Game production used to be straightforward—one team, one location, working together to create a game. But today, it's an entirely different story. Game development studios shifted toward a global video game production pipeline, so teams spread out across various countries to work together remotely and bring ambitious projects to life. How did we get here? Let's explore.
In the early days of game development (mid 1990s — early 2000s), everything was happening in one place. Developers, artists, and designers worked in the same studio, sharing ideas and solving problems face-to-face. This approach worked well when games were simpler, but as they became more advanced, studios required more specialized skills.
This is the time when outsourcing started to take off. Studios realized they could send parts of their project—like 3D modeling, animation, or sound design—to talented teams in other countries. These teams often had the expertise and tools to do the job faster and at a lower cost. Outsourcing was not only about saving money but about getting access to new perspectives of the game production pipeline too.
Then came the Internet. Teams worldwide could work together as if they were in the same room. Tools like Skype (back then) and, more recently, Zoom, as well as specialized project management software, made it possible to collaborate in real time.
Large companies set up studios in different countries to have global talent. A notable example would be Nintendo’s partnership with companies like Rare and Capcom during the 1990s. For instance, Rare developed critically acclaimed titles like GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64. These were partnerships where external developers worked alongside Nintendo’s in-house teams on specific projects. The advent of Internet communication made these collaborations smoother, as developers could share resources, updates, and feedback faster.
Smaller studios started working with freelancers or remote teams, so even independent developers could create games that could compete with big-budget titles.
Of course, working with people from different countries isn't always easy. Today, global teams allow studios to work around the clock, access top talent from all corners of the world, and bring diverse perspectives to their projects. What started as a way to save costs has become a way to make games better and more diverse.
The global market for game outsourcing services is expected to reach almost $2 billion by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 7.9%. This growth highlights the increasing demand for skilled global teams in the gaming industry.
In this article, we explore the impact of hiring global teams on optimizing game production pipelines.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common issues and how they impact the process:
Finding the right talent is a complex challenge because game development requires a mix of technical, creative, and artistic skills. In smaller markets or regions without a strong game development industry, studios struggle to hire experienced developers, animators, or sound designers. Even in larger markets, demand for specialized roles—like AI developers or environmental artists—can exceed supply. That's why studios either train their existing staff or turn to outsourcing.
In game development, each stage of the process requires a specific set of skills. For instance, character creation involves artists and 3D modelers, while testing requires a skilled QA team. Traditional pipelines often struggle with quickly bringing in the right experts for each phase, but global teams allow studios to access the specialized talent they need exactly when required.
Game development often has busy and slow phases. Some parts of the project need only a few people, while others, such as the character creation pipeline for game production, require a larger team. For example, you may need several animators to finish the work quickly during an animation phase. Once that phase ends, you don't need as many animators anymore. But if you've hired full-time staff, you have extra team members and higher costs.
The global market for game outsourcing services is expected to reach almost $2 billion by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 7.9%. This growth highlights the increasing demand for skilled global teams in the gaming industry.
In this article, we explore the impact of hiring global teams on optimizing game production pipelines.
Game production used to be straightforward—one team, one location, working together to create a game. But today, it's an entirely different story. Game development studios shifted toward a global video game production pipeline, so teams spread out across various countries to work together remotely and bring ambitious projects to life. How did we get here? Let's explore.
In the early days of game development (mid 1990s — early 2000s), everything was happening in one place. Developers, artists, and designers worked in the same studio, sharing ideas and solving problems face-to-face. This approach worked well when games were simpler, but as they became more advanced, studios required more specialized skills.
This is the time when outsourcing started to take off. Studios realized they could send parts of their project—like 3D modeling, animation, or sound design—to talented teams in other countries. These teams often had the expertise and tools to do the job faster and at a lower cost. Outsourcing was not only about saving money but about getting access to new perspectives of the game production pipeline too.
Then came the Internet. Teams worldwide could work together as if they were in the same room. Tools like Skype (back then) and, more recently, Zoom, as well as specialized project management software, made it possible to collaborate in real time.
Large companies set up studios in different countries to have global talent. A notable example would be Nintendo’s partnership with companies like Rare and Capcom during the 1990s. For instance, Rare developed critically acclaimed titles like GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64. These were partnerships where external developers worked alongside Nintendo’s in-house teams on specific projects. The advent of Internet communication made these collaborations smoother, as developers could share resources, updates, and feedback faster.
Smaller studios started working with freelancers or remote teams, so even independent developers could create games that could compete with big-budget titles.
Of course, working with people from different countries isn't always easy. Today, global teams allow studios to work around the clock, access top talent from all corners of the world, and bring diverse perspectives to their projects. What started as a way to save costs has become a way to make games better and more diverse.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common issues and how they impact the process:
Finding the right talent is a complex challenge because game development requires a mix of technical, creative, and artistic skills. In smaller markets or regions without a strong game development industry, studios struggle to hire experienced developers, animators, or sound designers. Even in larger markets, demand for specialized roles—like AI developers or environmental artists—can exceed supply. That's why studios either train their existing staff or turn to outsourcing.
In game development, each stage of the process requires a specific set of skills. For instance, character creation involves artists and 3D modelers, while testing requires a skilled QA team. Traditional pipelines often struggle with quickly bringing in the right experts for each phase, but global teams allow studios to access the specialized talent they need exactly when required.
Game development often has busy and slow phases. Some parts of the project need only a few people, while others, such as the character creation pipeline for game production, require a larger team. For example, you may need several animators to finish the work quickly during an animation phase. Once that phase ends, you don't need as many animators anymore. But if you've hired full-time staff, you have extra team members and higher costs.
Offshoring certain stages of the game development pipeline offers game development companies several benefits. Below are the key advantages of working with remote global teams:
Every game requires various expertise—coding, art, animation, or sound design. The challenge is finding people with the right skills at the right time. Often, local talent pools don't provide the specialized skills needed at each production stage. Global teams give you access to a much wider pool of specialists and help you bring in the exact skills you need for specific tasks.
One of the most significant advantages of working with global teams is cost savings. By outsourcing parts of your game production pipeline to countries with lower living costs, such as LATAM or Eastern Europe, you can access highly qualified talent while spending less. These savings can be reinvested in other important areas like marketing or new technologies.
When a studio relies on a single local team, work often stops when the day ends, which can lead to delays, especially when deadlines are tight. By bringing in global teams, studios can keep things going around the clock. As one team finishes their shift, the second team in another time zone can pick up right where they left off.
Cross-border communication challenges are common in international game development teams. Here are three practical strategies to overcome them:
Not everyone will be online at the same time. Tools like Slack and Teams help teams stay connected, even when they're in different time zones. Managers can set clear guidelines for response times so everyone knows when to expect updates.
Information has to be organized and easily accessible. Tools like Jira or ClickUp let your team document decisions, project updates, and next steps in a way that everyone can view at their most convenient time. It reduces the need for constant check-ins and guarantees that everyone stays informed.
Though it's difficult to find a time that works for everyone, even a short window of overlapping hours can be helpful for quick live meetings. These brief sessions make it easier to answer important questions or make decisions faster.
How can you smoothly add specialized talent to your game production pipeline? Here are some simple steps to help with this:
When you bring in talent from different locations, you have to give them a good start. Properly onboarding remote employees will ensure they are familiar with the team, tools, and processes needed to excel in their roles. It's an opportunity to set clear goals so everyone is aligned from the beginning. This way, new members can jump in and contribute without mess when they understand your workflow.
Instead of overwhelming global experts with every detail of your game production pipeline, it is better to introduce their responsibilities in phases. Start with smaller tasks or collaborative projects to help them adapt to your team's style and tools. Once they're comfortable, you can gradually increase their involvement in core areas.
Incorporate talent into your existing workflows with roles that match their strengths to accelerate the game development production pipeline. Identify tasks where their expertise is most valuable and align their responsibilities accordingly.
Here are some helpful technologies to better integrate global talent into your game development pipeline:
Testing is often one of the most time-consuming tasks in game development, especially when checking how your game performs on various devices and platforms. Traditionally, this meant investing in a lot of hardware or setting up testing environments for each device, which could quickly become expensive and inefficient.
Cloud-based testing services, like BrowserStack or Kobiton, offer a simpler alternative. These platforms give you access to a wide range of devices remotely, so you can test your game on different platforms without owning all the devices.
Game development involves managing complex assets like 3D models, textures, and animations. Traditional asset management tools often fall short when managing large files and coordinating work among teams that are spread across different locations.
Perforce Helix Core is a version control system built to tackle these challenges. Unlike typical version control systems, it is specifically designed to handle large digital assets and allow artists and designers to work on these files in real time. For studios with teams across different time zones or regions, Perforce helps avoid delays caused by version mismatches. It ensures that everyone is always working on the latest version of an asset.
With tools like New Relic and Datadog, game studios can closely monitor how the games perform in real time, as these instruments provide developers insights into server loads and network latency, no matter where the players are located.
With these instruments, studios can quickly spot any issues—whether it's a laggy server, slow load times, or connectivity issues—before they become a problem for players, allowing studios to act fast and fix things before players notice.
To sum up, leveraging global teams in game production offers clear advantages: access to specialized global talent, improved efficiency, and faster, smoother production processes. To make this collaboration successful for your business, all you need are the right tools.
Looking to leverage a global team for your game production pipeline? Contact us to build a cross-border game development team or enhance your existing one with the right talent.
The global market for game outsourcing services is expected to reach almost $2 billion by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 7.9%. This growth highlights the increasing demand for skilled global teams in the gaming industry.
In this article, we explore the impact of hiring global teams on optimizing game production pipelines.
