02.12.2025
Protected: Why Game Dev Costs Are Up, And What You Can Actually Do About It
4 days
DEVOTED STUDIOS BLOG
Would you like to learn more about the actual CGI trends? If “yes”, this blog is for you. Here you can find recent industry news, detailed articles about video game development, interviews with top minds, our corporate updates, and more.
Gamedev
28.11.2025
Protected: Publishing Red Flags Every Game Studio Needs To Know
1 week
28.11.2025
7 Signs It’s Time to Partner Up: Why Leading Studios in 2025 Are Turning to External Development Teams
1 week
After a turbulent 2025, the game development landscape looks very different. This year brought sweeping industry layoffs, rising production costs, high volatility in game performance, and greater pressure to deliver content faster across more platforms. At the same time, players continued to expect higher fidelity, more ambitious worlds, and regular live updates. By the end of 2025, even the biggest studios were rethinking how they operate.
External co development is no longer a fallback plan. It has become a core part of how games are made. As the industry steps into 2026, many studios are already recognizing the signals that they can no longer scale through internal teams alone.
This article will talk about the clearest signs that it is time to partner with an external development team and explains how the realities of 2025 have shaped a new production model for 2026.
The Studio Reality After 2025
The numbers from 2025 help explain why so many studios are rethinking their production model. Market data from Newzoo shows the global games industry approaching 189 billion dollars in 2025, creating pressure for larger, higher quality releases.
At the same time, press reporting and industry lists indicate that a handful of blockbuster titles now reach into the high hundreds of millions in development costs, while major franchises often rely on thousands of contributors and multiple studios working together. The year also saw widespread layoffs and slower hiring pipelines.
According to the GDC 2025 State of the Industry survey, about 11 percent of developers reported being laid off in the previous year, and studios continued to struggle to fill senior or highly specialized roles. Together, these factors pushed many teams to look for more flexible, scalable production models going into 2026.
Looking ahead to 2026, studios are seeking a more stable way to scale. External partners allow teams to stay lean while accessing flexible production support on demand. The question is not whether to collaborate, but when.
Below are the seven strongest signs your studio is ready to partner up with an external partner:
Sign #1: Your Production Timelines Keep Slipping
What we saw in 2025:
Many studios entered 2025 under pressure from internal capacity reduction while production goals stayed high. For instance, the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2025 survey reports that one in ten developers said they lost their job in the past year, and 41 % said they were impacted by layoffs or saw colleagues let go.
These workforce disruptions correlate with longer schedules, increased reliance on overtime and crunch, and slipping milestones across the industry.
What this means for 2026:
If this pattern continues into the new year, it signals an internal pipeline stretched beyond its limits. Slips ripple across teams, causing missed content drops, delayed marketing beats, and rising technical debt.
A co development partner stabilizes throughput by adding the right people at the right moments, preventing more slippage as the year progresses.
Sign #2: You Cannot Hire Fast Enough
What we saw in 2025:
Studios faced intense talent scarcity in key roles. Industry commentary and surveys show that many game companies reported trouble filling senior engineers, technical artists, and VFX roles. For example, 32 % of gaming houses struggled to find suitable talent for their projects.
What this means for 2026:
If you are starting a new project or expanding scope, the internal hiring pipeline will not grow fast enough to support it. Recruiting still takes months, and competition for senior talent remains high.
External teams provide instant access to specialized talent without long hiring cycles or long term commitments.
This means, if hiring speed does not match production speed, collaboration becomes essential.
Sign #3: Scope Creep Became the Default in 2025
What we saw in 2025:
Games continued to grow in complexity through 2025, and this expansion directly contributed to rising scope. Industry reporting shows that modern titles take longer to build because they require more content, more platforms, and more interconnected systems than earlier generations. On top of that, the market itself is shifting faster than most teams can adapt. Our State of Video Games Freelancing Report 2025 found how changing player expectations and genre trends, from live service updates and battle passes to extraction shooters and roguelites, force studios to rethink features mid-development. These pivots stretch timelines, increase rework, and expand the production footprint beyond what internal teams originally planned.
What this means for 2026:
If you already feel behind before new features arrive, the roadmap will only become more demanding in 2026. Scope creep is not going away. Studios that survive it are the ones who reinforce their pipelines with external help before the pressure peaks.
A strong partner helps absorb expanding workloads while keeping the original roadmap intact.
Sign #4: QA and Optimization Were Always Delayed
What we saw in 2025:
QA backlogs grew across the industry. Optimization work was pushed to late production, which strained release windows and increased bug risk. Technical debt hit new highs. Industry reporting also highlights that games are taking longer to polish because complexity has increased faster than QA resources.
As noted by Christophe Gandon, managing director of the game division at Virtuos, “As the games industry matures, projects grow in complexity as players increasingly demand better quality, immersion, and satisfaction in game length and value. Developers strive to meet or exceed these expectations.”
What this means for 2026:
Delaying QA again this year will lead to the same problems, only more expensive. Performance expectations continue to rise, and post launch recovery is harder. External engineering and QA teams help stabilize this part of the pipeline, reducing risk at the final stages.
Sign #5: Creative Leadership Spent 2025 Managing, Not Directing
What we saw in 2025:
Leads across the industry found themselves absorbed in coordination, scheduling, and triage. Less time was spent reviewing creative work or shaping direction.
What this means for 2026:
A team that cannot give its leads space to do creative work slows down over time. As projects get larger, leads need more support to keep quality high.
A well integrated co development partner allows leads to return to creative decision making while the partner handles consistent execution.
Sign #6: Your Budget Grew in 2025 but Output Did Not
What we saw in 2025:
Costs increased. Output did not. Teams had fewer people but bigger expectations. Production overruns became common, and fixed costs weighed heavily on studios of all sizes.
What this means for 2026:
Studios are moving away from bloated internal structures and toward flexible capacity. External partners give teams the ability to scale up or down as needed, improving cost to output efficiency as the industry enters another unpredictable year.
Sign #7: You Need End to End Production Support, Not Just Temporary Staff
What we saw in 2025:
Many studios relied on staff augmentation only to realize that freelancers could not solve deeper workflow challenges. Coordination, tools, engineering integration, and multi discipline collaboration required a more unified partner approach.
What this means for 2026:
Complex projects demand more than extra hands. They demand a partner who supports full cycle production, from art to engineering to optimization.
Recognising the Shift: 2026 as the Year of Strategic Co Development
Studios that succeed in 2026 will not try to rebuild massive internal teams. They will focus internal energy on creative leadership and rely on external partners for specialized, scalable production support. This allows teams to move faster, maintain quality, and control long term costs.
Co development is now a strategic decision, not an emergency measure.
What Does a Reliable External Partner Look Like?
A strong partner should offer:
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Transparent communication -
A proven history of reliable delivery
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Seamless pipeline integration
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Cultural and workflow alignment
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Flexible engagement models
Next Steps: How to Start the Transition
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Assess your internal pipeline honestly.
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Identify which disciplines are under the most pressure.
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Decide if you need support in art, engineering, or full cycle workflows.
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Test alignment with a smaller pilot.
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Scale the collaboration as trust and output grow.
Why Studios Choose Devoted
Devoted Studios partners with teams worldwide to support art, engineering, tech art, gameplay systems, and full cycle production. We integrate directly into each studio’s workflow so collaboration feels seamless. You can explore our end to end environment production approach, from early concept to final assets. We have also spent more than four years collaborating with Obsidian Entertainment on large scale environment and content pipelines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktrTibAmmp4
And if these seven signs match what your studio experienced in 2025, it may be the right moment to explore co development for 2026. Many teams are already changing toward flexible, scalable production models to stay ahead of the industry curve.
24.11.2025
10 Best Game Porting Outsourcing Studios in 2025
2 weeks
Game porting is a process in which a video game that was originally developed for one platform is adapted or converted to run on another platform. For example, if a game was created for a console like PlayStation, game porting would involve making that same game work on other platforms like Xbox, PC, or even mobile devices.
However, the process is not as easy as just moving files. Game developers have to make adjustments to the game’s code, graphics, and how it performs so that it looks and feels just as good on the new platform as it did on the original one.
As more players buy games online instead of physical copies, game developers need to find ways to reach them across different platforms. This is where porting comes in.
Why Porting Matters More in 2025
Porting allows a game to be played on multiple devices, like consoles, PCs, and even mobile. In 2022, the gaming market made $28.6 billion, while the worldwide PC gaming market generated $42.9 billion. Meanwhile, packaged game sales were much lower, only reaching $9.3 billion. With such a strong focus on digital platforms, porting is a great way for developers to reach more players and boost their success by making their games available on as many platforms as possible.
So that being said, porting is part of a growth strategy.
Now, let’s look at why outsourcing game porting can be helpful and which studios are the best at it.
Why Outsource Game Porting?
Outsourcing porting in 2025 gives studios a major advantage in a market where timelines are tighter and platform diversity keeps expanding.
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Saves time and money -
Expert help
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Faster release
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Quality assurance
Hiring an internal team to manage game porting can be expensive, but outsourcing helps you get high-quality work without needing a dedicated in-house team. Since porting requires a solid understanding of different gaming platforms, outsourcing studios are great at handling this, bringing the skills needed to make the process smooth.
When you outsource, different parts of the project can be worked on at the same time, meaning your game can reach new platforms faster than if handled internally. Plus, many outsourcing studios also provide testing services to make sure the port works well and is free of bugs or glitches.
Top 10 Video Game Porting Companies in 2025
Bringing a game from one platform to another, like consoles, PCs, or mobile devices, can be tricky. That’s where porting studios come in. These companies are experts in making sure games work smoothly across different platforms. Here are the top 10 companies offering excellent game porting services in 2024.
Devoted Studios
The modern leader in game porting and full cycle co-development.
In 2025, Devoted Studios has become one of the most trusted external partners for complex porting, optimization, and engineering work. Our global network of developers and technical artists allows us to take on challenging pipelines and deliver across platforms including PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
We’ve taken on some of the most challenging porting projects in the industry and have become the top partner for developers who want to bring their games to more platforms like PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Some of our key projects include Palia, Five Nights at Freddy’s series, Risk of Rain 2, and Spellbreak, and Open Roads.
Virtuos
Virtuos is a company that stands out in the game porting industry. They have a solid reputation for working on AAA titles, making sure the game runs well on different platforms. Some of their key projects include Dark Souls: Remastered, The Outer Worlds, and Call of Duty: Warzone.
Room 8 Studio
Room 8 Studio offers flexible porting solutions for both indie and AAA games. They are quick and efficient, which makes them a great choice for developers who need their game on multiple platforms quickly.
Keywords Studios
Keywords Studios has worked on quite a few recognizable titles like Marvel’s Guardian of the Galaxy and Alan Wake Remastered. They’re known for managing large-scale game porting services, which makes them a solid option for developers handling complex projects across different platforms.
QLOC
QLOC has been around for a while, offering porting services and contributing to over 2,500 projects for renowned video game developers and publishers. They focus heavily on quality delivered on time.
Sperasoft
Sperasoft has been involved in projects like Rainbow Six: Siege and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, focusing on performance optimization, particularly for mobile and console. They offer game porting services that help developers bring their games to new audiences.
Abstraction
The company is known for finding smart solutions to the challenges that come up during porting. It has gained a reputation as a top-rated video game porting company, working on projects ranging from cult classics like Hotline Miami to popular games like Angry Birds.
Independent Arts
This company has been porting older games to newer consoles since the 1990s and has remained a trusted expert in the field. Even today, they are sometimes called on by Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony for their expertise.
Puny Human
Puny Human has solid experience in game development, making them well-versed in the common challenges of game porting. Their team of developers and tech artists can assist with porting VR games, and they have worked on projects like Trover Saves the Universe and Wasteland 3.
Pingle Studio
Pingle has a skilled team of experts ready to help you port your game across various platforms, whether it’s older consoles like Xbox One, the latest generation like PS5, or even mobile devices.
Why Devoted Studios is Your Best Porting Studio Partner
When looking for the best game porting services, Devoted Studios shines as the top choice for developers wanting to expand their games to new platforms without compromising quality. Our team has a ability to handle complex porting projects and navigate technical challenges while delivering seamless gaming experiences. From mobile game porting to console and PC adaptations, we offer comprehensive porting solutions that meet the needs of developers looking to reach more players.
What makes Devoted Studios stand out as a porting partner in 2025?
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Proven Track Record: Successful ports across PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch.
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Deep Engine Expertise: Unity, Unreal, and custom tech.
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Global Delivery: Teams experienced in working with international partners, licensed IPs, and strict certification processes.
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Player-First Approach: Ensuring controls, UI, and performance feel native to console.
With projects like Palia, Five Night at Fredy’s series, Risk of Rain 2, Open Roads, and Spellbreak, we have proven time and again that we are the best porting studio for developers looking to partner with experts who can overcome challenges and deliver great results.
20.11.2025
The Economics of Co-Development: Cost Savings and Efficiency
2 weeks
In game development, managing costs while delivering high-quality products is always a challenge. But partnering with external teams through game co-development has become an increasingly popular solution. It allows studios to reduce costs, boost efficiency, and maintain flexibility without the ongoing need to hire and manage large in-house teams.
At Devoted Studios, we’ve worked with many studios and seen how co-development can be an effective strategy for saving money while keeping development on track.
Let’s take a closer look at how game co-development can lead to significant savings and why more studios are turning to this approach today.
So, What is Game Co-Development?
To make sure we’re on the same page, game co-development is when a studio partners with an external team to handle different parts of the game’s development. This could include tasks like art creation, programming, or testing, with the external team working closely alongside the primary studio. This collaboration brings in specialized expertise and resources, helping get the game to the finish line faster and more efficiently.
And that’s exactly what we do, we specialize in co-development, offering a Strike Team approach that helps studios expand their teams with experienced artists, programmers, and designers who work seamlessly with in-house teams.
How Does Co-Development Save You Money?
One of the biggest concerns for game studios is staying within budget while delivering a high-quality product. That’s where game co-development comes in.
Cutting Development Costs
Game co-development can seriously lower your development costs. According to a 2022 report by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), studios that brought in external teams saw an average 30% reduction in development costs!
So, why does this happen? Well, here’s the breakdown:
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Lower Labor Costs: Hiring full-time employees for every role can get expensive. With co-development, you only pay for the expertise you need, when you need it. No long-term contracts or salary commitments.
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Global Talent Access: With co-development, you’re not limited to local talent. You can tap into talent from all over the world, where labor costs might be more affordable.
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Faster Turnaround: Extra hands mean faster progress. More people working on different parts of the project means you can finish quicker, which often translates into cost savings.
Reducing Long-Term Overhead
Another great thing about co-development is how it helps reduce long-term costs. Traditional game studios often go through hiring and firing cycles, constantly recruiting new staff for each project. This leads to recruitment costs, onboarding, and the hassle of letting go of staff once the project is over.
But with co-development, you don’t have to worry about all of that. You bring in external teams for specific projects, so you don’t need to keep a big, full-time workforce. This means you avoid the stress of high turnover, recruitment fees, and long-term salary commitments.
Co-Development Boosts Efficiency, Too!
In game development, efficiency is key to staying competitive. Co-development helps studios streamline their processes and ensure that every part of the game gets
Focus on What You Do Best
One of the best things about co-development is that it allows studios to focus on their strengths. For example, let’s say your studio excels at gameplay and level design but lacks the resources for high-quality art production. Instead of struggling with hiring a full-time art team, you can partner with a co-development team that specializes in art. This lets you focus on what you do best while letting the external team handle the parts where they shine.
It’s like having a team of experts work on different areas of your game, making sure every aspect gets the attention it deserves!
Scalability and Flexibility
What happens when a studio needs more help during crunch time? Easy! With co-development, you can scale your team up or down based on the project’s needs. You’re not locked into a long-term contract with full-time employees. Need extra hands for a few months? No problem!
This flexibility is perfect for indie studios or even large companies that need to quickly adapt to project demands.
Let’s Hear What Studios Say: The Real Benefits of Co-Development
Still unsure about co-development? Hear from some of our clients who have experienced the advantages firsthand:
Sean-Paul Manning
Art Director, Elodie Games
Speaking on behalf of my team we are very fortunate to have the Devoted team as a partner in development on this project. We’re a very small team with limited time and resources – Devoted has been able to force multiply our abilities and close our gaps with their team of experts.
Ian Fielding
Studio Head, Super Evil Megacorp
Devoted Studios has been a great partner to help us bring our artistic vision to life. From concept, modeling, and animations – we value their support and look forward to continuing our partnership with them in future projects.
Should You Consider Game Co-Development?
In the competitive industry of game development, game co-development is a fantastic way to save costs, boost efficiency, and reduce long-term overhead. If you’re working on an indie game or a large AAA project, co-development can provide the flexibility, expertise, and cost savings you need to succeed.
At Devoted Studios, we’ve helped studios like yours streamline development and stay on budget, all while delivering high-quality results. Ready to dive into co-development and see how it can benefit your next project? Get in touch with us today, and let’s start collaborating!
20.11.2025
Behind Every Great Game Is a Great Team: How We Build Ours at Devoted Studios
2 weeks
Ever wonder how your favorite games actually get made? It starts with a great idea, but it takes a well-organized game development team structure to turn that idea into something that’s actually playable.
At Devoted Studios, we support studios through co-development. That means we don’t just create assets and hand them over. We become part of the team. Our tech experts, producers, and artists collaborate with internal teams to create games from the ground up.
One of the ways we support studios is through our Strike Teams. Like a special forces unit, this is expert talent ready to jump in fast and solve complex tasks. These specialized teams integrate into your studio and bring the right skills exactly when you need them.
They’re small, senior-level groups built to plug directly into your production. Fast to onboard, easy to scale, and designed to move with you. No long hiring process. No full outsourcing setup. Just the support you need, right when you need it.
So how do we structure these teams? What roles are involved, and how do they work with your studio day to day?
Let’s walk through the key game development team roles, how they stay connected, and why our setup makes the whole game development process smoother for everyone.
Devoted Studios Core Team: Your Dream Game Makers
Every game project starts with the right people. Here are the key roles you’ll find in a well-rounded game production team and what each of them brings to the table.
The Executive Creative Director makes sure ideas are clear and ready for production
Creative ideas can drift when a project gets busy. Jason Millena makes sure they don’t.
Jason is our Executive Creative Director. He works closely with both studios and internal teams to make sure the vision stays clear from start to finish. He’s great at guiding teams while keeping things flexible and collaborative.
He’s worked on games like Game of Thrones, Runescape, and Jurassic World: Primal Ops, so he knows how to manage creative direction even on big, complex projects.
Having Jason in the role means there’s always someone making sure the creative vision stays clear, focused, and fully realized.
The creative lead behind the visuals is our Visual Art Director
This is the person who makes sure your game doesn’t end up looking like a mix of five different art styles.
The Visual Art Director guides the overall look and feel of the game. From characters and environments to textures and props, they make sure everything fits together visually and supports the story and setting.
One of our Visual Art Directors worked on titles like Guild Wars 2, Avowed, and Nike’s Airphoria in Fortnite, helping keep the art direction focused and cohesive throughout production.
Want a closer look at how we handle worldbuilding? Read our article on Nike’s Airphoria in Fortnite. Read it here.
Blending design and function is what our Tech Art Director does best
If something looks amazing in concept but breaks when you hit play, this is the person who steps in.
The Tech Art Director connects creative and technical teams, making sure assets work just as well in the engine as they do on paper. They’re the ones solving issues with shaders, rigging, and performance without slowing down production.
We also shared some practical tips on updating from Unreal Engine 3 to Unreal Engine 5 in this article. If you’re dealing with a similar transition, it’s a simple breakdown of what to expect.
Our 3D Tech Art Director keeps complex assets running smoothly
This is the person who steps in when the 3D scene looks great but acts like it’s haunted.
Our 3D Tech Art Directors specialize in solving tricky technical issues that come up during production. From asset integration to performance fixes, they make sure everything runs the way it should.
With personal experience on titles like Guild Wars 2, Predecessor, and Nike’s Airphoria in Fortnite, our 3D Tech Art Director brings the kind of deep technical know-how that helps complex assets run smoothly and fit right into any pipeline.
Movement, timing, and expression come to life with our Animation Director
You can model the coolest dragon ever, but if it walks like a penguin, something’s wrong.
Harvey Newman is our Animation Director. He’s worked on Warships: Jolly Roger, Dune: Awakening, and more, making sure characters move in a way that feels believable and fun to watch.
He leads the team responsible for how characters move, fight, and interact with the world. That includes close collaboration with both the client’s animation leads and our in-house rigging and tech art teams to keep everything aligned and consistent.
Want to get to know Harvey better? We wrote a whole article about him! Check it out to hear his story, career tips, and thoughts on game animation.
Behind every smooth pipeline is a smart Chief Technology Officer
Every solid video game studio workflow needs someone thinking three steps ahead.
That’s Flavius Alecu, our Chief Technology Officer. He’s worked on iconic games like Resident Evil, The Last of Us Part II, and Grand Theft Auto, and he leads the tech strategy that keeps our teams moving.
Flavius helps shape how we operate across projects and teams, so our game production workflow stays reliable and ready to scale.
The VP of Production is the one keeping everything on track
You can have the most talented artists and developers on a project, but without strong production, things can quickly go off course.
Ira Vishnetskaia runs the show behind the scenes. She has led production for major titles including League of Legends, FNAF: Security Breach, and Guild Wars 2.
As our VP of Production, Ira is the steady hand behind the scenes. She keeps timelines in check, teams aligned, and conversations flowing. She’s also the one making sure deadlines are met, expectations are clear, and no detail falls through the cracks.
Want to see how our production team pulls it off? We broke it down here. and see how they keep things moving and projects on track.
How We Communicate with Studios
Clear communication is everything. Our game studio team roles aren’t isolated, we’re constantly working side-by-side with studios through shared tools like Slack, Jira, and weekly check-ins.
We assign dedicated producers to each project, ensuring all updates, questions, and feedback go through a single, clear point of contact. Meanwhile, our directors stay closely in sync with the game studios’ leads so nothing gets lost in translation.
It’s a system that works. Some teams bring us in as their full external game art team, handling everything from concept to final assets. Others tap us for support on specific characters, props, or environments.
So… How Do You Actually Build a Game Dev Team?
A strong game development team structure is key to delivering great results. At Devoted Studios, we help studios quickly scale their teams by plugging in the right game development team roles at the right time. Our flexible model works for everything from full co-dev partnerships to targeted support.
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We start with the scope. What does the studio need? Full co-development or targeted art support?
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We build the team. Using our roster of 3000+ vetted artists, producers, and tech specialists, we assemble a team with the right experience.
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We help game studios stay flexible. Our game co-development model allows game studios to scale up or down depending on the project’s phase.
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We keep it human. No silos. No miscommunication. Just real people collaborating across time zones, tools, and disciplines.
Why Our Structure Works
Our success comes from structure. We’ve built a game development process that balances speed with quality. When game studios work with us, they work with real people who care about the outcome and know how to deliver.
Our game production team is agile, responsive, and experienced. We know how game studios work from the inside, and we build teams that reflect that.
A great example of this is our ongoing work with Obsidian Entertainment on Avowed. Over four years, we partnered with multiple teams on 2D concept art, 3D characters, large-scale environments, and hero props. We became their go-to team not just for delivery, but for reliability, style alignment, and cross-team collaboration.
“The Obsidian team has been completely satisfied with Devoted Studios’ performance in all aspects – art quality, time management, adherence to style and timeline, communication quality control. Devoted does an excellent job and never hesitates to run the extra mile to guarantee the best outcome. They are always punctual, have impeccable production management skills, offer high quality services and reasonably priced.”
— Chris Naves, Lead Art Outsourcing Manager at Obsidian
We’re proud to be an outsourced game development team that doesn’t feel outsourced. You get the flexibility of a service with the consistency of a long-term partner. We call it external game development with a feeling of belonging.
At the End of the Day, It’s All About People
Building games is a people business. The tools evolve, the pipelines improve, but it’s the team that brings everything together.
From producers to artists to tech leads, strong collaboration is what makes it all work. At Devoted, we build teams that understand the craft, the challenges, and each other.
20.11.2025
The Role of Co-Development in Scaling Game Projects
2 weeks
Scaling a game project is exciting, but we all know that it can also feel like trying to build a rocket ship mid-flight. Deadlines move faster than your team can catch up, bugs pop up out of nowhere, and there never seem to be enough hands on deck.
In the game industry, game co-development is becoming one of the most reliable ways to handle large-scale projects. It’s not just a backup plan. It’s a smart, flexible approach that allows studios to stay creative, stay focused, and meet their goals without burning out.
So, what is co-development in games? And how can it help your studio scale up without breaking the bank? Let’s get into it.
Let’s Start With the Basics: What is Co-development?
Game co-development (or co-dev) means two or more studios working together on a game. This can include everything from character design and environment art to engineering support and live ops. It’s a deeply collaborative process that integrates an external game development team into your pipeline.
The main studio typically owns the vision and creative direction, while the co-dev team helps bring it all to life.
It’s not the same thing as outsourcing game development. With co-development, the external team becomes part of your workflow. You collaborate closely, share updates regularly, and build something together. It’s more like adding a powerful extension to your internal team than handing off tasks into the void.
Why More Studios Are Turning to Co-Dev
The game industry is more complex than ever. Games are bigger, players expect more, and timelines aren’t getting any longer.
The 2025 GDC State of the Industry report shows how tough the landscape has become for game developers. Over half (56%) of developers said they’ve invested their own money into their projects. For indie developers, that number jumps to 82%. Even 29% of AAA studios are self-funding in some form.
When investment is tough to find, studios need flexible, smart ways to get work done. This is where game co-dev studios step in. They help studios increase output, keep quality high, and avoid the long-term commitment of full-time hires.
Here’s how co-development in the game industry supports that goal:
Scale Fast Without Long-Term Hiring
Hiring full-time staff takes time and adds long-term costs. A co-development partner gives you access to ready-to-go teams. You can scale up for a big push and then scale back when the job is done. This flexibility is a huge asset for game project scaling
Keep Your Core Team Focused
Your internal team doesn’t need to do everything. With the right co-dev support, they can focus on the big-picture creative work, while experienced partners handle asset creation, technical support, and other production-heavy tasks.
Move Faster and Reduce Bottlenecks
Large-scale game production can easily hit snags. Co-development gives you more flexibility. You can assign tasks to a dedicated external team and keep the pipeline moving without missing key milestones.
Get Access to Specialized Talent
Some parts of game development require specific expertise, like motion capture, UI systems, stylized animation, and more. A game co-development studio often has those specialists ready to plug in. That saves you time and gives your game a professional edge.
Save on Overhead
One of the biggest benefits of game co-development is cost control. Working with a co-dev team helps you manage costs more effectively. You avoid full-time salaries and still get high-quality work.
Let’s Bust Some Myths About Co-Development
We’ve seen a lot of conversations online about outsourcing and co-development. Some of the posts on Reddit are helpful, but others spread confusion. Let’s clear up a few common myths about co-dev—because they might be holding some studios back from scaling effectively.
#Myth 1: “Bigger Teams = Faster Games”
Credit: r/gamedev on Reddit
✅ Reality: Bigger doesn’t always mean better.
In large teams, things can actually slow down. Too many opinions, too many meetings, and not enough focus on execution. It happens in game development just like it does in corporate offices. More time is spent talking than building.
At Devoted Studios, we don’t believe in throwing more bodies at a problem. Instead, we build lean, strike teams that align with your vision from day one. That way, you get the firepower you need, without the chaos. Our producers work closely with your internal leads to keep things moving quickly, clearly, and without decision fatigue.
#Myth 2: “Any studio offering co-dev services is legit.”
Credit: r/gamedev on Reddit
✅ Reality: Not every team is ready to support large-scale production.
There are groups that look like studios but don’t have the structure, experience, or people to deliver. Some teams may disappear mid-project. Others may lack the skills needed to work with new tech like AR, VR, AI, or blockchain.
We’ve seen that happen too. That’s why our teams are vetted, trained, and experienced. From games like Palia to Risk of Rain 2, our clients count on us to deliver consistent, reliable support with real technical depth.
These myths can make teams hesitant to collaborate, which is totally understandable. But a good partner won’t slow you down or take over, instead they’ll plug in where you need them and help move things forward with support.
Our Game Co-Dev Portfolio
We’ve built our process to support studios at every stage. Our model is flexible, reliable, and built around transparency. From one-time help to full-cycle support, we provide game development support services that grow with your needs.
Here’s a look at some of the projects we’ve supported through co-development:
PALIA
Palia is a life simulation massively multiplayer online game.
TEAM ROLE
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Co-development, Engineering, Tools & UI
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Primary Objective: Implementation of meta-game features
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Secondary Objective: Bug Fixing
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
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Created player house with plot customization
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Debugged Party/Navigation system
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Integrated chat system with in-game emojis
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Developed in-game photography with creative filters
SPECTRE DIVIDE
An innovative free-to-play 3v3 tactical shooter
TEAM ROLE
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Devoted Studios’ engineering team contributed significantly to the early version of Spectre Divide, helping to bring this unique concept to life.
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
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Comprehensive Tool Prototyping: Developed tools for Level, Weapon, Ability, Customization, Rigging, and Debugging.
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Art and Animation Pipeline Optimization: Optimized the workflow from Maya to UE4, including shader testing and UE4 Animation Controller setup.
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Integrated chat system with in-game emojis
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Developed in-game photography with creative filters
RISK OF RAIN 2
Escape a chaotic alien planet by fighting through hordes of frenzied monsters
TEAM ROLE
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Co-dev & Porting to Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox X|S.
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Integration of all network features.
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Rendering optimization.
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Support for DLC.
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
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Boosted FPS performance by 57% on all levels.
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Introduced Multiplayer to PS and Xbox platforms, featuring 4-player coop.
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Prepared the game to certification. As part of “Survivors of the Void” DLC
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DLC certification passed on all platforms from the 1st try.
Five Nights at Fredy’s: Secret of the Mimic
VR survival horror
TEAM ROLE
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Co-dev
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Engineering
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3D Tech Art
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Art Production
PLATFORM
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Unreal
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PS5
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Steam
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Epic Games Store
We’ve worked with indie teams, mid-size studios, and AAA publishers. No matter the scale, our goal is the same: deliver work you can rely on, with communication you can count on.
Ready to Scale Smarter?
If you’re trying to figure out how to scale game production, co-development might be the answer. It gives you the flexibility to grow without the stress of hiring, the speed to meet your deadlines, and the support to keep your team focused.
At Devoted Studios, we make that process easier. From day one, you’ll get a responsive partner, clear delivery plans, and access to top-tier talent that fits your project’s style and needs.
20.11.2025
5 Hidden Clauses in Publishing Contracts That Can Break Your Game Studio
2 weeks
A publishing deal can look like a dream for many game studios. The publisher gives you money, support, and a way to get your game out to players.
But here’s the problem. One small line in the contract can cost you everything.
In Devoted Speakeasy Episode 36, Ninel Anderson, our CEO, spoke with Brandon Huffman, a lawyer from Odin Law and Media. Brandon has worked with Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and Netflix, and he knows the fine print that can make or break a studio.
Why This Matters for Game Studios
Game development is risky enough. Missing milestones, staff turnover, platform delays. Those are already hard to manage.
Imagine this:
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Your game sells $10 million
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Your royalty is 50%
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You expect $5 million
But you get zero.
Why? The contract says the publisher collects all costs first, from your share.
This happens. And it’s only one of the risks Brandon warned about. Here are 5 of the most important clauses to watch out for.
Milestones That Block Payment
Most publishing deals pay after you hit milestones: alpha, beta, final.
The trap for studios:
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Publishers redefine “done” and delay payment.
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Extra feedback sneaks in as mandatory work.
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You burn time and budget but still fail the milestone.
👉 Tips for game studio: Make every milestone clear in writing. Add rules for what happens if the publisher changes scope. Avoid vague language like “meaningfully consider feedback.”
Recoupment That Leaves You With Nothing
Recoup means publishers take back their costs before you get royalties. Some contracts apply this only to the developer’s share.
The trap: some contracts recoup 100% from the developer’s share. So if your game sells $10M and your royalty is 50%, you still see zero until all costs are cleared.
👉 Tips for game studio: Negotiate for shared recoup (costs split across both sides) or put a cap on recouped expenses. Always ask for transparent reporting.
Termination for “Convenience”
Some contracts let the publisher cancel whenever they want, with no payout.
The impact on studios:
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Your team is left unpaid mid-project.
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The publisher may keep the IP.
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You have nothing to cover staff or overhead.
👉 Tips for game studio: Push for “termination for cause” only, or require the publisher to pay a fee if they cancel early.
Losing Creative Control Without Realizing
Publishers sometimes take creative control without calling it that. Clauses like “Publisher approval required” or “Feedback must be implemented” give them the power to dictate changes.
👉 Tips for game studio: If you’re working on your own IP, their role should be advisory, not controlling. Don’t sign away the right to decide how your game plays or looks.
Strategic Rights That Hurt Your Next Game
Publishers may ask for rights that reach beyond your current game:
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Right of first refusal (ROFR): They get the first chance to publish your next game.
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Last-look rights: They can match other offers.
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Territory rights: They automatically get certain regions.
👉 Tips for game studio: Be careful. These clauses can scare away future partners and limit your studio’s growth.
Lessons From Devoted Speakeasy Ep. 36 With Brandon Huffman
Don’t sign anything you don’t fully understand.
One line in a contract can decide your studio’s future.
Things to check before signing:
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Be clear on what each milestone means so payments don’t get delayed. -
Make sure recoup costs are shared or capped so you aren’t left with nothing.
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Push for fair termination terms so they can’t just walk away.
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Keep creative control if the IP is yours.
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Watch out for rights that tie up your future projects or deals.
Publishing contracts are survival documents, not just legal forms. If you don’t read the fine print, you risk losing your royalties, your freedom, or even your studio.
These five are the most common traps, but they’re not the only ones. From scope creep to dispute clauses, there’s a lot more hiding in the details.
That’s why Brandon’s full breakdown in Devoted Speakeasy Episode 36 is so valuable. He explains the strategies, the questions to ask, and the warning signs every studio needs to know – and there’s more of it.
Watch the full episode here to protect your game and your team.
20.11.2025
How Smaller Teams Are Solving Big
Game Development Problems
2 weeks
How Smaller Teams Are Solving Big Game Development Problems
You’ve probably heard the phrase “all hands on deck,” but what happens when your hands are already full?
Game development is never a straight line, especially as you get closer to launch. Tasks pile up, deadlines tighten, and things start to shift quickly. Features that were once “almost done” now need urgent attention.
That’s when studios start looking for support. Not just more people, but the right kind of help. Skilled, fast, and focused.
This is where a strike team comes in.
We, Devoted Studios, are that strike team.
But, what exactly is a strike team? How does it work? And why do so many game studios (from indies to AAA) rely on them, especially in the final stretch?
We’ll explain what that means.
What is a Strike Team in Game Development?
A strike team is a small group of developers from different specialties like art directors, technical leads, or producers who come together to solve one specific challenge in the game.
Unlike traditional departments that work separately, strike teams unite people across roles to focus on a shared task. That might be fixing a bug, polishing a feature, or finishing a key system before launch.
Strike teams are temporary. They’re formed when there’s an urgent need and usually finish their work within a few weeks. Once the task is done, the team wraps up.
This model offers speed, clarity, and adaptability—all things game studios need to stay on track in a fast-moving industry.
Harvey Newman, Animation Director at Devoted Studios, explains it well on his YouTube channel,
“Normally, a team works together within their department—the art team, animation team, design team, etc. But toward the end of a game, we usually create what we call strike teams… Instead of just the animation team working together, all of a sudden you have an animator, an engineer, an artist, and a sound designer… trying to tackle a problem within the game that needs to be solved in order for us to progress forward.”
So basically: when something needs to be fixed fast, and cross-discipline knowledge is required, a strike team forms.
Why Strike Teams Work So Well
Despite the scale of AAA projects, with teams of 100 to 500 people across programming, art, design, audio, QA, and production, things can still slip. With so many teams working in parallel, staying flexible becomes harder, especially as launch day gets closer.
As Harvey Newman, our Animation Director, explains on his video, even at big studios like EA and SEGA, teams usually stay within their departments. But near the end of production, more and more features start needing extra attention.
Studios form these small, cross-discipline groups to solve specific problems quickly. Each person brings a different skill, but they all work toward one clear goal. Communication is faster, decisions are easier, and progress is more focused.
When pressure builds, this is where a strike team can help game studios stay on track.
| Speed and precision |
Strike teams don’t need long onboarding or training. We get into your pipeline quickly, understand what needs to be done, and start solving problems from day one. |
|---|---|
| Tailored expertise |
Every strike team is built based on what you need. Maybe it’s animation polish, gameplay scripting, or final lighting work. Whatever the task, we bring together the right experts to get it done. |
| Cross-discipline collaboration |
Unlike traditional teams that work within one department, a strike team blends roles. This lets us tackle problems from every angle—technical, visual, and design-related—all at once. |
| Support without long-term headcount |
You don’t have to expand your full-time team. Strike teams provide the support you need, for as long as you need it, and then step back when the job is done. It’s a flexible way to boost your game development team without taking on more overhead. |
This cross-functional setup helps teams solve problems faster. Everyone involved understands the goal, shares ownership, and moves quickly without needing long onboarding or constant handovers.
When to Use a Strike Team
Strike teams can help at any point, but they shine in moments when timing and focus are critical. For example:
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You’re a few weeks from launch and a major feature still needs tuning
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A gameplay bug is blocking the next milestone
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You’re heading into console certification and need extra eyes on performance
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Your internal team is swamped and can’t take on more
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One part of the game is “nearly finished” but needs polishing
In all these cases, a strike team can come in, take ownership, and solve the problem without sidetracking the rest of the game development team.
What Our Strike Teams Look Like
At Devoted Studios, we’ve built our service model around this concept. We support game studios by becoming the strike team they can rely on—an extension of their game development team.
Here’s how we work:
The result? You get focused progress where it matters most, without needing to manage another full-time team.
A Real Example of a Strike Team at Work
Let’s say a studio is preparing a new level for launch. The environment looks great, but the lighting isn’t consistent. QA starts flagging visibility issues. The internal lighting team is busy on another feature and can’t switch tasks without slowing things down.
That’s when we get called in.
We bring in our senior producer, a technical art director, and a QA specialist. The producer coordinates priorities and keeps communication clear, the technical art director reviews asset performance and visual consistency, and the QA specialist tests for any gameplay or visual issues. Together, they troubleshoot, adjust, and validate the fixes. The process stays fast, focused, and collaborative.
This is the kind of support that can turn stressful situations into smooth progress for any game development team.
Strike Teams Are Built for Today’s Game Industry
Games are getting more complex. Teams are more distributed. And production timelines are always shifting. Studios need partners who can jump in, solve problems, and make things happen without adding friction.
That’s what we do.
The need for flexible support is clearer than ever. According to the 2024 GDC Survey, 41% of game developers reported being affected by layoffs in the past year. One in ten were laid off themselves, with narrative roles hit the hardest at 19%. In a climate like this, studios are being asked to deliver high-quality games with fewer resources and more pressure.
Strike teams help fill that gap. At Devoted Studios, we take this approach even further.
We build custom strike teams based on exactly what your project needs. By blending top individual talent with specialized team structures, we create a workforce that adapts to your game, and not the other way around. This model gives studios access to skilled support without expanding full-time headcount.
Let’s Talk About Your Next Milestone
If your studio needs help getting a game across the finish line, handling last-minute challenges, or simply adding a burst of production power, we’re here to help.
We’re the strike team you can trust.
18.11.2025
Howtofixmygame.com: Turning Steam Reviews into Actionable Game Dev Insights
2 weeks
If you’ve released a game on Steam, you know how fast feedback comes in. Thousands of players share opinions, ideas, and frustrations. But making sense of it all can feel impossible.
That’s exactly the problem Flavius Alecu, our Chief Technology Officer at Devoted Studios, set out to solve. His new tool, howtofixmygame.com, helps developers turn thousands of Steam reviews into clear, prioritized improvement lists. So they can focus on fixing what actually matters to players.
Flavius Alecu, one of Devoted Studios’ technical leads, built the tool based on what he’s seen in years of game production.
Many teams, even well-organized ones, struggle to keep up with player feedback after launch. Flavius wanted a faster way to turn that noise into something developers can act on.
Flavius is also a key member of Devoted Studios’ strong and innovative management team, highlighting the expertise behind the company’s technology leadership that clients and partners can rely on. His work reflects Devoted’s broader commitment to building practical tools that make co-development smarter, more transparent, and easier to scale.
The Problem: Steam Reviews Are Hard to Use
Steam reviews are full of useful information, but they’re rarely structured.
Developers spend hours scrolling through player comments trying to answer questions like:
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What’s actually frustrating players?
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Which bugs or systems get mentioned most often?
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Are negative reviews pointing to one major issue or ten small ones?
For developers, this means hours of reading, tagging, and trying to find patterns. Larger studios might use internal tools or analysts, but smaller teams often rely on gut feeling, which makes it easy to miss what players are actually saying.
How Howtofixmygame.com Works
The idea behind howtofixmygame.com is simple: take all that unorganized player feedback and make it readable.
Here’s what it does:
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You enter your Enter your Steam App ID or store URL to get started.
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The tool scans reviews and groups recurring themes automatically.
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It creates a list of issues or suggestions, sorted by how often they appear and how strongly players feel about them.
What you get is a short, prioritized list that helps decide what to fix or improve next, without spending days reading every review.
Why It’s Useful for Developers
Most teams already track community feedback through Discord, Reddit, or social media, but it’s easy to lose track of the bigger picture.
Howtofixmygame.com gives developers a quick overview of what players talk about most, and how those topics change over time.
It helps teams:
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Spot repeating technical or gameplay issues
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Organize bug-fixing priorities
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Understand what players appreciate most
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Plan updates with better context
For small and mid-sized studios, it’s a practical way to get structured insight without extra resources.
A Glimpse Into the Future of Game Feedback Analysis
Tools like howtofixmygame.com represent a broader shift in how the industry handles player feedback. Rather than treating reviews as anecdotal, developers can now use them as structured input for data-informed design and production decisions.
When teams understand exactly what’s frustrating or delighting players, they can make better design calls, plan updates more efficiently, and deliver games that resonate more deeply with their audience.
As games become more service-oriented, with frequent patches and evolving content, tools like this may soon become essential for post-launch success. And that’s good for both players and developers.
Try It Yourself!
If you’re working on a Steam title, check out howtofixmygame.com. It’s free, simple to use, and built by someone who understands the developer’s perspective firsthand.
And if you’re a studio looking for a co-development partner that brings the same kind of technical clarity to your projects, Devoted Studios can help. Our team combines engineering expertise, production efficiency, and player-centric insight to help studios scale smarter.