The arrival of the latest technologies (facial recognition, voice recognition, gesture controls, virtual reality, augmented reality, wearable gaming, etc.) has brought a revolutionary change in the world of mobile games. Gamers who were bound to play a game from a particular platform can now access it from multiple platforms.
This has become possible due to cross-platform and other features that developers are loading into mobile games. Another factor that contributes majorly to the advancement of the mobile games is the game engine selected for the development.
Well, all these factors jointly set the cost of the mobile game development. Therefore, it is imperative to know about the trending technologies and game engines, especially if you are going to hire mobile game developers or choosing a mobile game development company to develop a game for you. Read out the information given below to know the same:
Mobile Game Development- Popular Game Engines
- Unreal Engine
Owned by Epic Games, Unreal is one of the popular game engines for developing games with stunning visuals and graphics. It delivers a real-time playing experience to players. The key strengths of the Unreal gaming engine include scalability, ability to customize, rich 2D and 3D effects, and more. To use this engine for mobile game development, developers need to be highly experienced and skilled.
Unreal game engine is suitable for the development of Platformers, Fighting Games, MMORPGs, and other RPGs. The cost of using this engine for the game development can be determined only after considering other factors.
Supported Platforms- Windows, PS4, Mac OS 4, Xbox One, VR Platforms, iOS, Android, VR Platforms, HTML5, Linux, SteamOS
Cost-
- Unity
It is a multi-platform game engine that can create immersive 3D content without any hassle. The engine comes up with an all-in-one editor, a friendly interface, and a big collection of tools to make development easier and flawless. Unity engine is free for personal use; however, if you want to develop a high-end mobile game, then you have to pay a certain amount or buy a particular plan according to the features needed in the app.
Supported Platforms- Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Xbox, PS4, Tizon OS, Android, and Fire OS
Cost-
- Corona SDK
Known as “The 2D game engine”, Corona SDK is popular game engine that uses Lua as the scripting language. The language is pretty easy to learn so the engine is easy to work for the beginners. Various plugins, clear documentation, supportive community and 2D content are the most popular features of this game engine.
Support Platforms- Android, Windows, Kindle, Android TV, Apple TV, and iOS
Cost-
Apart from the aforementioned ones, there are many game engines (SpriteKit, Fusion, Marmalade SDK, BuildBox, AppGameKit, etc.) that are used for mobile game development.
Processes involved in Mobile Game Development
Mobile game development is not an overnight task. It requires a lot of processes to be performed systematically. We have mentioned them all here in this article:
- Game idea
- Concept development
- POC (Proof of Concept) development
- Creating GDD (Game Design Document)
- Prototype creation
- Designing architecture
- Development
- Quality check and testing
- Launch
- Support and maintenance
The workforce and the time required to complete each process may impact the cost of mobile game development.
Factors involved in Mobile Game Development
Below-mentioned are the number of factors to be considered or take care of while estimating the cost of mobile game development:
Mobile Operating System
The platform, i.e. Windows, Android, iOS, Blackberry, etc. you choose for the game is one of the biggest factors that affect its development. For example- Choosing Apple iOS over Android is costlier because the cost o payment integration and admin system is higher in the former. Similarly, if you develop a gaming app compatible for the older versions of Android OS, then you would need to pay more.
Expenses before the development
Before the development phase starts, every developer creates the game design and a well-documented plan to decide plots & characters, strategizing the levels, and creating story to ensure that the final product meets the client’s expectations. These are internal process but require a great level of expertise and hence, experienced developers, which might increase the cost of the project.
Game Complexities
This factor includes deciding from 2D, 3D, multiplayer, RPGs, or any other game. Depending on your choice, the hire game developers cost will increase or decrease. Let’s explore these complexities in detail:
- Mini Games
Games that require simple interface and graphics can be considered as mini games. Development of mini games, such as flappy bird, ping-pong, pac-man, etc. won’t cost you a fortune.
Cost- $3K to $20K
- Simple 2D Casual Games
Small budget games, such as Stack, Hop and Red Ball, that offer high user engagement and decent revenue fall under this category. You can either contact a reliable game development company or hire game developers to develop this game.
Cost- $20K to $60K
- Middle Level Mobile Games
Games that require in-depth content, including different levels, impressive characters, stunning visuals, and an engaging story are covered under mid-level mobile games. These games are generally built for the larger audience and keep them entertaining for hours.
Cost- $60K to $120K
- Hi-level Mobile Games
Funded by Venture Capitals, high-level games require proficient and experienced developers with expertise on multiple game engines and programming languages. These games are require complete planning and designed properly by defining every stage of development. Even the time duration require for the completion of such games is usually from one to two years.
Cost- $120K to $250K
After development Expenses
Marketing and testing the game to make it ready for the end customers also incur a certain cost.
If you want to know more about mobile game development or hire game developers, then feel free to contact Quytech, one of the top game development companies with more than a decade of experience.
