What is a Game Art Outsourcing Studio?

You may have seen a lot of concept art and game art outsourcing studios popping up on social media. You may have enquired about a project, perhaps applied for a work opportunity but what exactly does an outsourcing studio do and why are they necessary for the gaming industry?

The video gaming industry is one of the fastest-growing segments in entertainment, with an estimated 1.47 billion people expected to be playing games worldwide by 2027. That’s one in every six people in the world playing and raving about video games!

While that’s all fine and dandy, it puts an increasing demand on game studios to make bigger and better games for their growing target audience, and sometimes there aren’t enough in-house resources to meet demand. This is where game art outsourcing services come in!

Outsourcing is the business practice of a company (video game developer) seeking a third party (outsourcing studio, even individual freelancers) to perform tasks or services (creating concept art).

LCS Opening Ceremony Matte Painting - The team at Athena Productions created the Matte Painting for our client NMBRS.

What does a Game Art Outsourcing Studio offer?

They can offer artist flexibility. Outsourcing studios have teams of artists skilled in various disciplines and art styles. Having diverse artists means that they can flex to different project needs, whether that is for a triple AAA title, cinematic trailer or a mobile game.

Many outsourcing companies have access to high-quality, experienced game artists. This enables game development companies to tap into a global pool of talented artists beyond their own team, such as concept artists, 3D modelers, animators, and UX/UI design experts.

Outsourcing studios will work and collaborate closely with clients, to make sure that their work aligns with the art direction of the project. They must have effective project management systems in place, and are able to implement feedback to deliver quality work.

Why Outsource Game Art?

There are several reasons why studios might choose to use an outsourcing companies game art services, but here are three of the most common reasons that we have seen:

1. Meeting Tight Deadlines

Game development teams are often on strict deadlines, with plenty of tasks to complete which can leave in-house teams feeling overwhelmed with the workload. This can be a catch-22 situation. You may have an urgent assignment that needs doing, but your artists are already on equally important tasks with no more bandwidth to give. Which one tasks priority? This is where an outsourcing partner can provide additional artists to give you those extra skills to help your project stay on track and alleviate stress.

2. Flexible Resources

Development can be extremely fast paced, with project needs changing almost daily. Outsourcing allows game studios to scale up and down on the number of artists you need, helping you to invest in the services you require at the time.

3. Access to High Quality Expertise

Finding and hiring specialized game artists can be a timely process, and competing for talent with other companies isn't always an options. Outsourcing can give you access to those high-quality and niche skill sets that you are needing quickly.

Final Thoughts

Whether you need extra resources to meet deadlines, or more specialized skills, there can be a variety of reasons why a company uses a game art outsourcing studio, and as you can see it can be beneficial to both small and large projects.

When you decide to outsource, it is important to know why you are looking for those extra resources, and to choose an outsourcing partner that you can trust, and who will deliver the results you are looking for. At Athena Productions, we recommend that when you first begin looking at outsourcing companies, that you consider their portfolio, case studies and client testimonials to make sure that they align with your goals.

Once you have chosen your outsourcing partner, you can always start with smaller tasks and build on from there as you gain confidence and trust in their ability to deliver high-quality art.

Athena Productions is a leading concept art studio with a team of experienced artists providing video game concept art - from 2D character design to environment design - for projects ranging from Triple AAA titles to indie hits. If you’re looking for talented concept artists to bring your next project to life, contact us to learn more about our concept art services.