I'm looking to hire a freelance iPhone game developer to program a game with me. I've worked with web developers before, but not iPhone developers, so I really have no idea how much games cost to develop, how long they take to create, or resources for finding great developers. The game I'm looking to create isn't overly complicated, but it is multitouch and employs the iPhone's gyroscope. I'd say it's on par with Cut the Rope. If you fit that description or have any advice/feedback, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Jamey
en par with cut the rope? .. asumming everything gets outsourced (you only provide the idea) i would expect at least an medium to high 5 digit figure. cut the rope is extreemly polished and to reach such level will cost some $$$. art, sound, coding, etc. yeah.. as for your gyro idea.. you know that only the latest generation of devices have an gyro?
reply mr.ugly--Thanks for your response. Perhaps I'm not using the right term when I say "gyroscope." I have an iPhone 3GS, and when I play Doodle Jump, my iPhone senses when I tilt from side to side. I thought that was the gyroscope, but perhaps it isn't (clearly I'm new at this ). I would provide more than the idea--I'd design the levels. Art, sound, and coding would still be necessary, though. I definitely appreciate the complexity of the Cut the Rope coding, though. The physics are amazing in that game. I was definitely hoping to hear a number in the four digits, though. What's a good example of a four-digit game (under $5,000)?
under 5k, a complete production in the quality of cut the rope.. nope.. havent seen something like that yet.. but i might see flying elephants before that.. 5k is pocket change and will get you no where near something like cut the rope. if someone tells you differently be very cautious.
Padgadget.com estimates Cut the Rope to have cost between $200,000 and $500,000. It's not easy to say how accurate that is, but the overall article is very insightful in looking at App development costs: http://www.padgadget.com/2010/10/17/the-cost-of-building-an-ipad-app/
If the game 'design' part is done, and required art is there, i see no reason why the development cost should be so high!
For that much, you can build a prototype in 2 weeks. It's going to be messy code with bugs, no level editor, and no special effects. After going thru a few development cycles, I can attest to the large amount of time/money needed to complete a game. This isn't like web design. There are very few competent shops able to handle a game of that complexity. By complexity, I mean a 3 to 9 month development cycle consisting of 1-3 people. By game, I mean a polished casual game that you see in the top 100. In other words, good luck finding a developer.
Too much hype for making a casual game! Sure, game development aint easy task. But naming every game 6~9 months and a medium to big team for that! is the game that either big or small companies play.In reality, it doesnt need to take as much time, especially if its only one game you are working on. Sure polishing takes time aswell, but as i mentioned earlier, if the design is done and art is in place, .... it shouldnt take you to make any 'casual' game beyond 3 months, i include basic game and minimum of gamecenter feature for score systems.
Have you thought about doing it yourself? It sounds as though you have a solid idea and the dedication to make it, now all you need is a couple of months of spare time and to start reading the iPhone development tutorials on Apple.com. Your idea sounds like you could also get a huge headstart by using cocos2D, which includes the physics and other basic frameworks and simply let's you "design" your game, essentially. It's really not as hard as you think... PS Anyone who believes a Cut The Rope clone would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop is way overestimating the costs of Indie development. Like way. You can get it done for under 50k easily with contractors if you do none of the work, and maybe $5k if you're thrifty.
Il you clone graphics, and level design. Or replace graphic with very bad graphics, and don't care if your app have many bugs. Hey you can do a cut the rope clone for 5K... But which customers will want to buy a game for the same price, ugly and full of bug ? A "cut the rope" game quality, cost at least 100K to do. Good artist, good level designer and good programmer aren't cheap.
Higher quality you can get done for around 50k it depends on how much is involved. There are lot of independents who might be able to give you a deal.
A quality game does not needs to cost a 6 figure value. Let's take Tiny Wings as an example - from what I've read the developer did all by himself so I guess the currency we talking about is "time spent" in that case. But even if you use contractors to outsource all the task's you are not capable of it makes a huge difference if the freelancer works in China or the US (e.g.). From my experiences I can tell a quality-casual game can be done with a middle 5-figure budget and some months hard work. Or less money and a lot more work and time.
If you're developing the game by hiring professionals to build every aspect of the game and you're not doing any work yourself, it probably would cost in the range of $100k and up. But I can't help thinking that process may not quite count as indie development in my eyes.
