Top Factors that affect the cost of mobile game app development

The share of mobile games in the total gaming market already exceeds 50%, and this trend is nowhere near its end. Backed by an unprecedented rise by the COVID-19, the mobile gaming industry is playing a meteoric role amongst the global gaming community. As per Statista, the total revenue in the US mobile games segment reached $18.25 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $29.5 billion by 2025.

In simple terms, the US mobile gaming market is on the rise, and every major and minor gaming company is bound to exploit the sector. That is why top Mobile App Consulting Company is getting heavy exposure, driven by their smart and user-oriented gaming apps. These apps are seamless, more advanced than ever, and provide scalable growth to their clients.

But despite this heavy demand, one common question that arises and always left unanswered is- How much does it cost to build a gaming app? What parameters set the expenses of building a gaming app, starting from scratch to deploying?

If you have the same question striking you too, this article clears all your queries.

Parameters Affecting the Mobile Game Development Cost

Multiple factors altogether culminate the final cost of mobile app development cost. Since no company can tell you the final estimate of game development based upon your superficial thoughts, it is crucial to have an outline laid inside your mind of what to expect from your gaming app development company.

Here are the most common parameters which affect the development cost of mobile gaming apps.

1. Platform 

The first and most significant step in mobile game app development is choosing your custom app’s gaming platform. Be it Android, iOS, or Windows, every technical foundation of an app comes with a different set of pros and cons that highly influence your development costs. For example, payment settlement and organization frameworks for Android apps are 10-20% cheaper than iOS apps.

Building apps for Android UI is supposedly less expensive and provides all the benefits that may not be present for iOS devices. Moreover, clients can also choose cross-platform mobile game app development services that allow them to write and deploy single-coded applications for Android and iOS. This method is highly sufficient for clients looking for a budget between $3K-5K.

2. Type and functionality

The second challenge you may stumble upon is your game’s type and functionalities. Simply put, type and functionality is the genre that will shape the future of your mobile game app development. As of now, there are three broad categories of mobile game apps based upon type and functionality. These are:

1. Simple Games- Simple games provide the simplest forms of gaming experience. The 2D graphic interface often drives these, packs basic soundtracks, and requires no special skills from users to play. The best part about simple games is that they need less expensive software tools and less time for development.

Examples: Flappy Bird or PacMan.

1. Complex Games- These games are next-stage gaming apps driven by much cooler factors like 3D graphic designs and a high-level soundtrack. Additional features of complex games cover:

• E-mails / social network login
• Banking information
• Fingerprint scanner
• Real-time push messages

Example: Angry Birds

1. High-level games- High-level games require a heavy user database. These games run on advanced features and take more time to develop.

Examples: PUBG and Call of Duty: Mobile

3. Pre-development cost estimation

Pre-development cost estimation is one of the most crucial steps taken in mobile gaming app development companies, for a novice. You should consult each of these beforehand to allow a more comprehensive and overall approach for the developers. Here, both the parties vigorously discuss major topics regarding mobile game app, including:

• Game plot
• Storyline
• Major and minor characters
• Levels
• Game design & flow

4. Testing

No one gets a kick out of a bugged gaming experience. You surely don’t want to cross that way! That’s why testing mobile game apps is crucial and equally important compared to finding correct development tools. A major benefit of testing is that your app is getting lifetime customer support. Their clients get glitch-free applications 24×7 that come at good prices, starting at an average industry price of $40/day/tester.

5. Marketing and advertising policy

A common mistake that major app companies are prone to make is entering the app market without considering brand marketing and advertising models. In this era of a technology boom, hundreds of mobile apps are developed and launched every day. Without advertising and marketing your services, the chances of taking your mobile game app to the top are very thin.

Subsequently, you can either choose your separate marketing tools or partner with your mobile game app development company to market and furbish the brand’s image. We suggest you go with the latter as it would avoid problems like marketing budget allocation, etc.

Also read: How to resolve food delivery app issues with innovative apps

Partner with TechAhead for your next mobile game app development project

The overall cost of building a gaming app solely depends on your idea, the complexity involved, and your budget. By investing in the mobile game app development services of TechAhead, one of the Android App Development Company,  clients get the utmost benefits with top-tier features and the latest software tools to develop user-friendly mobile gaming applications.

With over 11 years of experience, TechAhead’s mobile app development team joined hands to develop smart-driven mobile apps that are serving hundreds of clients today. Are you still confused? Get in touch with our consultants to get started on your next project.