The Future of AAA Games: Leveraging External and Distributed Development

Game development has undergone significant expansion in recent years, with projects now requiring larger teams and more time to complete. This is due to the increased size and complexity of games, as well as the need for specialized expertise. As a result, external development has become increasingly popular, with companies outsourcing parts of development to third-party vendors. Distributed development is another model that involves multiple teams working collectively on a project worldwide, allowing studios to tap into global talent and expertise. By unifying development and project management, studios can save time, money, and resources. Many games are now developed by multiple companies through external development, with various companies contributing to a project alongside the core development team. Despite their differences, external development and distributed development are two sides of the same coin, with the former involving external parties performing specific services and the latter referring to work done across multiple locations by several teams. According to Mike Sherak, Virtuos' assistant director of customer success, 'As games grow larger in scale and visual quality, it is becoming incredibly difficult to do everything in-house. By adopting a distributed mindset, developers can make larger games with partners who offer more cost-effective options and diverse perspectives.' External and distributed development are aiding companies with capacity planning and access to diverse skills, making it possible to create high-fidelity and complex games. This approach also enables developers to focus on realizing their vision for the game while accessing specialized skills. Gamers can benefit from this arrangement as well, with the potential for more games to be released regularly, on more platforms, and with shorter release schedules for post-launch content. However, the industry is facing challenges such as brain drain, with talents being lured to join other tech industries. To overcome these challenges, Virtuos offers a large network of international studios, allowing developers to scale up and add expertise to a project quickly. The company provides specialized expertise, having worked on projects such as Detroit: Become Human, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, and Batman: Return to Arkham. By working with a company like Virtuos, developers can gain access to a one-stop shop of diverse talent, easing the burden of managing multiple partners and vendors. Distributed development also enables companies to rely on a global network of studios, with the option of reaching out to them through a single partner. With the flexibility of working with an external developer like Virtuos, studios can engage the company for a particular issue and still turn to it if they encounter other obstacles at any stage of game development. For example, 2K engaged Virtuos during the development of Marvel Midnight Suns, which was led by internal developer Firaxis. Virtuos brought in its teams in China and France to work on optimization and bug fixing, while its studios in Vietnam and Los Angeles collaborated with Firaxis to produce cutscenes and cinematics. By working with a partner like Virtuos, developers can bring their games to market faster and more efficiently, making external and distributed development an attractive solution for game development woes.