How Much Does Video Game Art Cost?

Devstree Studio
3 min readFeb 16, 2024

Creating a video game is a difficult task. You’ll need a video game development company with a qualified game development crew to complete your project. The game production teams, which include designers, developers, artists, and quality assurance testers, are anxious to get the project started. No wonder the game development process is costly.

“How much does video game art cost?” could be a question we would like to discover a reply to. A critical investment is the driving power behind each compelling game plot, staggering visuals, and exciting gameplay because it drives the game’s progression and brings the Versatile game advancement concept to life.

Continue reading to learn why 2D and 3D games are priced as they are, as well as the financial aspects of video game development.

Factors Affecting the Price of Game Art Style of Art

A game’s selected art style can greatly affect how much it costs. In general, stylized, cartoonish game imagery is easier and less expensive to create than accurate, photorealistic artwork.

Amount of Complexity and Detail

Each asset’s complexity and amount of detail are directly correlated with the art style. Compared to simpler assets, highly detailed 3D models with millions of polygons, 8K texture maps, and intricate materials need a significant amount of artist effort.

Quantity of Assets

Overall budgets are impacted by the entire amount of 2D game art assets. A project with ten highly detailed characters will cost more than one with the same ten characters but less detail. The quantity of assets and the overall level of detail are important.

Technical Points to Remember

Environments must be designed for LODs and culling, and 3D game art must work seamlessly with game engines and real-time rendering. These technical factors also impact timelines and costs associated with art production.

Level of Experience

Senior artists will charge more per hour because they are more productive and have years of expertise and specialized talents. Higher salaries might be mitigated by their competence. Although junior artists work more hours, their hourly rates may be lower.

Schedules

Accelerated production plans nearly result in higher asset costs and prices. Optimizing outsourcing costs requires realistic timetables that are in line with asset counts, team sizes, and complexity.

Costs Of Making Video Game Art

A video game concept art extends costs between $10,000 and $30,000 each month. In any case, for AAA ventures, the cost can surpass $100,000.

Typically, concept art begins at the design stage and continues through the production stage of game development. Concept artists modify and create new concepts as needed based on suggestions from Mobile game developers and other game artists.

The Various Expenses in Game Development Costs

Game development costs can be divided into production and marketing/distribution charges. Production costs include team pay, software licenses, equipment, and the acquisition of intellectual property (IP). Advertising campaigns, promotional events, license fees, and public relations charges are all part of the marketing and distribution expenses.

  • Production costs include team pay, software licenses, equipment, and acquiring intellectual property (IP) for characters and locations.
  • Marketing and distribution costs incorporate advertising, promotional occasions, permit fees, and open relations expenses.
  • Game designers gain a normal yearly compensation of $92,000, which significantly impacts generation costs.
  • High-end gear and software licenses, such as Unity3D Pro or Adobe Photoshop, can be costly.
  • QA testing costs might vary from employing testers to establishing an in-house testing group.
  • Acquiring popular IP rights, such as recognizable movie characters, can be expensive.
  • Marketing and PR expenses vary by project size and scope, starting from a few thousand dollars for 2D and 3D games.

Bottom line:

Costs are subjective and difficult to determine, but we attempted to shed some light on the situation for you. Again. Remember that these prices were estimated and should not be taken for granted. They are all there to supply you with knowledge about the method of making a game and the money-related issues that come with it. In case you need to hire a video game development company, then get in touch with us presently. We offer 2D and 3D art services.

Originally published at https://www.devstreestudio.com on February 16, 2024.

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Devstree Studio

Devstree Studio: Your game, AR, and VR development experts. Crafting immersive digital experiences for all platforms. https://www.devstreestudio.com/