Best Game Developers

What a good game development project includes

Game development gigs range from single features to complete small games. The project should state:

• Engine and platforms: for example Unity for mobile, or a web game.
• Scope: prototype, full game, or specific features.
• Game design: whether the developer designs mechanics or builds your design.
• Assets: who provides art, sound and music, and their licenses.
• Milestones with playable builds you can test.
• Extras: ads, in-app purchases, leaderboards or multiplayer.
• Handover: full project files, source code and build instructions.

How to brief a game developer

1. The core idea in one or two sentences: what the player does, and why it is fun.
2. The core loop: the action the player repeats.
3. Similar games, with what you like and what you would change.
4. Platforms and controls: touch, keyboard, controller.
5. Art style and who will make the art.
6. Features for the first version, and ones that can wait.
7. How the game earns money, if at all.

Play every build on the real device, and let a few people who have never seen the game try it. Watching where they get confused or bored is the fastest way to know what to fix next.

What drives the price

• scope: prototype versus full game
• number of levels, characters and mechanics
• 2D versus 3D, and art quality
• multiplayer, online features and payments
• number of platforms
• testing, publishing support and the developer's experience

Red flags

• A full game promised in a few days for a very low price, often a reskinned template.
• Assets with no license information.
• No playable builds until the end.
• Project files withheld or offered only at a large extra cost.
• A portfolio with videos only, and no games you can play.

Reskinned templates are not always bad, but you should know if that is what you are buying. Ask directly whether the game is built from scratch or from a purchased template, and check that template's license for commercial release.

For mobile store listings and screenshots, our mobile app development guide covers store accounts and review. For character art and backgrounds, read our illustration guide, and for music, our music producer guide.

Set aside time and money for polish and testing after the main features are done. Small things, such as how a button feels, how quickly a level loads and how clear the first minute is, make a big difference to whether players stay. Many game projects spend everything on features and have nothing left for the details players actually notice. Ask the developer to plan a final round for bug fixes and small improvements based on feedback from real players before release.

Quick pre-order checklist

• I have described the core idea and loop.
• The first version has a short feature list.
• All art, sound and templates are licensed for commercial use.
• I will test playable builds at each milestone.
• I will receive the full project files and publish under my own accounts.