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What do you mean by Game Development?  

Game Development is the systematic procedure of creating, designing, coding, testing and launching a game on sundry gaming platforms. Game Development Companies generally comprise of industry specialists, designers, testers, finance managers, marketers and programmers. While this is the minimum requirement of experts for a game to be developed, it is not mandatory to appoint freelancers as one can hire a game developing company anytime. The efforts and energy in scrutinising correct professionals and then negotiating the payout scales with them could be channelized to head towards more productive work projects.

As opposed to hiring a game developing company, working individually could be a bit challenging as there can be dearth of correct personnel at a particular area and, the knowledge-base of the individual in that specific niche may not be sufficient enough to cope with that of enormous industry sharks. It is therefore, advised to seek help from the professionals, where chances of errors are the least. Another precedence of hiring a Game Development company is that the point of contact at all stages remains constant. Additionally, the cost of the project is pre-apprehended, so managing the funds becomes facile and undemanding.

What Are different Stages involved in Game Development?

As exciting as it may sound, developing a game is not that simple. It involves a lot of diligence, consistency, the zeal to overcome failures, and the ability to come up with solutions in a strenuous situation. Precision has to be adhered to at each and every stage in order to attain the desired results. The procedure of game development, as the experts would opine, involves sundry stages. These stages have been enclosed in 5 major stages to encapsulate the gist of it. In order to have a finer apprehension of the procedure that most of the game developing companies inculcate in their strategies formulation, follow the given the list of different stages involved in game development:-

1. Planning: - The first and foremost step in any software development project is to prepare a detailed blueprint of the project through copious yet delirious sessions with the team. The planning process requires a lot of questioning and then carving out the blueprint of the game development project on the basis of the audience to be targeted, the type of game that is being built up, budget of the project, and finally deducing the releasing platforms for it.
2. Pre-production: This stage involves working on the intricate details of the project, like articulating a storyline, creating the revenue target or maybe an entire framework setup on the basis of which the game would progress. One also looks up at the technological requisites and focuses on prototyping the game. Milestones are also decided at this stage.
3. Production: This is the stage where the game actually begins to exist. The designers commence formulating the layout and design of the game. They further coordinate with the programmer, who in turn, initiates the coding process. The rewards for winners, routes/rules for levelling up in the game, user-engagement enhancing features, audio-visual effects and furthermore physical and local parameters are finalised.
4. Testing: At this stage the game is monitored and the functionality of it is tested. The compatibility of the game, its ability to attract and maintain audience, the level of hardness of the game, and the features of the game are monitored at this stage. After the approval of the tester, the game gets hot for trot. Finally it will be launched after rectifying the suggested errors.
5. Pre-Launch: In this stage the beta versions of the game are set in motion to identify further bugs in the game. Audience’s response is gingerly monitored and then the marketing team creates hype for the game for the actual launch. The team cautiously ensures that the game reaches out to the targeted audience optimally.
6. Launch: One last time before the game has debuted, it is the job of the tester to detect major bugs in the game and then work in coordination with the programmer for eradicating the major bugs first and then the minor bugs. The polishing of the game is concluded then the final structure of the game is analysed. Ultimately, the game is released in the market. Now the ball is in the audience’s court.

Best Programming Languages for Game Development in 2022

Once we are acquainted with the stages of Game Development that major Game Development Companies follow, it becomes more intriguing to find out which Programming languages do they use for developing exciting games. After all, gaining technical knowledge in the game development industry could be advantageous. You can anytime leverage this knowledge to crack an assignment project or close a deal with a prominent game developing company. You can also test the efficiency of the programmers whenever you wish to hire game developers of top notch quality for your organisation.

Now, if you are thinking of opting for video game programming as your profession and struck at a situation where you cannot decide which language you should learn first, then the list given below will definitely help you analyses all the programming languages and then decide for yourself. The most frequently used programming languages by the game development companies are:

1. C++: It is one of the most commonly used game programming languages. The game has many advantages right from its superior features that enable you to optimise special parts to a very high level to providing direct control over hardware and graphical processes.
2. Java: With its commendable versatility and availability of wide range of open-sources, Java is one of the best programming languages for beginners. It is highly compatible for debugging, compiling and learning.
3. HTML5: HTML5 is another popular programming language which is preferred by top game designers from Top Game Development companies. The game can be interchangeably used with JavaScript and has been the first preference of the game developers for its ultimate gaming engines features.
4. JavaScript: Well known for its integration with web technologies, JavaScript is another most commonly used programming language for game development. It is usually used in combination with HTML, which enhances the scope of variation in the game.
5. Python: Last but not the least, the programming language which is gradually gaining popularity in the gaming industry is Python. Commonly used by beginners for its user-friendly approach and runs on OPP principals.

Apart from the above mentioned programming languages, there are other languages such as Unreal Script, Lua and C#, which have been used to prototype games.

Exploring Different Types of Game Development

When we talk about games, then there are numerous niches that one has to choose from. Narrowing down to one particular niche determines the entire course of action that will take place in future. There are different types of games in the market, from puzzles, to role-play to action oriented games. Therefore, before commencing anything, it should be the first priority of the creator to decide the type of game she/he wants to create. Given below are some of the types of Game Development options that one should definitely consider before diving into it.

1. Action games: These are the games that stimulate the violent side of the users. As scary as it may sound, these are one of the most popular games and are widely preferred by the youth. Actions games require a lot of spontaneity; hence programmers should focus on challenging the reflexes of the players. For example, Donkey Kong or Galaga.

2. Action-adventure games: These games generally incorporate two elements; one is the action and the other one is a quest or a destination to be reached to win the game. These types of games are extremely engaging once they incorporate an engaging storyline and mind blowing graphics.

1. Simulation games: Focusing on creating virtual reality or real life like situations in the game, Simulation games are created to customize and awestruck the users. It is their unique features that interests a lot of people and therefore, creates hype for these games in the market.
2. Sports games: As the name suggests these are games which are based on a particular sport. For example, cricket or football or pool. These games are purely interest based and therefore, only those who are fans of cricket will love to download this game. But it has been observed that a person may develop interest in a particular sport after playing the virtual game.
3. Puzzle games: These are the most challenging games. They channel the energy from each and every cell in your brain. The audiences for such games are the ones who like to challenge their intellectual capabilities and hence activate their dead brain cells through these games.

Top Game Development Engines to Work With

Since you have decided your programming language, it is time to assemble all the parts of your game and launch it for the world to enjoy. And if you are facing a dilemma where you can’t decide the correct development engine for you’re here is a list of top 5 development engines for games.

1. RPG Maker : This engine is one of the best game development engines at present. The engine is user friendly and has additional advance tabs that can make your work easy if you wish to work on details.
2. MUGEN : This is a 2D fighting genre game developing engine which is best suited for developing action games as well as action-adventure games. It is easy to create and work on characters thereby leveling them up. It could a handy task with this game development engine.
3. Adventure Game Studio : With focusing on point and click action games genre, this is a brilliant development engine at present. If point and click is the main action involved in your game then this could be the best choice.
4. GameMaker : This game development engine has advanced design and enables you to work more flexibly on the layout of your game. You can further dive into advanced coding for some features in your game else, you can just use minimal coding format and enjoy working.
5. Gamebryo : For all the experts out there who wish to work on a robust game development engine, this could be your chance. Gamebryo has advanced features that let you work effectively thereby ensuring that the game development is a huge success.

Factors that can Affect Game Development Cost

Well, nothing comes free. Everything has a price tag attached to it, so does the entire process of Game Development. As a game developing company, budgeting has to be involved in the first stage of your project. However, there are a lot of factors than can hinder smooth budgeting or can affect the budgeting process of your project. Therefore, it becomes mandatory to take into account these factors before making a budget plan. As we have discussed earlier, in order to ensure smooth functioning you should consider the following factors which are given below:

1. Type and Size of the Game: If you have defined blueprint where the type and size of your game has been specified then you are doing it right. It is important to ascertain the type and size of your game. This is what top game development companies do. In this way you can find out the approximate cost of developing a game and then prepare the budget and allocate funds to other things accordingly.
2. Platforms and Devices: If you are planning to be launching a game, it is a requisite to determine the number of platforms and types of devices you would wish to launch your game on. Rationally speaking, launching game for only android and iOS devices would be cheaper than that of launching it for both PC (Windows and Mac) and Mobile (android and IOS).
3. Design: If the design of the game is quite exquisite then the price that you will have to pay will also be exceptional. More realistic design would lead to more efforts and therefore, more payment to the designers.
4. Features and Functionality: More are the functionalities and features; the more will be the cost. Therefore, it is advised to be precised when it comes to adding features and functionalities in your game. Unnecessary features will only up to your cost and won’t affect the user.
5. Maintenance and Marketing: This is the area where most of the cost cutting could be done. You can anytime decide to launch your game on certain platform and start promoting it enthusiastically. Also, maintenance of the game post launching is another cost that you should consider only after monitoring customers’ response and their feedback.

What is the cost of Game Development?

One of the most important tasks that you should do before hiring any Game Development company is to do your own research. You should be aware of the market trends and current prices and the fluctuation rate. Your budget should definitely have some surplus amount in case of any mishap. The cost of developing a game depends upon your requirements and the type of game that you wish to make. On an average, the cost of developing seasoned games is $40-$70 per hour for the technical work and resource planning. However the overall cost that a Game Development company charges for creating a game are as follows:

Game Development companies charge $5K- $10k for developing a Mini Game, whereas they may take $20k-$40k for developing a simple 2D Game. While some game development companies charge, $40k-$100K to develop a game with moderate complexities, the prices can rise to $80-$200k when the complexities increase and you wish to create a more complex game.  While these are some of the basic prices, the actual prices may vary from country to country depending upon the availability of the professionals and the on-going eco-political situations in the country. You can anytime outsource the work but beware of the fraudulent and malpractices.

How to Shortlist Top Game Development Companies for Your Game?

Well deciding your gaming partner could be a challenging task as it is going to affect your goodwill in the market as well as your financial status. Therefore, choosing the correct Game Development Company is a significant task. A lot of things will be at stake!

In order to make this difficult task easy for you, we have come up with some suggestions that you should definitely consider before hiring a game development company.

1. Reputation of the Company: You do not know the company personnel personally, so the only way to analyze their credibility is by looking at its reputation in the market. By critically studying the clients’ reviews about the company and the game developing designers, you can very conveniently determine the potential of the company and therefore, can decide if you wish to collaborate with the company or not.
2. Portfolio: A company’s portfolio is like a manipulated report card of a company. The company will try to project its undertaken programs as boastfully as possible. With keen observation and understanding of the industry you can determine if that’s actually worth it or not. Not everything mentioned in the portfolio is a lie: but it’s always safe to do your own research.
3. Cost and Experience: Cost and experience can one of the deciding factor as experienced professional will deliver quality results but with higher prices. On the other hand, freshers would do the same work at an economical price, but may or may not deliver quality results. Therefore, striking a balance between experience and price should be your priority. Attaining sustainability through excellence should be the motto.

Wrapping Up

The companies are ever-evolving and especially in Game Development companies. It has become obligatory to update the technology and skill-personnel ordinarily. Firms Explorer is aware of this fact and therefore has made a list of the best Game Developing companies. The companies mentioned in the above list have to qualify specific Firm Explorer’s parameters to get enlisted above. Compromise on any parameter is not entertained by the talented team of Firms Explorer.

Firms Explorer lays down several qualifying parameters thereby short-listing only the best Game Development Companies that are resourceful and ardent towards achieving higher goals. They have set the bars quite high for their competitors.

If you are an aspiring Game Development company willing to get enlisted on our list of leading Game Development Companies, then you can connect with us via email. Our experts will get in contact with you. And if you are a potential client looking for the best Game Development company, then go through the list thoroughly.