Aligning with a reliable game art outsourcing firm, such as ourselves, clears the way for project success, driving it far closer to completion. The aesthetic element, which is an important component in a competitive game, draws players’ attention and prompts comparisons of your product to others, whether for its photorealistic or cartoonish design.
Top-tier AAA game firms such as Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and Rovio understand the value of starting a new project with concept art. High-quality art not only enhances the aesthetics and mood of the game, but it also acts as a solid reference for 3D modelers.
As a result, these multinational studios see game asset outsourcing from game art outsourcing businesses as a main method for maximizing their internal resources.
After reading this post, you’ll have enough information to determine which art outsourcing studio best fits your brand and business model. With our hand-picked data, you’ll be able to make more research-based selections about which outsourcing firm to work with. Without further ado, let’s get started!
How to Choose Responsible Game Art Outsourcing Companies?
The advantages of working with an experienced game art outsourcing business go far beyond meeting deadlines and allocating resources efficiently. Not only will the proper partner cover these bases, but they will also greatly contribute to the success of your game development process. The important topic, however, is how to select the best game outsourcing firm.
Previously, 3D-Ace gave detailed advice on how to select a game outsourcing firm. We hope to compress the information in this essay and give a concise, actionable approach.
Here are three quick methods for finding an art outsourcing provider that precisely matches your brand identity:
- Conduct industry research to understand the game development and game art outsourcing sectors. Create a list of potential art outsourcing companies for potential collaboration.
- Review the profiles of the shortlisted game art outsourcing companies using impartial, data-driven platforms such as Clutch or GoodFirms, which offer neutral evaluations and ratings. (This step has been completed for you.)
- Perform a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis by comparing the potential benefits to the costs associated with each of the nominated game art outsourcing firms. Select the firm that offers the best value for your game development project. This crucial decision-making step is now in your hands.
Now, let’s take a closer look at each possible outsourcing company’s assets. By doing so, we hope to make it easier for you to select the best game art outsourcing partner. Their experience, skill, and fit with your brand can all have a big impact on the overall success of your game development initiatives.
The Best Game Art Outsourcing Companies List
Whether you’re looking for a 2D or 3D game art outsourcing studio, you can begin your search right here by browsing the alternatives we’ve carefully selected for you. These ten studios were chosen after extensive study on sites such as Clutch, GoodFirms, and DesignRush. Conscious and critical research also enabled us to develop a list of game art outsourcing companies to watch.
1. 3D-Ace
3D-Ace, as a B2B leader in custom art production, can complete the most difficult and demanding assignments for AAA game art studios. With a solid and broad portfolio that includes artwork for slot games, 2D and 3D products, VFX, UI, animation, and other similar projects, the company continues to gain experience in order to take on more ambitious projects.
Artists at 3D-Ace have extensive experience dealing with outsourced 2D and 3D animation and are technically prepared to produce any type of art you may require for game development. This art studio, like its parent firm Program-Ace and another brand offshoot Game-Ace, has achieved global notoriety as a reliable partner.
With 13 years of expertise, the company has built a solid portfolio that includes collaborations with Unity, Wargaming, GSN Games, Namco, Bigpoint, Pixomondo, Sany Group, and other industry titans. If you choose 3D-Ace as your outsourcing firm, you’ll be pleasantly pleased with how quick and high-quality game art production may be.
2. Nuare Studio
Nuare Studio, founded in 2006, has firmly established itself as a key player in game art outsourcing. The company specializes in a variety of critical aspects of the industry, such as promotional art, rigging, animation, and the integration of 3D models into popular platforms like Unity and Unreal Engine.
Their skill adds considerably to the dynamic terrain of game development, allowing for the creation of compelling and immersive games.
Nuare Studio has a varied service portfolio in addition to its primary concentration on game art outsourcing. They’ve dabbled with artificial intelligence (AI) and web development, exhibiting their knowledge of the broader technology world.
The company also provides cross-platform porting services, which improves game accessibility and reach across numerous platforms.
Nuare Studio has attracted the attention and trust of major AAA studios with its outstanding selection of services. Capcom, Gameloft, and Bethesda have all commissioned artwork from the firm. These collaborations demonstrate Nuare’s expertise in game art outsourcing.
Additionally, Nuare Studio has contributed to a number of critically praised video games, including Fallout 76 and The Last of Us Part II. These games have been praised not just for their interesting gameplay, but also for their remarkable visual and design elements, confirming Nuare’s impact in the world of game art outsourcing.
3. 1518 Studios
1518 Studios, bought by PTW in 2021, is a 3D art production and game development studio specializing in illustrations, UI, concept and logo design, and cinematics. Surprisingly, the company collaborated with Brainseed Factory and Redemption Games.
With experience in games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, 1518 Studios may be a good fit for many firms looking to outsource game art to pros.
4. Concept Art House
Concept Art House, founded in 2007, has earned a reputation for itself in the game art outsourcing industry. The company was created in Shanghai, China, with a primary concentration on 2D art production.
However, as the company evolved into a US corporation, it expanded its boundaries to incorporate 3D services, proving its adaptability and drive to change in the ever-changing game development industry.
Concept Art House has an amazing track record in the field of game art. The business has worked on a number of critically praised video games, including Fortnite, Hearthstone, and Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds.
These high-profile projects not only demonstrate the company’s expertise in game art outsourcing but also its ability to contribute to games that appeal to a broad audience.
Despite its strong roots in game art outsourcing, Concept Art House is not limited to this industry. The company has successfully expanded into other fascinating IT fields. They have achieved notable advances in the field of Virtual Reality (VR) goods. Their ability to diversify their service offerings maintains their position as one of the industry’s leading art outsourcing organizations.
Concept Art House is an appealing alternative for those looking for game art outsourcing services due to its rich blend of experience, adaptability, and diversity. The company’s significant contributions to game creation, as well as its excellent portfolio of projects, demonstrate its industry stature.
Concept Art House continues to push boundaries and set high standards in art outsourcing, whether it’s developing captivating visuals for a new game or bringing a unique VR concept to life.
5. Bosi Art Studios
Bosi Art Studios, headquartered in Shanghai, with an additional commercial base in San Francisco, has a unique position in the worldwide game production environment. It is a skilled game art outsourcing firm as well as an art training college.
This dual role enables Bosi Art Studios to interact directly with the game art community while also keeping a pulse on the industry.
Bosi Art Studios has a great portfolio of game art projects, cementing its place among prominent art outsourcing businesses. Their reputation for delivering high-quality game art has earned them cooperation on a variety of well-known titles.
Bosi Art Studios’ participation in the development of ‘New World’ by Amazon Games, Fortnite, Hearthstone, and Warcraft III: Reforged, for example, demonstrates their skill set and agility in game art production.
However, Bosi Art Studios is more than just an outsourcing firm. They’ve used their skills in game art to power an art training institute, making them a vital resource for the future generation of game producers. They contribute to the advancement of the game development industry by ensuring a steady influx of new talent and ideas.
In a continuously changing business, Bosi Art Studios’ dedication to both game production and teaching distinguishes them as a forerunner. Their track record of successful partnerships, as well as their investment in training, reveals a deep awareness of the dynamics of the game industry and its future possibilities.
These elements combine to make Bosi Art Studios a top choice for game art outsourcing and an essential player in the broader game development ecosystem.
6. Art Bully Productions
Art Bully Productions, with a decade of industry experience, stands out among major game production companies, providing a comprehensive spectrum of services in 2D and 3D game art and animation.
It specializes in the design of characters, weaponry, and vehicles as a gaming outsourcing company, mastering both low and high polygon modeling. This expertise in game art demonstrates the company’s dedication to quality and capacity to tackle tough issues.
The game art portfolio of Art Bully Productions is extensive and diverse, having contributed to renowned games such as Rage 2 and Fortnite. The company’s strong reputation in game creation goes beyond these projects, thanks to successful cooperation with industry leaders such as Epic Games and Valve.
Such collaborations have helped Art Bully Productions gain international prominence and secure its place as one of the top art outsourcing companies.
The studio’s skill extends beyond game art design. It possesses exceptional abilities in keyframe animation, skinning, motion capture cleanup, and rigging. These skills enable Art Bully Productions to deliver comprehensive game development solutions, increasing its value as an outsourcing partner.
As a result, Art Bully Productions appears as a viable solution for game development firms looking to outsource game art and related activities. With an established track record and a diverse skill set, our organization is prepared to produce exceptional solutions ranging from art design to sophisticated animation projects.
7. Keywords Studios
Keywords Studios, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the world’s largest gaming and 3D art outsourcing firms. Due to its strong knowledge and experience in the field, it can generate game-related art of any sort and complexity.
Keywords Studios, founded in 1998, specializes in UI/UX, 2D and 3D art, concept art, animation, visual effects, and other related fields.
Keywords Studios, interestingly, operates in 22 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas. The company works with 16 game platforms around the world, providing software engineering and art creation services.
8. Bon Art Studio
Bon Art Studio was established in 1998, making it a veteran of the game art outsourcing market. The organization, in particular, provides full-cycle art and development solutions. Starting with 3D art and animation and concluding with cinematics, the company can meet practically all of your outsourcing demands.
Bon Art Studio’s accomplishments include collaborations with Capcom Vancouver, Rare, Propaganda Games, Gameloft, and Hesaw. In particular, the studio worked on Dead Rising 3, Sea of Thieves, Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned, and other major titles.
9. Rocket Brush
Rocket Brush, headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus, has been in the game art outsourcing market since 2016. The studio takes on graphic design assignments of any complexity, from 2D concept art to entire 3D assets, eventually gaining global prominence. Rocket Brush handles everything from low poly and casual game components to UI design from start to completion.
10. AAA Game Art Studio
AAA Game Art Studio accepts all challenges related to game art outsourcing from companies like Konami, Bandai Namco, and HarperCollins. The studio, which specializes in UI/UX, 2D and 3D art, as well as animation, continues to offer high-quality gaming assets for any genre.
This outsourcing company, positioned as a studio that provides comprehensive art-style development, places a strong emphasis on open communication, advanced management, and on-time task completion. Furthermore, AAA Game Art Studio employs current production pipelines to ensure a smooth workflow, which results in greater art quality and faster delivery speed.
True Benefits of Game Art Outsourcing
You may wonder why you should collaborate with game art outsourcing businesses. Why not handle everything internally? The causes are numerous, and many of them have been proven by huge game development studios over time. To clarify, consider the following advantages:
- Resource optimization: Collaborating with game art outsourcing companies can lead to cost-efficiency by distributing resources optimally across various departments in your company, a widely adopted strategy in game development.
- Promoting partnerships: Establishing reliable partnerships contributes to the timely release of your games and builds a strong network that benefits game development in the long term.
- Risk mitigation: Leveraging a partner’s expertise in art outsourcing enhances the overall quality of your product, merging both experiences into a resilient alliance and reducing potential risks associated with game development.
- Diversified content opportunities: Productive collaborations can not only accelerate delivery but also significantly increase the volume of content in your games, creating a more immersive gaming experience for end-users.
- Encouraging market competition: Choosing an ally from game art outsourcing companies stimulates market competition, leading to an overall improvement in the quality of services offered within the gaming industry.
Outsourcing game art gives you more time and flexibility to focus on essential parts of game development such as gameplay, storytelling, optimization, and other critical elements that create the foundation of a successful game product.
Even the greatest AAA studios must occasionally rely on art outsourcing companies because comprehensive in-house creation of concept art, 3D assets, robust mechanics, and so on is not always viable.
Finally, the end user rarely recognizes which game element or artwork was outsourced. Instead, their attention is drawn to game feel, interesting mechanics, captivating narratives, dynamic characters, and other things that contribute to their entire gaming experience.
As a result, working with game art outsourcing businesses becomes a strategic decision in game production, with the ability to greatly influence your games’ success.