaboration between your team and theirs. It would be best if you found how their company operates, whether communication will be clear and transparent, and whether they’ll be reliable and precise.

You do not want to start working on the project only to be repeatedly unimpressed with their availability, organization, and timing.

It is vital for game art outsourcing companies to make it clear what their plans look like at every step of the way.

When making a final decision, you should consider contacting recent contractors for large-scale projects.

WHY DO I NEED A GAME ART OUTSOURCING COMPANY?

You might have this question at the back of your head, given that choosing one seems only to get more complicated.

We have already determined that the game’s artwork is essential to the final product’s success. While that might not necessarily mean you are required to outsource it, consider that people should work to their specializations for maximum efficiency.

Game art outsourcing companies exist specifically to allow this to happen profitably. It would be objectively inefficient and would lead to worse results if you had your programmers making art themselves. Your team should be focusing on game development services, not artwork. That is what their job is.

Game art outsourcing companies are bastions of the pinnacle of digital artists. The best game art outsourcing companies all have teams of individuals with an equally personal portfolio.

Having an entire team to divide themselves, ensuring efficient division of labor, allowing experts to harness their specializations, etc., are all key benefits exclusive to game art outsourcing companies.

The natural comparison to make at this point is with a freelancer. Would contracting one and letting them do the work not get things done at a fraction of the price?

Well, yes and no. While you would have art, it is likely to fall short of what an actual company can provide for you. Not to say that freelancers underperform individually. It is instead that there are certain inalienable advantages to contracting a company.

The people on your project will be best suited for the task, be it 3D art, 2D art, or UI design, while a freelancer is likely to be a jack of all trades, ‘good’ at everything. Comparatively, having professionals specialized in a subfield will produce better results.

Another core area is the image. If your game does well, and your game’s art is good, then it is the company that shares the spotlight. Accordingly, they have an active incentive to care about the end quality of the product rather than just milk money off of you and forget about it. They want to see your game do well.

Lastly, the convenience of working with a larger company and not just a few people at most makes itself evident. They will handle logistical, organizational, technical, etc., issues.

You do not have to run after them asking them to do things, and they will not be running after you asking for input. You can thus ensure a practical, productive environment where both teams can focus on their actual jobs.

THE BEST GAME ART OUTSOURCING COMPANIES

1. Argentics

A tried and tested, proven company with years of experience. Yet, at the same time, innovative, fresh, and forward-thinking. The studio caters to all sorts of contractors and will specifically draft teams for your studio’s individual needs.

The company thus places itself in a unique position where it offers services to all sorts of studios, ranging from indie to AAA. Accordingly, regardless of the scale or specifics of your operation, the studio offers a reasonable contract and has experience with similar clients.

Their professionalism is also to be appreciated. Experience has not bred high-handedness, and the team remains willing and receptive to input. However, Argentics aims not to fall into the trap of being too eager to please and producing subpar work.

The company provides a wide range of services across every central platform. In addition to art, Argentics also specializes in game development services and UI design. Just check the portfolio.

2. Retro Style Games

Another game art outsourcing company that diversifies to game development as a whole. One of their primary selling points is their assistance in helping develop your game aside from just working on the art.

If you are unsure about the details of your game or cannot figure out which direction to take the project, the studio is there to help.

The art quality is nothing to be ignored either. They employ many experienced artists and have years of experience working with gaming studios.

3. Bon Art Studio

Experience is a given when you look at the fact that Bon Art Studio opened its doors before the turn of the millennium. Primarily catering to North America and Europe, Bon Art has worked with many household names today at some point or another.

Bon Art offers significant flexibility. They have their proprietary engine but are willing to work in, and well versed in, any engine of your choice. Furthermore, Bon Art accepts both autonomy and rigid control.

You can give them some vague ideas and leave them to produce some stunning work out of it. Or, you can be there taking part in every significant process step. Both options are likely to give you satisfactory results.

4. Viking Corporation

An art outsourcing giant from Shanghai, Viking Corporation leaves nothing to be desired regarding fantasy artwork while Specializing in 2D art alongside 3D modeling and animation.

Viking certainly has no shortage of experience working with creative aspects of game and level design, given that they’ve contributed to several massively multiplayer online (MMO) such as AION and Blade and Soul.

They also have a history of offering their services to the gaming titans of Asia, such as SEGA, Nintendo, and Square Enix.

5. Room 8 Studio

Room 8A is a studio with a target demographic of the industry’s heavy hitters. Perhaps the go-to for AAA photorealistic work, their attention to detail, lighting, modeling, and animations elevate their platform considerably.

Room 8 Studio will happily take you up on any request from trailers to 2D artwork. However, keep in mind that the price tag only makes sense if you are going to use their services appropriately.

Unless you plan a large-scale project to take the industry by storm, you should consider Room 8 with significant restraint for financial reasons.

CONCLUSION

Artwork is the first impression someone has of your game. It is also the last impression if it is not visually intriguing. Accordingly, it is all but essential to ensure that your game’s art is top-notch.

However, it may not be so apparent at first why you must outsource this task to a company. Hopefully, after reading this article, you are better convinced why so many successful games relied on outsourcing for artwork.

Choosing a specific company is a tall order. However, after reading some factors to look out for, you should now better be able to find one for yourself. Of course, you should look at our list of some of the most relevant players in the industry first.

Congratulations! If you have made it this far, it’s so much more likely that you will secure the right game art outsourcing studio like Argentics. Reach out to us using the Contact Form in the top right corner, and we’ll arrange for a quick call to discuss your needs!