Top Secret: Why There Is So Little Information About Game Pricing

The first thing to understand and accept is that all games are different. Developers strive with all their might for authenticity and novelty to surprise players. This is a key reason why video games cost so much to make—each project requires a unique approach, custom assets, and careful attention to detail. Accordingly, there can be no static cost of making a video game that can be announced immediately after the first request.

Second, few people disclose this information. The number of development studios that kindly provided reports on the money spent is negligible. Most of the research we find online is the opinion of analysts or research groups based on a rough estimate of the time it took to make a game and the sum of the salaries of the development team members.

Thirdly, the range of prices may shock you. For example, talking about mobile development, we know that the cost of Angry Birds is estimated at $140,000, while the legendary Pokémon Go cost developers $600,000 due to the introduction of a large number of geolocation features. And that’s just mobile games. And PC giants like GTA 5 have a completely different $265 million budget.

Now that we’ve got you pretty confused, we can start thinking and talking about a video game budget.

Cost Line: General View

Game development is a complex process of creating and combining art, code, sound, and testing the performance of the result. If you’re wondering how much does it cost to produce a video game, the answer depends on subtleties such as:

• the complexity of the game;
• its functionality and design;
• the chosen platform;
• the experience of the team entrusted with development, etc.

An average cost of video game development depends on the location of the developers:

1. When outsourcing your game development to India, China, or the Philippines, expect average quality work for a low price tag.
2. Developers from the United States will charge higher prices – twice as much for their services, making the work at the highest level.
3. A combination of high-quality performance and competitive prices is found in Central and Eastern Europe. The cost to produce a video game in Eastern Europe starts at $9,000.

After you have decided on an outsourcing partner, the scale, and functionality of the project, the selected company forms a team. To create a simple mini 2D game for a mobile phone, one artist and one developer are enough. Thus, such video game production cost will be much lower than, for example, the cost to make an AAA video game that requires the participation of all studio employees.

Simple Math For Calculating Video Game Development Cost

We often hear the words “cost of developing a video game depends on the complexity”, but do not really understand their meaning. In fact, everything is very simple: the difficulty is equal to the time spent on creating the game. This, in turn, determines the average video game budget. More time means larger salaries for team members, which significantly increases the overall cost. The conclusion: complexity is directly proportional to duration.

Is it possible to calculate the cost to make a video game yourself? Why not, this math is elementary. You need to get the following data:

• The number of people who will work on your project.
• The average salary for a developer in the region of your choice.
• The approximate duration of the project.

As a result, you get a figure that reflects the net average wages of people. You can depart from it, but definitely not take it for the final cost.

First, the composition of the team can change throughout the project. The concept artist, having completed his or her work, leaves the project, but at the same time, animators and sound designers join the work. Secondly, focusing on how much does it cost to build a video game, do not forget about marketing costs, which can vary from 20 to 100% of the development budget.

Let’s try a little calculation. Let’s say 10 people from an outsource company will work on your game. The studio’s stated estimated development time for the game is six months. Taking into account the average salary of a developer about $40 per hour, working day 8 hours, and an average of 20 working days per month, we have the following calculation:

(40 x 8) x (10 x 20) x 6 = $ 384,000

We have received the amount that should be paid for the work of the team, provided that the composition of the team is stable throughout the project. In the same way, you can make your calculation by substituting the required numbers into the formula:

(Rate x 8) x (Employees x 20) x Months Of Work

This is your easy way to find out the answer to the question “how much does it cost to develop a video game?” without any hassle and headaches.

By the way, what do you know about the composition of the team that will work on your game? Let’s go over this issue.

Video Game Creation Team

When looking for an answer to the question of how much does it cost to make a video game, you need to understand that the cost is largely formed from the rates of the team members who are working on the project.

The core team for creating a game looks like this:

The number of specialists increases – the price increases.

Let’s look at an example of forming a team for a game creation project. Type of game – arcade puzzle. Working on the mobile game Crazy Roosty, designed for Android and iOS, the Kevuru Games team chose the most convenient and common Unity engine and gathered the following command:

• 1 game designer
• 1 3D artist
• 1 3D animator
• 1 developer
• 1 tester

From the beginning of development to release, it took 20 weeks to create the game, that is, 4.5 months.

More than 10 years of experience in game development allowed us to build clear and well-established working procedures for transparent interaction between all departments. We know how long it takes to work on 2D and 3D games of different genres and how long the development will take if multiplayer is expected. Thanks to this, we can give a preliminary estimate of the cost of your future game with the functionality and graphics you are interested in during the day

The accuracy of the estimate depends on the amount of information you can provide us with:

1. Complete understanding of the project. You know your target audience, game genre, its functional and technical features, monetization and marketing options, and the degree of user interaction. If there are no additional improvements on our part, then we will be able to give an accurate estimate of the timing and, accordingly, the cost of the work.
2. Partial insight into the project. You know the target audience and genre, but have not come up with functionality, mechanics, and visual features yet. Then we conduct pre-project analysis and create a prototype, after the approval of which we can talk about an approximate cost estimate with a possible error of 10%.
3. Irresistible desire to implement the project. You just really want to make a game, but don’t know which one at all. Then we suggest trying to channel your disparate desires and come to a more concrete option together. Then we, as in the previous scenario, make a prototype and, after its approval, proceed to create a game. Given the possibility of a large number of changes and adjustments, we give an approximate assessment of individual blocks of work separately: art and animation, development, sound design, testing, and marketing.

Even if you only have an idea and a lot of enthusiasm, never give up on the desire to create a game. Contact us, and together we will evaluate the prospects of your idea and, if necessary, correct it and give an effective development.

Want to discuss your upcoming project?
Our experts are just a click away.

Contact us

How Much Money Does It Take to Make a Video Game? Factors That Affect Cost

Categories And Scale

When people talk about video game development costs, they often throw around single numbers, but in reality it’s more like a spectrum. A tiny team with a simple idea sits on one end, and giant AAA productions with hundreds of people sit on the other. It makes more sense to look at a few common cases than to chase a single “average.”

How much does it cost to make an indie game

For an indie game, you’re usually looking at something that a small team can realistically fund or raise. A very lean project might get off the ground for around 50,000 dollars. If the game has more content, custom art, maybe a bit of voice acting, the budget can creep toward a few hundred thousand. That’s the ballpark where games like Hades or 12 Minutes live – not cheap by any stretch, but nowhere near blockbuster money. We had a more in-depth article about costs related to indie games.

How much does it cost to make a AAA game

Once you step into AAA territory, the scale changes completely. Now you’re talking about full departments instead of just “the team”, long production cycles, mo-cap sessions, giant marketing campaigns. A big project can easily start around 20 million dollars and climb into the hundreds of millions if it’s a flagship title. Think of series like The Witcher or Grand Theft Auto – that kind of scope doesn’t come together on a shoestring.

How much does it cost to make a mid tier game

There’s also a middle layer that doesn’t get talked about as much. These are the mid tier or AA games: not a two-person indie, but not a nine-figure production either. Budgets here often sit somewhere between roughly half a million and a few million dollars. You still get solid visuals and decent scope, just without the full cinematic treatment and endless content you see in the biggest releases.

How much does it cost to make a mobile game

Mobile is its own world. A simple casual game – a small puzzle, an arcade clicker – might be built for something in the 10,000 to 100,000 dollar range if the scope is tight and the tech is straightforward. Once you start adding live events, richer art, online features, or free-to-play systems that need constant tuning, the cost goes up and can sit closer to what mid tier projects spend. The funny thing is that some of the biggest earners in the industry, like Candy Crush, came from that “simple but very well executed” end of mobile rather than from massive AAA budgets.

Genre

Casual games such as puzzles and arcades are one of the cheapest genres. They can be made for as much as $10,000 – $100,000. However, the revenue of successful casual games can be disproportionately big. An example of this is Candy Crush, with its billions revenue (read our article to find out how much money does Candy Crush make).

Simulation and strategy games are in the mid-range, with prices around $500,000 – $20 million. Although gameplay mechanics and AI development are complex, moderate asset requirements allow games like Civilization to be accessible to game development studios of different sizes.

Role-playing games (RPG), would range $1 million – $50+ million in development. Nowadays, when they are expected to have numerous branching storylines, movie-like graphics and animation, their price can go higher than that of a Hollywood blockbuster.

First-person shooters (FPS) are also quite an expensive genre, ranging from $10 million to $200+ million. Complex shooting mechanics and multiplayer modes raise the price tag, as does the use of AI for enemy behavior, which is highly common in modern FPS.

Open-world and MMOs (massively multiplayer online games) are typically the most costly genres, with development starting at $50 million and going as high as $500 million or more. These games need complex AI, as well as extensive server and backend development. However, the return on investment is also quite high, as often these games shape huge franchises of various genres. To find out how they work, read our article about how much money Fortnite makes.

Examples of the Cost of Famous Games: High-Cost And Low-Budget Options

For now, let’s digress a little and take a short excursion into the world of launches and budgets of games you know well.

Despite the fact that cost data are rarely publicly released, some information can still be found. Let’s start with the most expensive options you’ve probably heard of. This will give you an idea of ​​the staggering budgets that can be spent on both game development and marketing.

Grand Theft Auto V

We have already managed to mention this cult game at the beginning of our article. Released in 2013, it remains one of the most played PC games around the world thanks to its multiplayer mode and stunningly detailed world. It is also the third best-selling game ever, with over $6 billion in revenue and 110 million copies sold, second only to Minecraft (which we’ll talk about below) and Tetris.

So how much does it cost to produce a world-class video game animation that will forever remain in the history of the gaming industry? Its development cost, along with marketing campaigns, was around $265 million, making it the most expensive video game ever created.

Considering that the game was made for more than 5 years by a Rockstar team of 250 employees, it can be assumed that the game cost the company about $150 million to develop, and all the rest of the money was spent on marketing.

So far, there is no information about games that have surpassed the development cost of GTA V. Perhaps, when the notorious Cyberpunk 2077 or Star Citizen reveal their budget cards, the leaderboard will change. But we must not forget that GTA VI is also in development. With a high degree of probability, it will also make a big splash in the gaming market.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

The sixth edition of the Call of Duty series, developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision, is not far from GTA V. At the time of its release in 2009, it was the highest-budget game in the world.

Its cost is estimated at $250 million, of which $200 million was spent on marketing purposes.

In the first 24 hours, it sold over 4.5 million copies. Grossing over $400 million in its early days of sales in the US and UK alone, the game entered Guinness World Records for the most successful launch in the entertainment industry. To find out how the game is calitaizing on its success, read our article on how Call of Duty makes money.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Based on the Star Wars universe and developed by BioWare Austin, this MMORPG was released in 2011. It never revealed its official budget. However, the researchers do not sleep: it is estimated that more than 800 people on 4 continents worked for 6 years for this game to see the world. Several thousand characters in the game required voice acting from about a thousand actors, which also affected the cost of the game.

It is valued at approximately $200 million including marketing.

The game’s revenue for all time is over $1 billion. It is still available for PC today and continues to attract players. The universe of Star Wars has inspired numerous video games. Our studio had worked on one of them, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge (you can find out more in the case study).

Our next stop is some incredibly low budget games that ended up making some crazy money. There are no exact budget figures here since these games were often created by one person or a maximum of a team of several people. But it is all the more interesting to study their phenomenon.

Stardew Valley

American developer Eric Barone created this simulation role-playing game alone. He really wanted to understand what it was like to do everything on his own, from art to music. How much does it cost to create a video game like this? It’s hard to say, because it was made by one person, and the only resource here is his time. He started working on the project in 2012 and finished it in 2016. In its first year, it was acquired by over 2 million Steam users.

Based on this information, it was estimated that the game earned more than $25 million.

Since it was later released for Android, iOS, Xbox One (Stardew Valley also supports Xbox 360 controllers on PC), PS4, and Linux, this income could most likely be doubled. These are the wonders that just one person can do!

Minecraft

It’s hard to ignore another gaming phenomenon, also originally developed by one man, Swedish developer Markus Persson. The release of the demo version of the survival sandbox game took place in 2009. In 2011, a full-fledged release took place, and in the same year the millionth copy of the game was sold. The second million was sold a few months later, and the third after some time.

In 2014, Microsoft acquired Minecraft for $2.5 billion.

Over the years, Minecraft generated over $3 billion in revenue. To find out more about its monetization strategy, read our article on how Minecraft makes money.

That being said, the game has over 204 million monthly active players, ahead of Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone.

Tetris

This is one example of a video game budget that you can’t help but talk about with respectful reverence. Tetris is a puzzle game originally invented and developed by Soviet programmer Alexei Pajitnov back in 1984. Particularly famous in the United States, Europe, and Japan is the version for the handheld GameBoy console produced by the Japanese company Nintendo.

The game consistently appeared on the lists of the best PC games by platform and throughout history.

With over 500 million copies sold, Tetris surpassed Minecraft to become the best-selling game in history.

Game Genres That Will Steal the Show in 2026

The gaming industry continues to evolve despite the unstable economic situation in the world. Furthermore, many are gaining momentum as they are quite a cheap entertainment. Looking at the latest sales numbers and the chart on what different age groups actually play, a few patterns stand out immediately. Some genres just refuse to slow down, no matter how busy the market gets, while others keep popping up because players seem hungry for something a little different.

Take a look at the list of the top 10 best selling video games and their game publishers.

According to Statista, the ranking of the most played game genres in US (by generation) is as follows.

From the top sellers, action-heavy RPGs and shooters keep showing up again and again. Big worlds, lots of progression, characters you follow for dozens of hours – players still want that, and they’re willing to invest their time in games that deliver it. These are the expensive ones to build, but they also have the longest staying power.

Sim and cozy genres continue creeping upward, too. Games like Coral Island, Fae Farm give a place to unwind, decorate, manage, or farm, suggesting relaxation instead of high-stress gameplay.

And then there’s mobile. The data shows it clearly – puzzle games and lightweight action titles still pull in huge numbers. They’re not as flashy as the big PC or console releases, but their reach is enormous, and that changes which ideas get funded.

Put all of this together and 2026 looks like a mix of safe bets and new experiments. Big studios will keep polishing the genres that already dominate the charts, and smaller teams will keep exploring the spaces in between and experimenting with new subgenres. In 2026, we expect the release of Homestead Drift, a cozy-survival mashup, and Minevault X, and AI-adaptive roguelike. There’s still a space to discover new and surprise players for game creators who want to try new genres. And whenever people ask how much money does it cost to make a video game, the real answer often depends on which of these genres studios decide to chase.

How to Choose a Company to Develop a Game

Now that you have a video game budget breakdown, you might consider choosing a companion for development. We have already said which regions to target to find studios with an acceptable price-quality ratio – these are Central and Eastern Europe. Here you will find a large number of good studios with roughly the same average cost of a video game.

What then to look for when choosing a partner?

1. Team experience. Enthusiasm and creativity are important, but if they are not backed up by experience, the effectiveness of the project will be questionable. The modern gaming market is a mega-specific environment and the latest games simply dissolve in a huge number of analogues. Choose a studio that has been in game development for several years and already knows a thing or two about creating games.
2. Game portfolio. Note that it’s important to look at a portfolio of finished games, unless you’re going to split tasks and outsource art, animation, and development to different companies. Examine the portfolio for full-fledged projects: so you will know exactly what engines the studio works with, what the expertise of its artists and animators is, etc. You can even download the games released by this studio and evaluate them from the player’s point of view.
3. Feedback from previous clients. This is important because here you can get valuable insights about the convenience of communication with the team, the streamlining of processes, the timeliness of delivering results at different stages, etc. The testimonial section is usually located on the company’s website. If not, you can specifically request feedback from previous customers from company representatives.

Our team will gladly take on your project at any stage, be it just a raw idea, prototype, or half-finished product. Kevuru Games is a company of 400+ inspired people, passionate about games and new challenges. Extensive experience in the gaming market gives us the opportunity to direct creative initiatives into the most relevant channels in order to obtain the optimal result both in terms of player engagement and profit from the game.

And yes, we never get away from answering questions on how much does it cost to make a triple a game – such calculations are not difficult for us, so you can easily plan your budget.

Our team is ready to discuss your idea and start lighting a new game star – just click contact and we’ll get in touch with you.

The post How Much Does It Cost to Make a Video Game: Clear Formula and the Highest-Grossing Genres in 2026 appeared first on Kevuru Games.

In the past decade, the rise of specialized studios—including every design agency that now works closely with game companies—has demonstrated that product design is no longer just an auxiliary discipline. It is a strategic asset. It affects everything from onboarding efficiency to emotional engagement, and even influences whether players return after their first session. For teams of all sizes, from indie developers to global AAA game studios, understanding how product design shapes the gaming experience is essential for building sustainable, scalable, and player-centric products.

The Intersection of Product Design and Player Psychology

Product design is fundamentally about aligning user expectations with product behavior. In gaming, this principle must account for a broad spectrum of motivations—competition, mastery, social connection, exploration, and immersion. Well-crafted design anticipates these motivations and tailors game structures to amplify them.

Consider the satisfaction loop: action → feedback → reward. Even the most sophisticated game mechanics collapse if the player cannot find the correct action, misinterprets the feedback, or becomes confused by the reward system. Product design ensures that these interactions feel natural, meaningful, and intuitive.

For example, the clear visual hierarchy of health bars, cooldown timers, stamina levels, and inventory items stems from rigorous interaction design. When done right, these elements operate subconsciously. Players simply “feel” that the game is responsive and fair, despite the deliberate craft happening behind the scenes.

Product design also plays a significant role in managing cognitive load. The brain can process only a limited amount of information at once, and high-fatigue interfaces—cluttered menus, overly complex progression maps, inconsistent iconography—can break immersion. Effective design reduces this friction, allowing the player’s attention to remain on gameplay rather than on deciphering the interface.

Table: Product Design Impact on Core Game Systems

UI/UX Foundations That Define Player Engagement

Many game studios now collaborate with specialists who provide UI UX design services to refine interaction patterns and optimize interface logic. These services often mirror established frameworks for mobile and web applications, but are adapted to the unique demands of real-time interactivity and cross-device gameplay.

1. Onboarding as a Design Discipline

In the early minutes of gameplay, players form judgments that strongly influence their long-term commitment. Onboarding design not only teaches controls but frames the entire emotional trajectory of the experience. Elements such as:

• interactive tutorials,
  
• progressive disclosure of mechanics,
  
• adaptive difficulty,
  
• contextual tooltips
  

Must all be orchestrated so they feel seamless and integrated. Poor onboarding is one of the most common reasons for churn, particularly in free-to-play titles.

2. Navigation and Information Architecture

Good information architecture ensures that every menu, screen, and system supports player goals. Whether the player is customizing a character, managing equipment, or exploring the in-game marketplace, a well-designed structure reduces confusion and decision fatigue.

A modern design agency deeply understands these principles and helps game studios build logical, user-centered pathways that enhance usability while supporting monetization and progression systems.

3. Interaction Feedback

Every interaction—from button clicks to inventory swaps—requires immediate sensory feedback. Animations, sound, vibration, and micro-transitions communicate success, failure, or status change. These cues shorten the player’s mental distance between intention and outcome, which is essential for immersion.

Games with poor feedback often feel “laggy” or “unresponsive,” even when technically performant. In reality, the gap lies in interaction design, not in engine optimization.

Visual Systems and the Art of Conveying Meaning

Product design extends beyond functional usability; it includes visual identity, color logic, iconography, and layout systems. Strong visual language communicates mechanics without explicit instruction. Consider how players intuitively understand:

• Red denotes danger or damage,
  
• Gold signifies premium currency,
  
• Blue implies mana or magical energy,
  
• Orange highlights legendary items.
  

These conventions emerge from decades of design evolution across genres. A consistent visual system strengthens readability and contributes to the emotional texture of the experience.

The role of visual hierarchy is equally essential. Players should immediately identify what is interactive, what is decorative, and what requires urgent attention. This hierarchy guides the eye and keeps gameplay fluid.

Table: UX Constraints Across Gaming Platforms

Product Design for Multi-Platform Gaming

Multi-platform gaming—PC, console, mobile, web, VR—adds another layer of complexity. Product design must account for vastly different interaction patterns, screen sizes, controller types, and performance constraints.

For example:

• Mobile players rely on touch, so hitbox sizes and gesture systems must be optimized.
  
• PC players use keyboards and mice, requiring customizable keybindings and precise interactions.
  
• Console players need ergonomic navigation structured around directional input and controller buttons.
  
• VR players require spatial interfaces and gaze-based interactions with minimal motion sickness.
  

To maintain consistency while respecting platform limitations, studios often collaborate with specialists offering ui ux design services to craft adaptive design systems rather than static screens.

How Design Affects Player Retention and Monetization

Retention is not just a matter of gameplay quality—it is deeply influenced by product design. A clean, intuitive interface encourages exploration, while a confusing one leads to frustration and abandonment.

Progression and Reward Clarity

Players should always understand:

• What their current goals are.
  
• How much progress they’ve made.
  
• What rewards lie ahead.
  
• How to optimize their advancement.
  

Ambiguity may create short-term curiosity but often sabotages long-term engagement. Product designers structure progression visually and narratively to maintain motivation.

Storefront and Monetization UX

In games with in-app purchases, the store design has a significant impact on revenue. Ethical, transparent UX ensures players feel in control of their spending decisions. Poorly designed shops—cluttered layouts, unclear pricing, or manipulative flows—erode trust.

Many studios hire a website redesign agency to remodel their web-based player hubs, marketplaces, or account portals when these systems become outdated, ensuring that the product ecosystem remains consistent across both in-game and external user journeys.

Accessibility as a Core Component of Modern Game Design

Accessibility is no longer optional. Inclusive design enhances the experience not only for players with disabilities but for all users. Product design must account for diverse needs:

• Configurable colorblind modes,
  
• scalable UI elements,
  
• adjustable text sizes,
  
• remappable controls,
  
• audio transcription options,
  
• Difficulty modifiers for motor or cognitive limitations.
  

A well-executed accessibility strategy expands the player base and elevates the studio’s reputation, demonstrating an understanding of the full spectrum of human interaction.

Cross-Platform Ecosystems and the Unified Player Journey

Today’s games often exist across multiple digital touchpoints: websites, companion apps, account dashboards, and live service portals. Consistency is critical. A disjointed experience erodes brand identity and creates friction for players managing accounts, purchases, or installation flows.

This is why many game companies collaborate closely with a website redesign agency to modernize external platforms. When these systems feel outdated or inconsistent with in-game design, players lose trust in the brand. A unified ecosystem strengthens perception and supports long-term engagement.

Live Service Games and the Need for Continuous Design Evolution

Live service games rely on a dynamic flow of content updates, seasonal events, and balance revisions. With each update, product design must evolve without breaking established patterns. This includes:

• Introducing new systems while maintaining familiarity,
  
• refining progression structures,
  
• updating interface layouts,
  
• optimizing performance across devices,
  
• Integrating new monetization models ethically.
  

Designers face the dual challenge of innovating while preserving continuity. Even minor UI modifications can spark strong emotions in established communities. Thoughtful iteration, clear communication, and player feedback loops are essential for maintaining trust.

The Strategic Role of Product Designers in Game Development

Game development is inherently multidisciplinary. Engineers, artists, narrative designers, QA testers, and producers must collaborate in real time under tight constraints. Product designers serve as the bridge between these roles, translating vision into coherent systems and user flows.

They analyze player behavior, validate hypotheses through usability testing, craft prototypes, and ensure that every design choice supports gameplay goals. Their work reduces development risks, shortens iteration cycles, and enhances both the player experience and the studio’s operational efficiency.

In competitive markets, product design becomes a differentiator. Studios that invest in strong design foundations consistently produce games that feel more polished, more intuitive, and more emotionally engaging.

Conclusion: Product Design as the Invisible Architecture of Gaming

Product design is the invisible architecture holding the gaming experience together. When executed with precision, it disappears—players simply feel immersed, empowered, and eager to explore. When neglected, it exposes every flaw, undermining even the most creative mechanics.

For game developers, understanding the relationship between product design and player behavior is not an optional skill but a core competency. Whether partnering with a design agency or building internal expertise, the outcome is the same: better usability, deeper engagement, stronger retention, and a richer emotional experience for players.

As the industry continues to evolve, product design will remain at the heart of gaming innovation. Developers who embrace it will craft worlds that resonate more powerfully, endure longer, and deliver unforgettable journeys to millions of players worldwide.

FAQ

Why is product design so crucial in modern game development?

Product design defines how players interact with the game’s systems, menus, and mechanics. Even the strongest gameplay suffers if interfaces are confusing, inconsistent, or overwhelming. Good product design ensures usability, accessibility, and emotional engagement from the first interaction.

How does UI/UX influence player retention?

Straightforward navigation, intuitive onboarding, meaningful feedback, and readable progression systems help players understand how to succeed. When these elements are designed well, players feel confident and immersed — which directly increases long-term retention.

What role does visual hierarchy play in gameplay clarity?

Visual hierarchy directs the player’s attention to critical information first — health, cooldowns, objectives — while filtering out noise. It prevents cognitive overload and ensures players can focus on gameplay without unnecessary distractions.

How can product design support multi-platform gaming?

Designers create adaptive systems that scale across PC, console, mobile, and VR. This includes different control schemes, layout logic, icon sizes, and interaction models. The goal is to maintain consistency without compromising platform-specific usability.

What tools and methods help designers optimize game interfaces?

Standard tools include wireframes, interactive prototypes, user testing sessions, heatmaps, cognitive walkthroughs, and A/B experiments. These methods reveal behavior patterns, pain points, and opportunities for improving clarity and usability.

The post How Product Design Affects the Gaming Experience appeared first on Kevuru Games.

Different game monetization strategies fit different players. Some players buy cosmetics to get an original look, others would spend money if it gets them closer to the objective faster. And plenty of people won’t spend a cent unless they’ve really connected with the game first.

Developers who pay attention to those habits usually end up in a better spot. Instead of building a system around pressure, they add things that match what players were already doing or wanting. And when that happens, the spending feels less like a barrier and more like a choice people are comfortable with.

Why Is It Important to Monetize Games?

Games aren’t a small hobby market anymore. They’ve grown into one of the biggest entertainment industries out there, worth roughly 197 billion dollars a year. Mobile titles alone bring in more than 91 billion, which explains why so many studios put real thought into how to monetize a game in a way that actually works for their audience.

Not every game can rely on the same approach. A premium story-driven title has totally different expectations than a quick mobile puzzle game. Some teams stick to a basic paid download, while others add optional purchases or sprinklings of ads if it suits the audience. It really comes down to choosing what matches the game itself rather than trying to apply one universal model to everything.

Game Monetization Models Explained

Studios use all kinds of approaches to earn money from their games, and there’s no single formula that works for everyone. One project might be built around a simple upfront purchase, another might lean on long-term updates, and some mix things in ways that don’t fit neatly into any category. A lot of it comes down to the tone of the game and what the players expect from it.

Some games keep things simple and just charge once, others grow and change over time. Studios end up using all sorts of approaches to earn money from their games, and there’s rarely a single rule that covers them all. Some titles work fine with a one-time purchase, others slowly build a community and add ways for players to support the game as it grows. It often depends less on theory and more on what kind of experience the team is actually building.

Different genres, different budgets, different audiences – they all push things in their own direction. That’s why the market is full of mixed approaches rather than one perfect pattern everyone follows. Here are a few of the models you’ll see most often, each used for its own reasons.

1. Pay-to-Download Model (P2D):

The pay-to-download model, also known as the “premium” or “pay-to-play” model, involves players paying an upfront fee to download and access the game. In this model, developers typically set a fixed price for the game, and once players make the payment, they gain full access to all the game’s content and features. No additional in-game purchases are required to progress or enjoy the game entirely.

2. Free-to-Play (F2P) Model:

The free-to-play (F2P) model has gained immense popularity recently, particularly in mobile and online gaming. In this model, the game is free, allowing anyone to download and play without any initial cost. However, developers generate revenue by providing various in-app purchases (IAPs) or virtual goods within the game. These can include cosmetic items, power-ups, in-game currency, or other enhancements players can buy to enhance their gaming experience.

3. Pay-to-Win Model (P2D):

The pay-to-win model is a controversial monetization approach that has garnered criticism from players and gaming communities. In pay-to-win games, players can purchase in-game items, upgrades, or advantages that significantly impact gameplay, giving them a distinct advantage over those who choose not to spend money.

This model can create an imbalanced and unfair gaming environment, as players who invest money can progress faster, defeat opponents more efficiently, or access exclusive content that non-paying players can’t. Pay-to-win models are often seen as “paying for success,” frustrating players who prefer skill-based challenges and a level playing field.

Features of Mobile Game Monetization

Keeping players around is what really moves the needle for a game’s revenue. When people feel connected to a game, they tend to support it in whatever way makes sense for them, and that’s especially true on mobile where mobile game monetization strategies change constantly.

There’s no magic trick here – just a mix of approaches that studios keep coming back to because they’ve worked well enough over time. Here are a few of the common ones you’ll see.

1. In-App Purchases (IAP)

IAPs are a popular method of monetization where players buy virtual goods or currency within the game. Offer various IAP options, ensuring they enhance the gaming experience without being essential for progress:

• buying gems, cosmetics;
• in game currencies;
• character purchase;
• buying boosts, etc.;

2. Ad Monetization

Integrating ads into your game can provide a steady game revenue. Consider implementing rewarded ads, where players receive in-game rewards for watching ads voluntarily.

3. Subscription Model

Subscription-based monetization offers players exclusive perks and content for a recurring fee. This approach can foster long-term player loyalty and a predictable revenue stream:

• buying premium subscription game;
• pass purchase;
• VIP status purchase;
• battle passes.

4. Loot Boxes and Gacha Mechanics

Loot boxes and gacha mechanics can excite players as they anticipate valuable rewards. However, ensure these mechanics are fair and transparent to maintain player trust.

5. Limited-Time Events and Sales

Organize special in-game events or sales with exclusive rewards. Limited-time offers can create a sense of urgency, encouraging players to make purchases:

• monetized timer;
• monetized continue button;
• monetized retry button etc.

6. Offering Early Access

Providing early access to upcoming game content or features can incentivize players to support your game financially.

How To Maintain a Positive Reputation While Generating Revenue

If you want to monetize your game as a developers’ team, consider ethical practices, prioritizing player satisfaction and fairness. The following guidelines will help you maintain a positive reputation while generating revenue:

1. Transparency and Honesty

Communicate all in-app purchases and their benefits to players. Avoid any misleading information that could lead to frustration.

2. Balancing Free and Paid Content

Strike a balance between free and paid content to ensure non-paying players enjoy the game without feeling disadvantaged.

3. Avoiding Pay-to-Win Mechanics

Pay-to-win mechanics can harm the player experience and reputation of your game. Focus on creating a fair playing field for all players.

4. Respecting Privacy and Data Security

Protect players’ personal information and adhere to relevant data protection regulations.

How To Increase Mobile Game Monetization?

Increasing mobile game monetization is a crucial aspect of driving revenue and ensuring the long-term success of your game. A successful monetization strategy is a delicate balance between generating revenue and delivering an enjoyable gaming experience. We want to share with you some practical strategies on how to make a good mobile game and how to increase monetization in mobile games:

1. Understand Your Audience: To optimize mobile game monetization, understand your target audience. Analyze player behavior, preferences, and spending patterns. 
2. Strategically Offer In-App Purchases (IAPs): Integrate enticing in-app purchases that enhance the gaming experience. Provide valuable virtual goods, power-ups, and exclusive content. 
3. Implement a Free-to-Play Model: Adopt a free-to-play (F2P) model to attract a broader player base. Ensure the core gameplay is engaging, allowing players to enjoy the game without immediate pressure to spend money.
4. Optimize Ad Monetization: Implement ads strategically to maximize revenue without compromising the user experience. Balance ad frequency and placements, and offer players the option to remove ads through an in-app purchase.
5. Incorporate Rewarded Ads: Implement rewarded ads that offer in-game rewards in exchange for watching ads. This non-intrusive approach incentivizes players to engage with ads willingly.
6. Leverage Data Analytics: Utilize data analytics to track player behavior, identify spending patterns, and optimize your monetization strategies. Data-driven decisions ensure you stay agile and responsive to player needs.
7. Launch Seasonal Events, and Limited-Time Offers: Create time-limited events and special offers to foster a sense of urgency and encourage players to purchase.
8. Offer Subscription Services: Implement subscription-based models with exclusive benefits and rewards. Subscriptions can provide a stable revenue stream while fostering player loyalty.
9. Encourage Social Engagement: Integrate social features to encourage player interaction. Players engaged with friends and communities are more likely to invest in their in-game experiences.
10. Personalize Offers and Discounts: Personalization increases players’ chances to respond positively to monetization opportunities.
11. Cross-Promote Your Games: Leverage your portfolio to cross-promote new releases or updates. Existing players are more likely to explore and invest in your new games.
12. Collaborate with Influencers: Partner with influencers to promote your game and its monetization features. Influencer marketing can significantly increase visibility and player engagement.
13. Invest in User Acquisition: Allocate resources to targeted user acquisition campaigns to attract high-value players more likely to engage with your monetization options.
14. Regularly Update Your Game: Consistent updates, new content, and improvements keep players engaged and invested in the game, increasing the likelihood of monetization.
15. Maintain Player Satisfaction: Prioritize player satisfaction and fairness in your monetization strategies. Avoid pay-to-win mechanics or practices that may lead to player frustration and negative feedback.

Examples of Bad Monetization in Games

Bad game monetization refers to practices prioritizing profits at the expense of player satisfaction and fairness. While game makers aim to generate revenue, some monetization strategies can lead to negative player experiences, ethical concerns, and a lack of transparency. Let’s explore some examples of bad monetization practices in games:

1. Pay-to-Win Mechanics: Games that heavily favor paying players by offering powerful in-game items, upgrades, or advantages create an unfair advantage for those who spend money. This approach undermines the skill-based nature of games and alienates non-paying players, leading to frustration and a sense of inequality.

2. Loot Boxes and Gacha Mechanics: Loot boxes and gacha mechanics involve purchasing random virtual items or characters with real money. The element of chance in obtaining desired items can lead to excessive spending, especially among vulnerable players like minors, who may develop addictive behavior.

3. Aggressive In-App Purchase Prompts: Games that constantly push players to make in-app purchases through intrusive pop-ups or aggressive prompts can create a negative user experience. Payers usually perceive it as pressuring to spend money, diminishing the game’s enjoyment.

4. Excessive Advertisements: Overloading games with frequent and lengthy advertisements disrupts gameplay and hampers the overall experience. Players may become frustrated and, as a result, abandon the game due to an excessive ad presence.

5. Misleading Pricing and Hidden Costs: Misleading pricing, hidden costs, or unclear subscription terms can misguide players into spending more than intended. This lack of transparency erodes trust between players and developers.

6. Predatory Microtransactions: Games that utilize predatory microtransactions, targeting vulnerable players or encouraging impulsive spending, can lead to financial harm and adverse psychological effects.

7. Blocking Game Progression with Purchases: Implementing artificial barriers, or “paywalls,” that obstruct players’ progress unless they make purchases can create frustration and resentment. This approach can hinder players from enjoying the game without spending money.

8. Ignoring Player Feedback: When developers ignore player feedback regarding monetization concerns or fail to address exploitative practices, it can create a perception that profits are prioritized over player satisfaction.

9. Lack of Value in Purchases: Charging high prices for in-game items or virtual currency without providing commensurate value can leave players feeling cheated and dissatisfied with their purchases.

10. Exploitative Monetization in Children’s Games: Monetization strategies that exploit children’s limited understanding of money or use manipulative techniques to encourage spending are particularly concerning and ethically problematic.

Game developers should avoid these bad game monetization practices and instead focus on ethical, player-centric approaches that prioritize fair gameplay, transparency, and a positive user experience. Developers can create sustainable and enjoyable games that thrive without intrusive monetization by building trust and respecting player preferences.

Top Game Monetization Strategies

Video game monetization takes a lot of different shapes. Big titles tend to figure out whatever works for their own players rather than follow one set approach. Some rely on the occasional cosmetic drop, others add content when it makes sense, and many land somewhere in between without really planning it that way. It’s hard to talk about it in the abstract, so looking at what specific games actually do ends up being more useful than general rules.

What helps is to look at the games that tried and found the best monetization methods. If you want to dig into how some of the most successful games handle their revenue, we’ve already broken a few of them down in separate articles:

1. How much money does Candy Crush make?
2. How much money does Fortnite make?
3. How does Pokémon Go make money?
4. How does Call of Duty make money?
5. How does Minecraft make money?

Kevuru Games Expertise in Games Monetization

Kevuru Games, a gaming company with 11 years of experience in the market as iOS game developers and Android game development services. Our mission is to provide game publishers with full-cycle game development production and give our clients player-centric advice as to strategies for in-game monetization. With these years of experience and a deep understanding of the gaming ecosystem, we know how to make the game to get the best out of monetization in the post-production stage.

All in all, we offer a full range of mobile game development  services, including:

Fully executed development;

Concept art and design;

Quality assurance and testing;

Game monetization or ads in video games;

Localization of the game;

Post-release support.

Game monetization is not a one-size-fits-all approach; it requires careful analysis of gaming metrics and tailored strategies for each project. At Kevuru Games, we take a customized approach in advising on how to monetize each game, knowing each has its own identity and audience. We advise you to make thorough research, data analysis, and market trend evaluation to ensure our monetization plan perfectly suits your game’s audience and niche.

One of the key aspects of successful game monetization is the integration of non-intrusive and engaging video games or in app advertising formats. Our team is adept at implementing innovative ad formats seamlessly integrating with the gaming experience.

It’s always better to analyze user behavior, dwell time, and revenue metrics to gain invaluable insights into your game’s performance. These insights allow us to regularly refine our strategies and ensure that your game stays ahead of the competition and generates significant revenue.

Whether your video game falls into the action, puzzle, simulation, or RPG genre, whether it’s a mobile game, mobile apps or multiplayer games we will help you develop the perfect monetization strategy. As different game genres require different approaches.

The gaming industry is constantly evolving, and so are the trends in monetization. At Kevuru Games, we monitor the trends in the industry and adjust our strategies accordingly.

Summary

Successful game monetization requires a deep understanding of player behavior, ethical practices, app game development cost and a customized approach for each game. By prioritizing player satisfaction and delivering engaging experiences, developers can create profitable games while building a positive reputation in the gaming industry.

The post Monetization in Games: How To Make Money From Your Games appeared first on Kevuru Games.

Cross-platform functionality doesn’t come easy. It increases budgets, development time, and overall complexity of the project. And it doesn’t always pay off. Let’s talk about the pros and cons of cross-platform development and how to find out if you need it.

What is cross-platform game development? History and Evolution

Cross-platform game development is the process of creating a video game that can run on multiple platforms, such as PC, consoles, and mobile devices, using a single codebase.

Instead of building separate versions for each platform, developers use tools, engines, and frameworks that allow them to adapt one core project to different operating systems, hardware, and screen sizes.

Think of it like baking one big cake and slicing it into different shapes for different plates, instead of baking a separate cake for each plate. The recipe is the same, but you present it in a way that fits each platform. Only that game development is more complicated than baking a cake.

Games available on different platforms existed long before cross-platform development became a thing. Back in the ’80s and ’90s, “cross-platform” usually meant manually porting a game from one system to another, often rewriting most of the code for each platform.

Titles like Prince of Persia (1989) and Doom (1993) were ported to different OS and consoles when they became wildly popular after their first launch.

Prince of Persia, 1989. Image source: princeofpersia.fandom.com

The real shift toward modern cross-platform began in the mid-to-late 2000s, when engines like Unity (launched 2005, multi-platform export 2008) and Unreal Engine 3 started offering built-in tools to target multiple platforms from a shared project.

It became mainstream in the 2010s, once Unity, Unreal, and later Godot made “build once, deploy anywhere” a normal expectation. By the late 2010s, many studios were planning multi-platform releases from day one instead of doing ports after the fact.

How cross-platform development services work in 2025

In 2025, cross-platform game development services usually mean working from a single codebase that can be deployed across PC, console, and mobile. For studios offering cross-platform game app development, this approach is especially valuable, since mobile games must support a wide range of devices and operating systems while staying connected to console or PC experiences.

Modern engines like Unity, Unreal Engine 5, and Godot 4 come with built-in export options, so developers don’t need to write separate builds for each platform. Studios also rely on cloud gaming integration and cross-platform account systems, which let players carry progress seamlessly between devices. The result is a streamlined work process that cuts down on duplicate coding, testing, and maintenance.

Why do more studios choose cross-platform game development services

According to Global Growth Insights, 67% of developers are now integrating multi‑device experiences into their pipelines, and 55% of game studios focus on titles that run across consoles, PC, and mobile.

In 2025, cross-platform game development is no longer a niche choice — it’s a business necessity, a response to growing expectations of players. People value flexibility: they want to start a game on PC, continue on a console, and maybe finish a session on mobile while on the road without losing progress.

Another factor contributing to the popularity of cross-platform game development is the increasing popularity of cloud gaming. The report mentioned above also notes that 50% of players prefer streaming games to downloading.

Cloud gaming means that gaming is no longer tied to the hardware you own. One can start playing instantly on a phone, tablet, low-end laptop, console, or smart TV without worrying about specs or storage.

This setup naturally removes many of the technical barriers that used to make cross-platform game development harder. Developers no longer have to produce and optimize multiple heavy builds for different devices; they can deliver one version that streams everywhere.

Considering all of this, it’s natural for the studios to make changes in how they create games. To live up to the demands of the market, publishers of top titles invest in cross-platform game development more and more.

Best game engines for cross-platform development

The first game engine to introduce the possibility of true cross-platform development was Unity in 2005. It still remains a top choice for its versatility, massive asset store, and support for over 20 platforms.

Other game engines also have their strengths. Unreal Engine 5 attracts studios with its cutting-edge graphics, Nanite technology, and strong console support. Godot 4 is gaining traction for indie teams thanks to its open-source nature and growing cross-platform capabilities. For mobile-first projects, Cocos Creator and Defold offer lightweight, performance-focused solutions. 

Choosing the right engine depends on the game’s scope, target platforms, and available development expertise. There’s no “single best” engine for cross-platform development. Game dev studios work with different ones and know which one works for every project.

Key benefits of cross-platform game development

1. Broader Player Communities

Cross-platform multiplayer allows friends to play together regardless of device. And for those who don’t play with their friends, there is a vast pool of peers in the game to team up or play against. Legendary games like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Call of Duty couldn’t have had the number of users they have without cross-platform play. 

Here are some numbers: Epic Games reports that over 60% of Fortnite players partied up with someone from a different platform to play together. Their data also shows that players who cross‑played spent 570% more time in-game than those who didn’t.

2. Faster Development Cycles

Cross-platform frameworks like Unity’s cross-platform support or Unreal’s single codebase deployment reduce the need for duplicate coding. Teams save time on development, bug-fixing, and updates since changes apply across all platforms. 

3. Lower Costs

Less duplicate coding means one engineering team can maintain the game across all platforms, instead of needing separate teams. This streamlines work, reduces overhead, and lowers ongoing development and maintenance expenses. 

4. Easier Maintenance and Updates

Cross-platform development makes ongoing support far simpler. Instead of patching multiple codebases, developers update one shared version of the game. This allows fixes, balance changes, and new features to launch at the same time across all platforms, keeping players synchronized and avoiding unfair advantages.

For example, Fortnite and Genshin Impact roll out events and content updates simultaneously on PC, console, and mobile, which keeps communities unified. For studios, this also means fewer QA cycles and lower support costs, since testing and maintenance are streamlined into a single workflow.

Cross-platform mobile game development also benefits from this efficiency: patching or adding features on iOS and Android no longer requires separate teams, since updates can be rolled out simultaneously through a shared pipeline.

5. Stronger Market Competitiveness

As mentioned above, players assume games will work everywhere. Studios that provide this experience stay competitive and relevant. When you buy a game that works on console, PC, and mobile, it feels like a bargain compared to a game that runs only on one device. Many users are not willing to pay the same price for a one-platform-only game as they do for a multiplatform one.

Cross-platform game development seems like a win-win for everyone. So why don’t all games release this way? Let’s explore the other side of the coin.

Key disadvantages of cross-platform game development

1. Performance Limitations

Cross-platform development often means designing for the lowest common denominator. When a game must run across high-end consoles, budget PCs, and smartphones, developers frequently have to dial back graphics, framerate, or effects to maintain consistency.

Take Helldivers 2, for instance – a highly anticipated cross-platform title released across PC and PlayStation 5 in early 2024. The game gained praise for its intense cooperative action and visual fidelity. However, upon its Xbox launch in August 2025, players on Xbox Series X/S reported frame dips and server lag – even with powerful hardware. The discrepancy wasn’t due to poor code, but the fact that the team had to balance features across platforms, resulting in performance compromises for some while optimizing for others.

2. Limited Access to Platform-Specific Features

Certain consoles or mobile devices have unique capabilities (e.g., haptic feedback, motion sensors, or exclusive APIs). These can be harder – or sometimes impossible – to fully integrate with a shared cross-platform framework.

People who paid hundreds of dollars for their consoles would be disappointed if they couldn’t use their top features in-game and end up having the same experience as people playing on their tablets. That’s what makes cross-platform development quite hard.

3. Higher Testing Complexity

Imagine you run a restaurant with one menu that has to be served in five different countries. The recipes are the same, but the kitchens, ingredients, and customer preferences vary. In Japan, portion sizes differ; in the U.S., food safety rules are stricter; in India, you need more vegetarian options.

The menu (your single codebase) stays the same, but the testing and adjustments (QA cycles) become much more complicated, because you must ensure every dish works perfectly in each country’s context.

In game development, this translates to testing one codebase on dozens of devices: Android and iOS phones with different screen sizes, PlayStation and Xbox with different performance targets, and PCs with endless hardware combinations. Each variation increases the testing workload, making QA cycles longer and costlier.

4. Risk of Generic User Experience

When developers create a single version of a game that works across many platforms (PC, consoles, mobile, cloud), they often aim for a “one-size-fits-all” design. While this ensures broad compatibility, it can also result in a flattened experience where no platform gets the most optimized or special treatment.

In other words, instead of tailoring the game to the unique strengths of each device, the studio may compromise, making the experience feel generic.

Some popular titles get criticized for that. For instance, Genshin Impact received reviews pointing out that on PC and PS4, the UI and controls felt too mobile-first, making it clunky for console/desktop players. The balance is hard to maintain, and there are always some unlucky compromises.

5. Dependency on Third-Party Frameworks

Cross-platform game development often relies on third-party frameworks, plugins, or middleware to streamline deployment across multiple devices. While these tools save time and reduce complexity, they also introduce external risks:

• Version Mismatch – If the framework doesn’t update at the same pace as the operating systems or consoles, developers may face broken builds, crashes, or missing features after a platform update.
• Limited Customization – Third-party tools are built to cover the widest set of use cases. For advanced performance tuning or highly specific features, they may impose restrictions, forcing developers into workarounds.
• Vendor Lock-In – Relying too heavily on a single cross-platform framework ties the project’s future to that vendor. If support is discontinued, licensing changes, or compatibility issues arise, migrating the game becomes costly and time-consuming.
• Security & Compliance Risks – External libraries can sometimes lag in security patches or not meet console certification requirements, leading to unexpected delays during release.

A good example is when smaller studios rely on Unity add-ons or Unreal plugins for multiplayer or monetization features. If those plugins are deprecated or poorly maintained, the studio must either re-engineer large parts of the codebase or drop features altogether.

6. Possible Longer Optimization Phase

Although initial development is faster, optimization across multiple platforms can take significant time – sometimes offsetting early time savings.

In the mid-1990s, when Java was introduced, Sun Microsystems promoted it with the optimistic slogan “Write Once, Run Anywhere.” The idea was that one codebase could seamlessly run on any machine with a Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

Developers, however, quickly noticed that real-world results weren’t quite that smooth, as in fact, code needed debugging across multiple systems. That’s how counter-slogan: “Write Once, Debug Everywhere,” came into being, and is still quoted today when referring to cross-platform game development. Even if the code is unified, testing and debugging across consoles, PCs, mobile devices, and cloud platforms often reveals inconsistencies that must be fixed one by one.

There have been cases when studios bet on cross-platform development, but the result met criticism from the players.

When to choose native development instead

Native game development means making a game for a single platform with its own official tools, so it runs at peak performance and feels truly “at home” on that device. This approach lets developers fully use the hardware, graphics APIs, and platform-specific features. The trade-off is that each platform requires its own version of the game, so development takes more time and resources.

Sometimes, native game development is essential for the best final result. When a game relies on maximum performance, ultra-responsive controls, or unique hardware features, only native development can fully unlock the platform’s potential. For example, VR titles that must guarantee comfort at 90+ FPS, or PlayStation exclusives that use DualSense haptics, are far more reliable when built directly with platform SDKs.

To help decide whether to go native or cross-platform, we’ve prepared a quick decision tree. It guides you through questions like: Is performance critical? Is a multi-platform release a must? Is platform identity part of your strategy? Depending on your answers, you’ll see whether native development or cross-platform game development services are the better fit.

Rule of Thumb

If performance, platform identity, or certification risk are top priorities, native wins.

If reach, speed, and shared code matter most, cross-platform is the better bet.

Key takeaways for studios choosing cross-platform game design services

Hopefully, this article has clarified all the nuances of cross-platform game app development for you. This solution has its strong and weak points, which must be considered at the very beginning, when principal decisions regarding game development are being made.

Here are some takeaways that will help you make sense of all the information and serve as a guide in the world of cross-platform game development.

• Cross-platform is now the dominant approach – most studios in 2025 target multiple devices early, though native development still has its place.
• Plan for differences early – game design services must anticipate UI scaling, performance tuning, and controller support to avoid late-stage delays.
• Weigh trade-offs carefully – cross-platform saves time and budget, but can bring performance limits, generic UX risks, or longer QA cycles.
• Native remains essential for particular cases – uncompromised FPS, VR comfort, or unique hardware features still demand native builds.
• Hybrid is becoming the norm – many studios combine shared codebases with native optimizations for flagship platforms.
• Experienced partners matter – skilled cross-platform game design services ensure consistency, stability, and player satisfaction across ecosystems.

When choosing a partner for game development services, don’t just look for a game dev company that “does everything.” Focus on a team that has shipped projects similar to yours – whether that’s a cross-platform RPG, a mobile-heavy casual title, or a console-first action game. On our blog, you’ll find detailed breakdowns of real cases, tech choices, and pitfalls we’ve solved. If you’re planning your next game and want a partner who knows both the creative and technical side of cross-platform, let’s talk about your project.

The post Pros and Cons of Cross-Platform Game Development appeared first on Kevuru Games.

In 2025, cinematic realism in 3D graphics reached the point where it’s sometimes more realistic than cinema itself. With AI-assisted 3D modeling, creating highly detailed 3D assets takes less time than before. And yet it hasn’t replaced other game art styles. 2D visuals are not only surviving – they’re thriving.

Many hits of recent years, such as Balatro, Hades, Nine Sols, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the games nominated and winning numerous awards, all of them are made with 2D art. 

2D art has the power to awaken special emotions. Whether it’s the nostalgic charm of pixel art, the emotional weight of hand-drawn scenes, or the clean precision of modern UI design, 2D styles bring something irreplaceable to the table: clarity, creativity, and a visual identity players remember.

So how do you create 2D game art that works in 2025? What tools do artists use, how do they keep things consistent across large teams, and where does AI fit into all this? Let’s break it down – from concept to final asset.

What is 2D Game Art, and why is it still relevant in 2025?

2D game art is everything visual in a game that’s drawn flat – characters, backgrounds, buttons, and effects. Unlike 3D models, these are images without depth, whether hand-drawn, pixel art, or vector shapes.

But don’t mistake “flat” for “simple.” From moody, painterly scenes to bright, cartoonish styles, 2D art gives designers endless creative freedom. It’s what you are likely to see in platformers, mobile hits, and even award-winning indie games.

3D art entered mass video games 30 years ago, but 2D art hasn’t disappeared since. In 2025, when creating highly detailed, realistic 3D art with the help of AI became easier than ever, 2D art is still around. Now we can say for sure: it’s not just about complexity or price. It’s about unique art styles and a variety of games.

2D games aren’t just a niche affair: they are winning major gaming awards every year. There is a number of situations when 2D art is preferable: when game wants to be set apart by a unique art style (such as Nine Sols), when developers go for a more basic visuals because they want to focus on game mechanics rather than heavy visuals (such as Balatro), when designers want to convey retro style and go for nostalgic feelings.

And on top of that, there are games that don’t need any intricate visuals to be wildly successful and profitable. An example of that is Candy Crush, a game that can be enjoyed on any phone and captures the attention (and money) of millions of players while keeping its visuals to the most basic.

What foundational 2D art principles are critical in 2025?

Although 2D art doesn’t reinvent itself every year, there have been some nuances that gained specific importance for artists nowadays, when AI can create art assets in a matter of seconds.

Although AI is undoubtedly winning at generating images fast in a variety of styles, there are things that it can’t yet imitate successfully. Here is what human 2D artists can leverage in 2025:

• Consistent style across a whole project. AI tends to drift between images, and it’s still hard for it to keep a clear track of characters and environments used previously.
• Silhouette clarity: your character or object should be recognizable at a glance.
• Composition and visual storytelling: unique creative input that is still largely unaccessed by AI tools.
• UI/UX design according to the best usability practices.

2D UX/UI design by Kevuru Games

A 2D artist who has strong skills in these principles can combine them with their own unique art style and use AI tools for separate tasks to succeed in the field.

Software and tools needed for modern 2D game artists

In most cases, a 2D artist can get away with one good graphic editor. However, a wider set of software can ease the work and open more possibilities. 2D artists at Kevuru Games use these tools:

• Photoshop (PS): Classic tool for painting, editing, and polishing 2D art.
• Illustrator (AI): Perfect for creating scalable vector graphics like logos and icons.
• Procreate: A favorite for sketching and hand-drawn illustration on tablets.
• Blender: Used for basic 3D blocking or reference, even in 2D projects.
• Figma: Great for UI/UX design and prototyping game interfaces.
• Stable Diffusion: an AI tool for quick concept generation or background variations.
• MidJourney: AI-powered visual brainstorming and style exploration.
• A piece of paper and a pencil – still the best thing ever invented for visual brainstorming and concept sketching.

How to choose and maintain consistent 2D art styles for your game?

2D environment by Kevuru Games

Creating art for a video game means having loads of assets that likely were created over a long period of time. Maintaining a consistent art style for all of them isn’t easy, even for an experienced artist, and the task becomes more complex when a team of artists works on one project.

Our 2D art department has established a number of rules that help us to keep the style consistent when working in teams of any size. Here are the key principles:

• Style guide, developed at the very beginning of the project and approved by the client. Must include color palette, line style, level of detail, and visual dos and don’ts.
• Reference board, shared by the entire team.
• One person as a lead artist, even in a team of two. Someone needs to review and approve all assets to catch style breaks early.
• Using shared files. It’s important that brushes, textures, and templates are in a shared folder, so everyone uses the same tools.
• Regular reviews. Artists check work-in-progress assets together to fix inconsistencies fast, and make sure that the client will say their word during the work and not just in the end.

If you manage to adhere to these rules, there will be no issues with stylistic unity of the project. Remember: defining your visual identity early helps avoid inconsistency and keeps your 2D game art styles focused and memorable across all assets.

Process for creating great 2D character design and environments

With years of experience in professional 2D art creation, we’ve developed a workflow optimized for working with teams of any size. Here is what it looks like:

1. Concept Research and Reference Gathering

Every project starts with collecting references and moodboards to define the style and tone. This keeps the whole team aligned and ensures consistent visuals from the start.

2. Shape and Style Definition

We build core shapes and silhouettes – whether it’s characters, environments, or props. This stage locks in the unified style and sets the visual foundation.

Black and white sketch of 2D environment by Kevuru Games

3. Sketching and Variations

Multiple sketch options are created for each asset. Quick iterations help test ideas and choose the strongest direction before adding details.

4. Color and Material Exploration

We test different color schemes to match the game’s mood and make elements pop. Final palettes are chosen for consistency across all assets.

5. 3D Blocking (If Needed)

For complex scenes, we build quick 3D blockouts to get angles and proportions right. This step helps keep the final 2D art accurate.

6. Lineart and Cleanup

Once sketches are approved, clean lineart finalizes shapes and details. This is where designs get locked in before rendering.

7. Rendering and Polishing

Assets are shaded, textured, and polished until they’re game-ready. This is where sketches turn into finished, production-ready visuals.

8. File Optimization and Layering for Animation (If Needed)

For animated assets, we prepare layered files so everything’s ready for rigging and movement.

9. Consistency Check and QA Review

We check every asset for style consistency, color harmony, and usability. Nothing leaves the pipeline without a full review.

10. Delivery and Support for Integration

Final assets are exported, organized, and delivered ready for integration. We stay available for tweaks and tech support to help with smooth implementation.

2D environment by Kevuru Games

How can you animate 2D assets for dynamic gameplay?

When you get to animate 2D art, there are two main ways: rigging and bone animation or frame-by-frame animation. Each of them has pros and cons, and the choice depends on your situation. Here is the info you need to make the choice:

• Rigging and bone animation are created by breaking characters or objects into parts (arms, legs, head) and animating them using “bones” inside software like Spine or DragonBones. After initial rigging is done (1-2 days), the movement can be applied in a couple of hours. The animation is lighter and integrates into the game engine more easily. However, the movements are more basic than the following option.
• Frame-by-frame animation means drawing each movement frame separately. It’s perfect for complex animation, detailed, expressive characters, and hand-drawn styles, but requires more of the artist’s time. It can be done in a graphic editor like Photoshop or Procreate.

“Minor” animation, like shader effects (simple movements like waving flags, flickering lights) or particle systems (smoke, magic, or explosions) can be added directly in the game engine.

Most companies that provide 2D game development services have professional animators on the team who will work with 2D artists to create the best animation that best suits the game.

How is AI 2D game art creation and workflows in 2025?

As mentioned earlier, AI can be used by skilled artists as a tool that doesn’t replace human creativity and craft, but helps brainstorm and speed up the boring parts of the work. Here are some examples of the use of AI in 2D game art:

• Backgrounds & Textures: AI is great for generic backgrounds or texture fills, especially for large or non-critical elements. This is tedious work that can take a lot of time and exhaust the artists.
• Cleanups & Upscaling: AI tools refine lineart, upscale images, or auto-color rough sketches. These are all repetitive tasks that don’t require creative artistic thought.

Many artists also use AI tools for concept generation and variation creation. It helps to create moodboards, concepts, and style tests easily. However, it makes them skip seemingly unnecessary but important steps in the discovery stage, such as learning about the origin of the style they’re going for, the context, and other artists’ creative processes.

Remember that AI never generates art out of nowhere; it’s always a product of someone else’s work. Getting the style reference directly from Midjourney strips away all the details about the history of a particular style that could be useful for a deep understanding of the work.

Some other art elements that can be generated by AI are color palette options and lighting variations. This can save a lot of time in the early-stage exploration. However, for beginner artists, it’s highly recommended not to skip these stages, even if it means spending some more time. The time spent on learning will pay off in double. 

The best strategy for AI assistance is to use it in case when you know how to get the result, but with AI tools, you could make it faster.

What are the best practices for optimizing 2D art for game engine integration?

Even a genius artist could fail at game art design if they created art without knowing how to optimize it for game engine integration. Optimization is essential for the assets to look good in the game and perform smoothly across devices.

Here are some basic rules for 2D art optimization:

1. Use power-of-two (PoT) textures to help with mipmapping and compression.

2. Pack sprites efficiently.

• Combine multiple sprites into a single atlas to reduce draw calls and try to avoid too much padding, but leave enough margin to prevent bleeding.

3. Clean up art assets

• Remove unused layers, trim transparent pixels, and flatten layers when exporting. Use consistent naming conventions (e.g., enemy_walk_01.png).

4. Optimize file formats

• Use PNG for crisp, lossless assets (UI, pixel art).
• Use JPEG or WebP for large, non-transparent backgrounds.

5. Match the engine’s requirements

• Export in correct DPI, resolution, and format based on the game engine (e.g., Unity, Unreal, Godot).
• Test how assets behave in-engine early and often.

6. Balance quality and performance

• Don’t go overboard with resolution – scale to the game’s visual needs.
• Use compression smartly to maintain a good balance between size and clarity.

7. Pivot around pivot points

• Set correct pivot/anchor points (e.g., feet for characters, center for projectiles) to ensure proper animation and placement.

8. Maintain consistent art style and resolution

• Keep visual elements stylistically and proportionally consistent.
• Stick to a defined pixel-per-unit ratio or resolution scale.

Where to find a Good 2D Game Art Studio?

If, some years ago, finding a good 2D game development company near you wasn’t always easy, now the problem is quite the opposite. When all the companies of the world that offer 2D game development services are available for remote work, it can be very hard to make a choice. So how do you do it?

For every 2D game art studio, a portfolio comes before anything else. Look at their website and ask for a personal presentation if interested: sometimes, the most interesting projects are hidden under NDA.

If the portfolio looks good, search for the reviews. On websites like Clutch or GoodFirms, you can find detailed feedback from various clients who have worked with the company before.

Such websites show approximate pricing policies, but don’t rely on that until you see the quote for your project. Money matters, for sure, but let it be the last thing you check, not the first one.

Conclusion. Why 2D Game Styles Continue to Thrive in 2025

In 2025, 2D game art is as relevant and powerful as ever. While AI tools, 3D engines, and real-time rendering have advanced tremendously, 2D art continues to dominate genres, define iconic styles, and power some of the most beloved indie and mobile games in the world.

While 3D game art becomes increasingly realistic and detailed, 2D remains the space for artists to use creativity, experiment with different styles and make unique visual stories.

The strength of 2D lies not in technical complexity but in clarity, emotion, and artistic identity. There’s a variety of styles, such as nostalgic pixel art, sleek UI elements, or hand-drawn characters. At the same time, there’s always potential for creative innovation. In 2025, 2D art remains a vital part of the game development world.

With the right tools, optimized workflows, and a deep understanding of design principles, artists can create visuals that not only look stunning but also integrate smoothly into any game engine. In a world full of noise and visual overload, 2D game art offers something timeless: style, storytelling, and simplicity with impact.

And if you’re looking for a team to create that unique 2D art for your game, check out our portfolio – Kevuru Games has extensive experience in working with games of different genres and styles.

The post How to Create 2D Game Art? Everything You Need to Know in 2025 appeared first on Kevuru Games.

There’s no proof yet of how unprecedented and innovative the game will be. The only real thing we can see is game art on the poster.

This piece of art is the first that the game will be judged upon, before it even comes out. If the visuals are boring and unoriginal, the launch campaign is doomed, as well as sales and critical reception.

Once you’ve pictured this situation, you will understand the importance of game art. Now, let’s talk more about the topic, dissecting game art into parts. We’ll walk you from the basics of game art right to the modern trends and game art experts’ insights.

What is Game Art in 2025?

Game art in 2025 is the visual backbone of modern games – it includes everything players see on screen, from characters and environments to user interfaces and visual effects. But in 2025, game art is more than just good-looking graphics. It’s a strategic blend of artistic creativity, technical precision, and intelligent tools like AI and real-time engines.

Today’s game artists don’t just draw or sculpt. They work closely with developers, use procedural and AI-assisted tools, and build assets optimized for platforms from mobile to VR. They shape the mood, identity, and atmosphere of a game – whether it’s a hyper-realistic battlefield or a fantasy looking-glass world.

To understand where modern game art stands today, it helps to first look at the main types artists work with and how each has evolved with technology and trends.

What types of game art are there in 2025?

There are various ways to classify game art: by format, object, style, and so on. First of all, a separation between 2D and 3D. 

2D art is flat, like drawings or paintings. 3D art is modeled in three dimensions – it has height, width, and depth. You can rotate, zoom, and view it from any angle. For a simple distinction, you can think of 2D as a picture and 3D as a sculpture.

However, nowadays, the line between 2D and 3D is becoming increasingly blurry. Sometimes, 2D and 3D art are mixed in one project to optimize for platform demands, sometimes for an interesting visual effect. Modern tools and AI help artists move between 2D and 3D more easily, so the two styles often blend together in modern games. Here is an example of 2D art made by Kevuru Games team with the help of 3D tools.

Environment art by Kevuru Games

In addition, there are 2.5D games – the ones that use 3D environments with 2D character sprites, or vice versa. These games blended the two worlds since 90s.

In 2025, the line between 2D and 3D continues to blur. One standout example is The Plucky Squire (released September 2024), a charming storybook adventure that literally flips between flat, hand-drawn 2D pages and fully rendered 3D environments.

This hybrid approach is increasingly popular, offering both nostalgic aesthetics and immersive depth. An example can be Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact, released in July 2025. It is a tag-team fighting game built with 3D models but played on fixed 2D planes – classic fighting mechanics in a stylized 2.5D format.

Another separation line can be drawn between human-generated and AI-generated art. Of course, AI tools are used by the majority of artists to some extent, but no game publisher with ambition would accept purely AI-generated art. The creativity of human artists still wins.

And then comes the elements of game art itself, in a way that the providers of game design services see them.

What does game art consist of?

There are many parts of game art, as there are many visual elements in a game. Also, it can be classified by style, dimension (2D vs 3D), or other criteria. Here is a common classification:

• Concept art – early sketches that define the game’s style and mood
• Character art – the design of playable characters and NPCs
• Environment art – backgrounds, levels, and scenery
• Props and objects – items, weapons, tools, and other interactable elements
• Visual effects (VFX) – effects like explosions, magic, weather, and movement
• UI/UX design – menus, icons, health bars, and player interaction elements
• Animation assets – character movements, transitions, and visual storytelling
• Textures and materials – surface details that define how objects look in-game

Typically, game artists can create all types of game art. Yet, in big studios, there are professionals who specialize in one type, such as character art or concept art. This helps them to create high-quality assets faster, which is beneficial for big projects.

Let’s take a closer look at some kinds of game art. Just like any game project, we’ll start with concept art.

What is concept art in 2025?

Game artists use concept art to explore ideas, set the tone, and define the look of characters, environments, and objects before full production begins. Concept art is one of the first deliverables shown to the client – it often helps them decide whether to continue the collaboration. That’s why it’s a critical stage for any game art studio.

Concept art by Kevuru Games

In most professional game art studios, the most skilled or experienced artists are chosen to work on concept art. Their creative input becomes a foundation for all the visual style of the future game.

The process of concept art creation involves sketching, moodboards, and visual storytelling. Nowadays, people use AI image generation to collect references, come up with ideas, and try seeing the same characters drawn in different styles or poses.

There are discussions about whether it’s a positive trend or not. Surely, AI tools help speed up the process a lot, but it’s crucial for game artists not to replace their creative muscles with AI crotches.

Character design in 2025

Character art has its own specifics. Concept art often includes characters, too, but there is a clear difference in technical preparation.

Characters need to be designed with technical constraints in mind: rigging, animation, engine compatibility, and performance. A studio will not only create appealing visuals but also prepare assets that are game-ready.

Bushranger for Fortnite by Kevuru Games

For animation or game engine use, 2D characters often require layered PSDs; 3D characters must have clean topology, proper UVs, and rigs. Proper work of game artists will make the work of animators and game developers easier. Assets preparation for integration – it’s not just about how the character looks, but how it works.

Selecting a style of characters is a decision that the client makes together with the artist. The style isn’t just about aesthetics and personal preferences – it also affects production time and cost. A stylized 2D character with flat shading is faster to produce than a highly detailed 3D hero with realistic skin, fabric simulation, and complex textures.

Trends in character art change every year. In 2025, the so-called hybrid style is popular. It blends stylized proportions with realistic materials. Think of semi-realistic eyes with stylized hair, or cartoon-like anatomy paired with fabric that looks physically accurate. This hybrid style gives characters both personality and production value.

Environment art in 2025

Environment art by Kevuru Games

For a person outside of the game design world, game environment art may look like pictures of interiors or natural landscapes. But there’s a lot of invisible structure and technical thinking behind it – things only experienced environment artists know. That’s why any digital artist without relevant skills can’t “just draw it.”

In 2025, environment art is a blend of design logic, storytelling, and optimization. Artists don’t just create static backgrounds – they build playable spaces with intentional flow, depth, and purpose. They consider things like:

• Player movement and interaction (Where can you go? What draws attention?)
• Modularity (Assets built once, reused efficiently to save time and budget)
• Lighting and atmosphere (For mood, clarity, and emotional impact)
• Engine and performance limits (Especially on mobile or VR)

And while AI can help with generating base ideas or suggesting textures, human environment artists still make the key decisions: how the world guides the player, tells a story, and supports gameplay.

After all, strong environment art is less about making things look “nice” – and more about making the whole game world feel real, functional, and alive.

Visual effects as a component of game art in 2025

Just like environment art, visual effects in games serve a purpose beyond just looking good. VFX are tightly connected to gameplay as they help highlight actions, guide attention, and create emotional response.

Here are some examples of the functions of the effects:

• Indicate timing, danger, and impact
• Build atmosphere – fog, rain, fire, magic
• Support the art style – from realistic sparks to stylized glows

But there’s a challenge: they must be lightweight and efficient. VFX are often built directly in the game engine, combining technical knowledge (like particle systems, shaders, and blending techniques) with creative vision.

In short, VFX in 2025 are a core part of game art – shaping how the game feels to play, not just how it looks. When done well, they’re almost invisible: players instinctively understand that something is powerful, urgent, or magical without needing any explanation.

What are the features of modern 3D game art, and how has it progressed?

When 3D digital game art first appeared in the 90s, it was a revolution. Suddenly, players could move through a world instead of looking at it from one fixed angle.

Yet, the art itself wasn’t much different from 90s 2D art – blocky, pixelated, and full of hard edges. Developers had to squeeze every polygon into strict hardware limits. Characters looked like geometric sculptures, and environments felt empty.

In 2000s, advancements in technology improved the fidelity of game art. Better GPUs allowed for smoother models, richer textures, and experiments with lighting and shadows. Games started to feel more cinematic. Faces showed emotion, landscapes had depth, and water looked like… well, water.

The next step came with physically based rendering (PBR) and advanced shaders. Surfaces reacted to light like in real life – metal gleamed, skin scattered light, and fog shifted as a character walked through it. Game worlds stopped feeling like static backdrops and started breathing.

Games like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (2024) showcase how far 3D digital game art has come. Built on Unreal Engine 5, its near‑photorealistic details, dynamic weather systems, and emotional performances deliver cinematic immersion at a level rarely seen before.

Nowadays, real-time ray tracing and AI-assisted asset creation have pushed 3D digital game art into a territory that once seemed impossible. Worlds are vast yet detailed, built faster than ever, and can change on the fly. Players don’t just play in these worlds – they believe in them.

Here are the features of modern 3D Digital Game Art:

• High realism with stylized flexibility. Studios now balance ultra-realistic textures with creative stylization, allowing games to stand out visually without sacrificing believability.
• Physically Based Rendering. PBR workflows simulate real-world lighting and materials, giving models a consistent and lifelike look across environments.
• Procedural asset creation. Tools like Substance 3D Designer and Houdini allow automatic generation of textures, terrains, and props, saving time and producing huge variations of art elements.
• High-poly to low-poly optimization. Artists create detailed high-poly models, then bake details into optimized low-poly meshes for smooth gameplay performance.

What impact does AI have on the various types of game art in 2025?

Some years ago, AI in game art was just a curiosity that didn’t have many practical applications. Some experimenters used it for cleaning up scanned sketches or to fix minor texture issues. Fast forward to 2025, and in every top-tier game art and development company, AI has become an essential tool that changes not only how the artists work but the games themselves.

In 2022, when High on Life artists used Midjourney AI to generate posters to fill in the rooms in the game, they were criticised for using models trained on data that’s collected without consent. Nowadays, using AI is being normalized, as long as it doesn’t use other artists’ work (or doesn’t do it too obviously).

Image source: https://www.thegamer.com/high-on-life-ai-generated-art/

According to the data from Steam, about one in five games released on the platform in 2025 openly uses AI-generated visuals or environments. That’s 7 times more than in 2024. AI tools penetrate all genres and styles of game art.

In concept art and 2D art, AI helps with drafts and moodboards. It allows artists to produce various options at the very start to find the right style together with the client. AI helps to explore various poses and compositions fast, as well as making slight adjustments.

In 3D digital game art, AI helps with texturing, lighting, and even mesh optimization. Studios use tools like Promethean AI or Leonardo AI to instantly populate environments with props and foliage, freeing artists to focus on storytelling.

Procedure‑driven worlds are also trending. For instance, Nightingale uses a card-based system to generate entirely new biomes whenever players use “Realm Cards,” offering nearly limitless variety in procedurally built environments.

While most game artists now use AI in some part of their workflow, its impact isn’t always obvious. In some cases, however, it’s well documented. Lokum Games, a European mobile studio, used AI tool Layer used the AI tool Layer to create illustrations for Tactical Strike, saving 2,800 hours of production time while maintaining consistent asset quality.

Image source: https://www.layer.ai/case-study/lokum-games

For game design services, AI means richer worlds and faster turnaround. It’s not about replacing the artist; it’s about letting them do more – experiment more, polish more, and focus on the creative part of the work.

Conclusions on the Future of Game Art and Development

Predictions about the future of video games are not very reliable in our fast-paced world. Yet, there are things that can be seen already from the trends that are happening right now.

There’s no doubt about the prominent role of AI in game art. The question is, what kind of tasks will it take over? And what will humans do with the time they have left?

From what we see today, AI is taking over repetitive and technical work – cleaning up scans, generating texture variations, building placeholder assets, or rapidly testing different video game art styles. This frees artists to focus on the parts that machines can’t truly master: storytelling, emotional resonance, and unique creative vision.

In the near future, game art and development services will likely become even more hybrid. The best game dev companies will pair AI-powered speed with human-led artistry, creating worlds that feel handcrafted even when part of the process is automated. Artists may become more like directors – guiding AI tools, curating outputs, and ensuring everything fits the creative vision.

What won’t change is the need for originality. Players remember the art style that made them feel something —–not the tool used to create it. And in a market that moves fast, the studios that can balance technology with strong, distinctive visuals will lead the way.

If you want to see how we combine both worlds in practice, take a look at our portfolio.

The post What is Game Art? Different Types and main features in 2025 appeared first on Kevuru Games.

Understanding Gaming Trends

In 2027, all revenue segments are expected to increase significantly. According to Statista, the segment “Download Games” comes out on top with 25.4 billion US dollars. In contrast, the category “Physically Sold Video Games” decreases to 11.43 billion USD. The difference is 13.97 billion dollars.

New trends are emerging in the gaming industry, showing constant change. In the upcoming years, the following trends will have an impact on the video game industry, devices, and content consumption:

1. Mobile gaming is still expanding. The gaming industry’s most remarkable trend, mobile gaming popularity, will continue in the next years. This is due to the rising use of smartphones and tablets and the expansion of the selection of top-notch mobile games.

Despite already being the largest video game market, the mobile games market has tremendous growth potential in the future. Pokémon Go iteration, titles like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and Nintendo’s expanding support for mobile games will influence the market growth. Additionally, the mobile versions of the well-known online games Fortnite and PUBG significantly affect the market expansion.

In 2023, the mobile games industry is anticipated to generate US$173.60 billion in revenue. Revenue is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.42% from 2023 to 2027, with a forecasted market size of US$222.70 billion. By 2027, there will likely be 2.3 billion consumers of mobile games worldwide.

2. The rise of cloud gaming. With cloud gaming, players may play games without downloading or installing them on their hardware. It means that now people don’t need to buy expensive gaming computers. They can play on smartphones, tablets, and event smart TVs. Cloud gaming has just started growing in popularity, but is very promising.

According to Statista, in 2023, the cloud gaming industry is anticipated to generate US$4.34 billion in revenue. By 2027, a market volume of US$18.71 billion is predicted, with revenue forecast to expand at a 44.09% annual rate (CAGR 2023-2027).

One of the most common ways spectators watch their favorite players broadcast gaming videos is on live-streaming video platforms like Twitch. Twitch had ten million distinct broadcasting channels in the third quarter of 2022, significantly surpassing YouTube Gaming Live, its closest rival, which had 443 thousand different streaming channels.

3. Growth of esports. Esports isn’t a side note anymore – it’s mainstream. Stadiums fill up, Twitch streams pull in millions, and prize pools that once seemed unthinkable now pass the million-dollar mark without much fuss. For a lot of people, watching League of Legends Worlds or The International has become as normal as tuning in to a football final.

At its core, esports is simple: organized competitions where players – pros and amateurs alike – square off in their game of choice. Sometimes it’s a local event with a modest crowd, sometimes it’s a global broadcast with production value rivaling traditional sports. Either way, the growth curve hasn’t slowed, and the audience keeps getting bigger every year.

The estimated value of the worldwide eSports market in 2022 was a little over 1.38 billion USD. Additionally, Statista predicted that by 2025, the global market income for eSports might reach 1.87 billion US dollars. With China alone accounting for over one-fifth of the market, Asia and North America hold the top two eSports revenue markets.

Gaming Devices and Trends: Shaping the Gaming Forecast

Since the days of basic consoles and pixelated graphics, gaming gadgets have advanced significantly. They now include a variety of platforms, each of which offers a different gaming experience.

Gaming Device Evolution: Console Gaming

The PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch continue to be the gaming market’s mainstays. They offer excellent graphics, engaging gameplay, and a sizable selection of games. The latest next-generation system launches have pushed the limits of game realism.

However, consoles’ benefits before PCs are slowly blurring. For instance, many games release simultaneously console and PC versions, as opposed to console-first releases that were common in the past. So, consoles start becoming more and more like PC, as stated in an article on Polygon. They constantly improve graphics, start allowing mods, and add features that weren’t available before, such as streaming and browsing, and many support peripherals like keyboards and mice. Undoubtedly, new systems will increase the bar for home gaming.

PC Gaming Innovations

No need to say that the technical advance isn’t going to stop or slow down. Nvidia’s flagship RTX 5090 boasts 32GB of VRAM and introduces DLSS 4 technology. AI in gaming isn’t just about smarter NPCs or procedurally generated maps – it also plays a role in how good a game looks and feels. Nvidia’s DLSS 4 is a good example. By using AI to upscale images and even generate extra frames, it makes gameplay smoother and more visually impressive without demanding top-of-the-line hardware.

Cross-platform play has also become common. Many PC titles now let players team up – or face off – with friends on consoles and other systems. It’s a shift that widens the audience, keeps multiplayer communities active, and makes gaming feel more inclusive overall.

Virtual Reality Games

The industry has got a new way to make VR and AR gaming experiences more affordable to wide audience. Streaming VR/AR Experiences become more popular as cloud gaming and faster internet allow people who don’t have super expensive or powerful hardware (like a high-end VR headset or gaming PC) to enjoy immersive games.

The heavy lifting (like graphics and processing) happens on super-powerful computers in the cloud. The player just needs a lightweight headset or AR glasses and a high-speed and stable internet connection. The game is streamed, like watching a video, but interactive—a person can control it in real-time. Although this might not be what companies hoped for in terms of sales of expensive VR and AR gadgets, but it opens new opportunities for the industry that wasn’t adopted as fast as initially expected.

Mobile Gaming on the Rise

Mobile gaming’s ease has attracted a sizable and varied player base. The incredible development of smartphones and tablets is a trend we cannot ignore. From casual games to those with complex graphics, smartphones and tablets provide access to a vast ecosystem of games. Mobile gaming’s ease has attracted quite a big and varied player base. A part of it becomes more “serious”, which is reflected in significant growth of mobile eSports, something that was hard to imagine years ago.

Game designers make more intricate and sophisticated mobile games that compete with classic console and PC games. Even simple games are evolving into hybrid-casual genre that introduces more depth while keeping the gameplay simple and accessible.

Video Game Industry Ad Revenue

The diverse video game ad revenue ecosystem helps users, developers, and advertisers alike. In-game marketing, sponsored content, and product placements are now standard in the gaming industry. By enabling the production of free-to-play games, this revenue not only aids in funding game development but also increases the accessibility of gaming to a broader audience.

Game production is heavily reliant on ad money. It enables developers to produce top-notch games without relying primarily on upfront payments or in-app purchases. The emergence of free or inexpensive games that appeal to a broad circle of players starts from this. Developers can spend more on game design, graphics, and content as ad revenue rises, creating more entertaining and compelling games.

Free-to-play games with advertising have made gaming more accessible. Players can get the first-class games without having to pay a subscription fee. Instead, consumers can take full advantage of the experience without engaging with adverts or making in-game purchases.

Ad revenue advantages are obvious, but it also has drawbacks. Key considerations include balancing ad placement to prevent game disruption and guaranteeing that ads are pertinent and unobtrusive. The ability to generate income while maintaining the quality of the player experience is a tricky balance that game developers must master.

Video Game Content Viewership: A New Era in the Gaming Forecast

There has been a significant change in how people consume video game material. Gaming enthusiasts may now share, watch, and interact with content in new ways. We should thank for this the development of live-streaming platforms and short-form video content.

Streaming Platforms and Viewership

Streaming has changed how people connect with games – Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and similar platforms put viewers right next to the player. It’s not just about watching anymore. Audiences chat, throw in reactions, and sometimes even steer what happens on screen. That back-and-forth builds community, and for streamers it’s a chance to stand out through personality as much as skill.

Short-form video has carved its own space too. TikTok and YouTube Shorts are perfect for quick highlights – a clutch win, a funny glitch, or a 30-second tutorial. These clips spread fast, hook viewers with short attention spans, and often serve as the first introduction to a new game or creator. They’re bite-sized, but the impact can be big – one viral clip is enough to boost a streamer or give an old title fresh life.

Esports and Competitive Gaming

The popularity of esports, or competitive video gaming, has skyrocketed. Millions worldwide now watch esports competitions, and the biggest events pack stadiums and draw substantial online audiences. Esports have become a legitimate spectator sport because of their competitive character, competent players, and high-stakes competitions.

The gaming industry will be significantly impacted by these changes in viewing video game material. Whether they like in-depth live streams, brief and snappy movies, or the excitement of esports competitions, viewers now have a wide variety of content.

The Economic Landscape of the Gaming Forecast Industry

Gaming isn’t a side gig anymore – it’s grown into one of the biggest entertainment industries on the planet. Once it was just a hobby, now it’s a market worth billions that bleeds into tech, business, and culture.

You’ll find it everywhere – on phones, consoles, and PCs – reaching people who play in short bursts on the bus as well as those who sink hours into high-end rigs at home. And this didn’t just flip overnight. Better technology has pushed games forward year after year, and the rise of esports pulled in millions more who watch as much as they play. Put together, it explains why gaming keeps expanding instead of slowing down.

Market Projections and Revenue in the Gaming Forecast

The number of video gamers steadily increases yearly, improving the market’s prospects even more. It has significantly expanded due to population growth, changing opinions of gaming, expanding demographics, improved accessibility, social contact, connectivity, and changing societal norms. These elements have helped video games become a widely accepted form of entertainment, which has increased the number of players worldwide. As of 2023, there will be 3.22 billion gamers worldwide, according to Newzoo. By 2024, however, it is anticipated that there will be 3.32 billion gamers worldwide.

The growth of the 5G network has significantly increased the number of gamers as well. To provide top-tier 5G cloud gaming experiences, AT&T and NVIDIA Corp. announced their partnership in January 2022. With this initiative’s help, users can access over 100 free-to-play games and games they own on reputable PC game retailers like the Epic Games Store, Steam, Ubisoft Connect, Origin, GOG, etc. Gamers can explore a virtual world thanks to the realistic, cutting-edge graphics built on NVIDIA RTX technology and AI capabilities.

Investment and Funding Trends: Gaming Forecast Analysis

The gaming industry is experiencing a surge in investments across various segments. Game production studios, esports, gaming technology companies, and streaming services are all attracting significant financing. The current trends reflect a strong belief in the industry’s potential for continued growth. The emergence of cloud gaming, virtual reality, and augmented reality is anticipated to draw major funding. Esports, which has already received significant investment, will keep growing.

Social and Cultural Dynamics in the Gaming Forecast

The gaming business is a cultural trend that contributes to interactions and society. The cultural impact of gaming is in everything from fashion to music to art. It serves as a platform for identity-building, self-expression, and narrative. The effect of gaming on culture will only grow as in-game events, virtual concerts, and partnerships between game creators and artists become more common.

Gaming Communities and Social Interaction: Gaming Forecast Perspective

Online gaming communities will keep growing and establishing relationships between people worldwide. With more live events, conventions, and gatherings, these networks will extend outside the online environment. Games will incorporate social interaction even more, fostering opportunities for friendship and teamwork.

Video Game Industry Forecast for the Next Year

Looking ahead, the industry shows no signs of slowing down – even if no one can predict the future with complete certainty. A few trends look set to keep shaping the industry:

Continued Growth – new releases keep landing, hardware keeps improving, and more people are joining the audience every year. The curve is still going up.

Esports Ascendancy – prize pools get fatter, tournaments more frequent, and the crowds larger. What once felt niche is now pulling in mainstream attention.

Technology Evolution – as virtual reality, augmented reality, and cloud gaming make substantial advancements, expect further innovation in gaming technology. – VR, AR, and cloud gaming aren’t just experiments anymore. Each upgrade makes them more practical, and developers are already finding new ways to use them. Each year they mature a little more, giving developers new ways to build and players new ways to play.

Content Creation – streaming and short-form clips remain central to how games are discovered and shared. From highlight reels to quick tutorials, these formats aren’t fading anytime soon. These formats continue to influence how people discover games and how communities form around them.

Kevuru Games Expertise in Gaming Forecast

Kevuru Games, a gaming company with 11 years of experience in the market. Our mission is to provide game publishers with full-cycle game development production and give our clients player-centric advice as to in-game investments. With these years of experience and a deep understanding of the gaming ecosystem, or video game economy design, we know how to make the game immersive and promote it to the market.

All in all, we offer a full range of mobile game development services, including:

Fully executed development;

Concept art and design;

Quality assurance and testing;

Game monetization consultations;

Post-release support.

We regularly refine our strategies and ensure that your game stays ahead of the competition and generates significant revenue.

Whether your video game falls into the action, puzzle, simulation, or RPG genre, whether it’s a mobile game, mobile app, or multiplayer game, we help you develop the proper market strategy. As different game genres require different approaches. The gaming industry is constantly evolving, as are the development trends. At Kevuru Games, we monitor the trends in the industry and adjust our strategies accordingly.

The post Gaming Forecast: Trends in Video Gaming Industry, Devices, and Content Viewership appeared first on Kevuru Games.

In 2019, hyper-casual games showed who was the boss:

• According to Sensor Tower, 77.6% of the 2.1 billion installs of the 20 most downloaded games released in 2019 turned out to be hyper-casual games.
• During the 2020 pandemic, hyper-casual games continued their triumphant march – the number of installations worldwide more than doubled (103%), and the number of sessions also increased approximately.
• Compared to December 2019, when there were already more than 1 billion sessions, the number of sessions in hyper-casual games in March 2020 increased by another 72%.

Five years after the pandemic, we can see that the swift growth of hyper-casual games stopped, and some reports show that there is even a slight decline. Yet, even with a decline, more than 1 billion hyper-casual games are being downloaded monthly, and the market is huge. Hyper-casual games make for 37% of downloads in mobile gaming in 2023, according to a research by Sensor Tower.

Now opinions are divided. Some believe that in the current year, they will continue to storm the heights of App Store and Google Play, while others are inclined to think that the market is already oversaturated and their popularity will soon fizzle out. We believe that there is no reason to diminish the impact of hyper-casual games. After the pandemic spike, the market can’t return to such high growth numbers, but that’s fine. People still need to spend time on the road, waiting for an order, or hanging out during other breaks between various events.

Today, we’re not just here to understand how to make hyper-casual games. We aim to tell you how to create a hyper-casual game that will stand up to the competition and generate great revenue. Ready to dive in? Then, let’s go ahead and make our path to the featured lists of Google Play and App Store direct, short, and fast.

A Hyper-Casual Game: Definition

These games can be summed up in one expression – “Play as much as you want, whenever you want!”

So what exactly are hyper-casual games?

A hyper-casual game is a simple game with elementary mechanics, rich visuals, minimalist design, and addictive gameplay.

This type of game is popular due to:

• short time to complete one session – on average, it’s 3-6 minutes;
• instant immersive gameplay;
• very simple, repetitive player action mechanics;
• no time limits unless the mechanics allow for it;
• no tutorial – everything is intuitive;
• almost instant transitions to new levels.

All hyper-casual games have the same key features, whether it’s a match-3 game or an endless runner. At the same time, seemingly countless hyper-casual game ideas ultimately boil down to one – to offer players an instant opportunity to start the game immediately after downloading from the store. There is no need to log in, register, or create a character – just click Play and start completing the levels.

While focusing on simplicity, it is important not to forget development. This is not about changing or complicating controls or functions. Assuming the player is already used to performing the necessary actions, you can:

• increase the pace of the game;
• reduce the time to complete the level;
• add more obstacles or enemies;
• reduce the amount of resources needed to complete a level, etc.

Doing the same things, but more dexterously and skillfully – that’s what we can offer players in terms of development so that they do not get bored even during the second or third game cycle.

A Genre or Not a Genre, That Is the Question

What are hyper-casual games in terms of genre? Are they a subgenre of some popular genre?

No.

Hyper-casual games are not a new genre, and indeed they are not a genre at all.

This is the designation of a certain game category, characterized by a similar audience, monetization models, and long gaming sessions – the same designation as casual, mid-core, or hardcore games. At the same time, it is sometimes difficult to determine the exact boundaries of all these categories.

We can highlight such key features of hyper-casual games:

Hyper-Casual Game Design Features

Even though there is a lot of information on this topic, many still try to clarify an important detail of hyper-casual games – how to make visuals that make the game stand out from others, while at the same time remaining true to the key characteristic of simplicity?

Hyper-casual games tend to have a minimalist and attractive design to further engage the user. In addition, they offer progressive and fast gameplay so that the person wants to keep playing for as long as possible. To achieve this, games need an eye-pleasing design with a simple and fluid color palette, beautiful geometry, and ample white space between assets. This is a kind of gaming feng shui – you optimally master the space, avoiding excessive complexity and piling up of elements.

Additional hint. If you are interested in how to make a hyper-casual game for a wide range of people, and not for niche connoisseurs, then refer to topics that will be relevant to different cultures and nationalities. Win-win options are animals, food, sports, transport, as well as impersonal variants such as pure geometry and well-known shapes and actions.

Hyper-casual games are not an option where you need to work out characters and draw complex backgrounds. There are often no characters here. The player is left face to face with some object offering to perform one or two actions. There is nothing else here, and it is perfect within this category.

Tap to dodge, swipe to shoot – these are the best tutorials you can offer the player. Sometimes even these words are not needed – it is enough to throw the player into the gameplay, which is very easy to master through trial and error.

Remember, you have 5 seconds to convince the player that the game is interesting and worth playing.

Basic Mechanics For Hyper-Casual Games

Considering the question of how to make hyper-casual games, it is impossible to bypass the question of mechanics. Everything is built around it. Often, developers take one or two mechanics – more leads to the complexity of the gameplay and violates the concept of maximum simplicity.

In terms of mechanics, the following options are the most popular for hyper-casual games.

Rising/Falling 

This mechanic encourages the player to contribute to the rise or fall of an object or the entire environment. To complicate the process, it is also possible to increase the speed or the number of obstacles. The player can manipulate both a specific object and the entire level in the form of a platform or wall. The main feature of this mechanic is a distinctive sense of gravity that will follow the player throughout the entire game session.

Tap/Timing

The meaning of the mechanics is to have time to touch the screen in order to perform a specific action. A natural complication would be to increase the speed and encourage the player to touch the screen more often and more accurately. For example, here you may need the optimal time to jump or hit the ball. This is often done through a shrinking window of opportunity with a clear distribution of favorable and unfavorable zones for action. If you miss a moment, you have to wait for the next opportunity.

Dexterity

Also known as agility game mechanics, this is sometimes confused with timing games. But if the essence of time trial games is to hit the screen at a specific moment, here the key action must be constantly repeated at a gradually increasing speed. The more agile the players perform the action, the higher the score they will receive. Because of the emphasis on dexterity and the need to develop it in order to progress, the mechanics got the appropriate name.

Merging

The essence of the merge mechanism is to find similar objects and merge them to get a new, improved object. It is important to understand that players can only merge items that are similar in certain parameters, and those that have significant differences cannot be combined. After a successful merge, the resulting element is used for a specific game purpose, such as a race. The better the merge options you choose, the more likely you are to win the race.

Stacking

This mechanic allows the player to stack objects. It is also possible to rotate or turn them, which can serve as a kind of complication. The higher the level, the more complex structures the player will have to stack. Suffice it to recall Tetris – the player manipulates the geometric shapes falling from the sky to match them and thus clear space for the next shapes. But it could be something even more interesting. For example, cats.

Turning

Turning left and right is all that is required of the player. Usually, these games are 3D, and this can make the game more complex. So it is very important to provide simplified controls to maintain the classic hyper-casual style. This is either a single hit on the screen in the right place or a sharp swipe in the right direction. The location of the camera is also important – the farther it is, the more time the player will have to prepare for the turn. Keep this in mind to gradually complicate the levels, but don’t overdo it. Find the right balance.

Growing

Here, the mechanic requires the player to gradually build up the object by absorbing others. Everyone knows the classic Snake, where the snake eats objects and becomes longer and more difficult to control. Moreover, the speed of its movement gradually increases and, accordingly, the player’s tension does. This is one of the simplest and most addictive mechanics, which has repeatedly proven its worth and advantage over others. It is as simple as possible, keeps the attention of the players at all times, and encourages them to keep playing to see the maximum length they can grow their object to.

Swerving

Often confused with turning mechanics, it means constantly maneuvering an object without lifting your finger from the screen. The more difficult the level, the higher the speed, the more obstacles and turns. The key is how the skid will be on the next turn and whether players will fly off the track. In some games, flying off the track can be a kind cheating and shorten the distance to the finish line.

Resizing

The task of such a game is to constantly decrease or increase the size of the controlled object in order to crawl through some holes or fill in some gaps. This must be done before the moment when the object approaches the control point, where it should already have a different shape. The mechanics are partially similar to the swerving options but offer more room for imagination and creating something unique.

Pushing

The goal of the players is to push objects, structures or other characters faster than they can push the players themselves. As a result, the player must remain alone on the map, and this will mean victory. It is important to provide the player with free movement of the character and more or less suitable physics. The game can be made more difficult by increasing the number of objects and enemies that need to be pushed out and the appearance of additional obstacles that complicate this task.

Puzzle

Although it is considered a separate genre, it is also relevant for hyper-casual games. The player is encouraged to place items in the right places, customize the pipeline, or paint over a specific space with a limited number of strokes. The complication here is implemented by an increase in the number of necessary actions to complete the level and the need to think through the actions more carefully. There is often no time limit here. This allows players to think calmly, without stress and rush.

Direction

These games often ask the player to remove obstacles in the way of a character, object, or flow. When obstacles are removed or the system is adjusted appropriately, players see objects or liquids moving towards their destination. There are different options here – you can offer the player both to remove objects from the path, and to control the level itself and its constituent elements in the form of slats, walls, and other things.

Monetization: How to Create Hyper-Casual Games That Bring Profit

Fun fact – hyper-casual games are usually free. Many of them don’t even offer in-app purchases. In this case, you are asking how much money do hyper-casual games make and how does it even happen?

In-game purchases are usually relevant for so-called hardcore games, where players spend a lot of time, where there is a large game world and a huge number of gameplay features and alternative story options. Players are ready to invest in large-scale games, the plot and intrigue of which captivates them for hundreds of hours.

But in-app purchases are not suitable for hyper-casual games.

Moreover, with persistent recommendations or frequent mentions, they can annoy and provoke a person to delete the game forever.

But you have some ways out:

• in-app advertising – ads that rotate in the game between different levels;
• payment for the premium model – an investment that allows the player to get rid of all ads at once;
• cross-promotion – ads for one game that appear in another game.

The most popular option is advertising. It works much faster than in-app purchases and can be very variable. There are 3 main types of ads in hyper-casual games:

1. Rewarded video ads. As the name implies, watching such ads gives the player some kind of reward: extra hit points, in-game currency, or a special one-time-use skill. Players are ready to make such a deal, which also increases session duration and retention.
2. Banner ads. Banners are very easy to add to the game – they are great for single-screen ones since it is easy to allocate part of the screen for advertising there. Banners are shown right during the game, but do not interfere with it.
3. Interstitial ads. These ads take up the entire screen and can be static or dynamic in the form of videos, geolocation guides, or playable content. It is important to properly test the pros and cons of skipping such ads, as they interrupt gaming sessions and do not offer any reward in return.

It’s hard to say exactly “how much do hyper-casual games make?”. But you can do your best to maximize their potential profit.

A great way to optimize ad revenue is to learn about user data and adjust the monetization method that users interact with the best.

If the player is not engaging with rewarded ads, show them more banners and interstitials. If they interact more with banners and interstitials, show them fewer rewarded ads. It is important not to bombard players with all sorts of ads, but to adapt their display in accordance with human behavior. Personalization works great everywhere, and in this case too.

How Much Does It Cost to Create a Hyper-Casual Game?

Everyone always wants to know the exact price and constantly rolls their eyes when they see the words that it depends on many factors, etc. Although it really depends on many factors, in particular the level of game mechanics and graphics, one thing is for sure – hyper-casual projects will cost you much less than other types of games.

First of all, this is due to the fact that to create a hyper-casual game, not as many specialists are required as, for example, for the AAA project. Enough for 1 person from each direction: game designer, 2D/3D artist, developer, UX/UI designer, and sound designer. Of course, a project manager is also needed to coordinate all processes.

The term for creating a hyper-casual game is from 1 to several months, depending on its complexity. Approximate stages look like this.

1. Prototyping. With the help of a prototype, you can assess the viability of the game, test the appeal of its main mechanics, and see if it makes sense to work on it further. Or you need to modify or redo something. It can take several days.
2. Graphic art. At this stage, all artistic and graphic elements for the levels, menus, and interface are created. The approximate time frame is a few weeks.
3. Development. Developers are on the task of making your game playable. They implement graphical integration, introduce game mechanisms, and all conditions are worked out. The term varies within a couple of months.
4. Other expenses. Do not forget about the need for music, testing, and coordination of the services of project managers. Quality checks can take a couple of days, and sound design can take about a week.

To sum up the cost of all of these stages, the development price of a quality hyper-casual game would range from $50,000 to $150,000. Expect to pay more if there are some complex elements, sophisticated graphics, or animation. The cost doesn’t include marketing expenses, which can easily reach up to 50% of development cost or more. If you need an estimate, contact us, and our professionals will prepare a budget of your project.

5 Hyper-Casual Game Trends to Expect in 2025

Hyper-casual games remain one of the fastest-growing areas of mobile gaming. We explored what to look for when creating and reviewing projects in this category this year.

1. Expansion of hybrid-casual games

Hybrid-casual games became more popular as a response to the saturated market with high competitiveness. This is where hyper-casual games blend with casual. Among hyper-casual games that don’t have a lot to stand out, the ones that develop engaging and deeper features, have a higher chance to capture players’ attention for longer.

Progression systems, unlockable content, storylines, and hybrid monetization strategies allow games to use the strengths of casual games to gain more traction.

2. AI-generated games

AI has been used in hyper-casual game development for a long time, but as the time goes, it starts to take on larger parts of the process. Now it’s not just assets, levels, art, but gameplay mechanics. Now, games fully created by AI will be released, and we’re just here to see if they become more popular than human-made games.

3. New monetization strategies

When it becomes hard for hyper-casual games to compete in such a huge market, the way to win is to experiment with monetization rather than with the game content. Most games that are highly successful in recent years, earned lots of money not just because they were of enormously high quality, but because they found the best ways of making money.

To find out more on how simple phone games like Candy Crush Saga make money, read a dedicated article. Recently, play-to-earn model and subscription tiers are being popular, but in the following year we are sure to see completely new monetization strategies.

4. Spread of user-generated content

Previously, USG was common for big games. Now, even hyper-casual games want to tap into this niche. The benefits are numerous: higher engagement, more personalization, community building, social dynamics. Although the UGC in hyper-casual games in most cases are limited to level editors and challenge creators, we can expect new creative ways to engage the creativity of the players in the hyper-casual world.

5. Introducing Deeper Mechanics

Similar to the first trend, this is about expanding the genre, trying to survive in a saturated market. This can lead to the creation of new subgenres with simple appeal but richer content. Resource management, RPG-Like Features, social mechanics, and so on. If this trend continues, hyper-casual projects may stop forgiving players and return to their roots, becoming more demanding on the skills of users.

How to Choose a Hyper-Casual Game Company?

It seems so easy to build a hyper-casual game. But this external simplicity includes:

• carefully thought-out strategy;
• re-tested mechanics;
• captivating storytelling concept;
• a huge amount of work to bring all the elements into a coherent and harmonious picture.

It’s not enough just to copy someone else’s idea and make a slightly different design. In most cases, you will come across just such an approach. Hyper-casual games are very popular, there are a lot of them, and every year it becomes more difficult to offer players something fresh and not repeating others.

When choosing a company that offers services for making hyper-casual games, first of all, pay attention to whether there are similar projects in its portfolio. Studios that have not done this before are not the best choice, especially if they say that there is nothing difficult here even without experience. It is highly likely that they will not be able to identify your target audience, interest it with exciting mechanics, or find a successful hook to stand out from the millions of similar games.

At Kevuru Games, we know how to build hyper-casual games that will grab the attention of players. And the attention of the players is what makes the game successful and helps you recoup the costs in the very near future. We:

• monitor the latest trends;
• pay attention to the preferences and interests of players;
• immediately implement the most advanced techniques and mechanics that appear on the market.

Games created with us are always bright, interesting, and memorable. We will guide you through the crowded environment of hyper-casual games and help you present your project in a way that will delight your target audience.

Want to discuss your upcoming project?
Our experts are just a click away.

Contact us

The post About Profitable Hyper-Casual Games: Design Tips, Rates, and Upcoming Trends for 2025 appeared first on Kevuru Games.

And that means you’ve come to the right place.

Indie Game: Definition

First of all, you need to understand that indie is not a genre, not a class, or even a type of games. It is rather a characteristic of the conditions for their creation. The gaming world is conditionally divided into:

• Sponsored products backed by publishers and investors and created for purely commercial purposes.
• Independent games without such financial support, but with the freedom and courage to put the idea ahead of profit.

So what is an indie game? These are projects that are created by independent developers.

Independence means that they do not work for large studios like EA or Ubisoft, but only for themselves. These are kind of individual entrepreneurs in the gaming industry. Typically, indie studios are made up of just a few people. Most often, their number does not exceed 10 experts. There are also indie developers who make games alone.

[cta_article]

The gaming industry is one of the richest markets in the world—it is now worth $269 billion—but that money rarely reaches independent teams. Due to the availability of training courses and the gradual simplification of the development process, there are more and more indie studios every year. But only a few achieve financial success. And often it is largely based on pure luck.

On the one hand, this means that most indie developers are wasting money and energy almost in vain. On the other hand, it shows that these studios have to look for innovative ideas and new ways to make games. After all, restrictions and high competition force you to be creative.

Indie Example: Superhot

For example, let’s take a look at Superhot, a first-person shooter video game developed by the independent Polish Superhot team.

Game’s tagline: Time moves only when you move

The essence of the game is that time moves around players only when they move. That is, if the player suddenly stops, time also freezes.

The project was created in just a week as part of the 7 Day FPS Challenge in 2013. The widespread attention to the demo prompted the development team to create the full game. They received funding through Kickstarter.

In the first 7 hours, the creators of the game collected half of the required amount of $100,000, and by the end of the first day, the goal was almost completely achieved. As a result, the team raised $250,798, which allowed diversifying the game with additional challenges, a replay mod, and more advanced animation.

The PC version, released in 2016, surpassed the 500,000 mark in sales, generating $10 million a year after its release.

What Is Indie Game Development?

The word indie has nothing to do with India, as one might think. It is short for “independent”.

Indie game development is the process of creating a game by a small team or one person without the financial support of large publishers.

Indie developers do not have investors ready to fund all their ideas. Development money is most often raised on crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and CrowdFunder. Some also use Patreon, a subscription-based website that offers regular support to developers. While the creation of the game is in progress, indie developers can share exclusive materials, artwork, backstage videos, and more with their patrons.

Indie Example: Night in the Woods

For people to believe in an idea and join it, it is necessary to talk about it thoroughly and passionately. That’s exactly what developer and composer Alec Holowka and animator and illustrator Scott Benson did when they created the indie studio Infinite Fall and announced the start of a fundraiser for the 2D narrative-focused adventure game Night in the Woods.

Game’s tagline: At the end of everything, hold on to anything

Seen for the first time, this phrase from the very beginning causes a vague longing in the soul and an inexplicable melancholy musing.

A detailed description of the game, its ideas, locations, characters, and music resonated in the hearts of more than 7,000 people, which allowed the team to collect the claimed $50,000 in 26 hours and quadruple this amount in a month.

Player reviews about the game speak louder than any description.

The authors seem to have turned their souls inside out and filled Night in the Woods with their feelings, experiences, pain, and desperate questions turned to nowhere. This is an interactive psychological novel that touches a nerve.

Through incredible and multi-layered dialogues, they raise many relevant topics:

• the transience of being and the injustice of the world;
• the reality of the soul and the piercing essence of growing up;
• the vagrancy of the body and mind;
• the search for faith and its justification.

Everyone will find in this game something that will touch the soul. And it worked. The breathtaking atmosphere of the game has attracted a huge number of fans to it, who, with delight and horror, find parallels between their fate and the fate of the characters, between the history of their city and the gradually fading breath of Possum Springs.

Night In The Woods won the award for “Best Adventure Game” in IGN’s Best of 2017 Awards, “Best Cast of Characters” in Giant Bomb’s 2017 Game of the Year Awards, and “Best 2D Visuals” in the Unity Awards 2017.

Who Is an Indie Developer?

An indie developer is someone who develops games independently or is part of a small development team that produces video games for PC and mobile devices without the financial support of large companies.

Unlike most big studios that create big-budget AAA titles, indie developers are not afraid to use fresh and risky ideas, rarely follow industry-recognized standards, and do not create products solely for the purpose of earning money. They can make an indie game based on their personal experiences, perception of the world, comprehension of current social issues, and more. It will not be a product with ultra-modern graphics and mechanics, but it will definitely be able to touch the heart and awaken the most intimate thoughts and feelings. What stands out indie game vs AAA?

True indie developers:

• do not conform to the standard needs of the gaming market and do not seek to tailor their skills to hiring a large game studio;
• are distinguished by the presence of versatile useful knowledge in the field of game development and promotion;
• often combine the experience of several experts: programmers, artists, designers, etc.
• have a great desire to constantly grow and expand their skill base in all areas related to the creation of games.

We define indie games as relatively low-budget games created by a small team independent of major publishers. There can be thousands and hundreds of thousands of such games. In fact, even one person can make an indie game. But how do indie developers get their game noticed?

How to Fill the Missing Skill

There may be situations where you have an idea and certain skills, but they are not enough to cover the full range of work on creating an indie game. For example, you’re good at programming, but you don’t know how to draw at all. It is possible to find a temporary freelance companion, but no one guarantees the understanding and quality of what you expect. With a limited budget, any risk can be fatal.

A much more effective option is to order the desired art or animation from a game art outsourcing studio. Experienced specialists will quickly understand the essence of your request and immediately get down to business, ensuring consistently high-quality results. While they’re working on the art, you’ll be able to work on other aspects of the game and thus speed up the release significantly.

Want to discuss your upcoming project?
Our experts are just a click away.

Contact us

Team Composition To Create Indie Games

How to make indie games? Just like other games, given the fact that finances will be limited almost all the time.

And of course, no indie game can be made without a team. Even if it’s about one person.

Despite the fact that often each member of an indie team is a multi-instrumentalist who understands several areas at once, it is necessary to remember the composition of the core, without which it is impossible to create a single game:

1. Game designer.
2. Artist.
3. Programmer.
4. Sound engineer.
5. Tester.

All these roles can be performed by one person. It is also possible that the programmer is good at testing, while the indie game designer does both art and animation. It’s just important to know what kind of work is ahead to make an indie game.

Let’s talk a little about each role.

Game Designer

More often than not, everyone on the small indie team contributes to the game design portfolio. This can be done by a programmer, sound designer, artist, etc. The main thing is that this person can see the overall and holistic concept of the game as the player sees it.

The contribution of each team member to the game design can be both positive and negative. On the one hand, there are a large number of interesting ideas and interpretations. On the other, there is a discrepancy between proposals and their possible inconsistency with the original idea. Therefore, it is important to have a game design document where the main points of the idea and style of the game will be spelt out. The whole team will rely on it as they work, and if there are questions or disagreements, they can reach a consensus.

Artist

An artist is a person who creates the visual component of an indie game. Art takes time and represents what players see during the game. Therefore, choosing a person for this role is a vital element of your project.

Working closely with programmers and designers, the artists will create the game’s visuals. It all starts with concept art before moving on to content that will appear in the game, including backgrounds, characters, animations, etc.

Artists also make sure that the content they create is technically compliant and builds the overall feel of the game. The more difficult the game, the more artists it is desirable to hire. This is especially true for 3D options with a large number of characters and locations. But if you are creating a retro platformer, then one artist can handle the creation of pixel art and animation.

Programmer

Your idea may be the best, but without hire game developers, it will most likely never come to fruition. A computer programmer is engaged in the development of the code base and tools for the game. Since video games are electronic entertainment, no programmer usually means no video game.

Note that the programmer usually does more than just coding the game while on an indie team. They will also take responsibility for debugging and beta testing to make sure the games are polished and acceptable.

Today, a game programmer does not need to know programming languages. There are many game engines (for example, Unreal Engine) that allow you to develop using blueprints, that is, visual programming.

A lot of indie games were made with just one programmer. So it mostly depends on the size and scope of your project.

Sound Engineer

The sound designer or composer will be responsible for creating all the sound effects and music for the game. Sound is a vital element in creating the atmosphere. Even if it’s not a horror game that needs scary music to enhance the experience, you still need a catchy tune to accompany your puzzle game or action platformer. Some particularly successful tunes become iconic for the game and even take on a new life in the form of fan covers.

There are many novice game sound engineers, and if you need one, then you should pay attention to specialists who have already done this kind of work before. For example, you can find someone who has already written chiptune music for other games if that style of music suits your project.

Tester

In most cases, this role is performed by the programmer. But it’s not always easy for them to spot errors in code they’ve been working on for many hours. Therefore, a fresh third-person view would be more relevant and effective here. The tester will carefully check the game and find all the inconsistencies, errors, problems, glitches, and crashes.

Your friends or volunteers who support your crowdfunding campaign, or anyone who enjoys playing games and can describe in detail what is going wrong can test the game and find glitches. But they can never replace a professional tester. It is better to allocate a budget for game testing services in advance if you do not want your game to fail purely due to numerous bugs.

Other Roles

We have listed the main people involved in indie development. There are other equally important roles that we have not highlighted in separate paragraphs, because in indie teams it is very rare to assign individual people to them. Most often, these roles are filled by those who are already doing some work on the project.

The first is a writer or a so-called narrative designer. Basically, any member of the team can write, tell the story, and shape the storyline. If the game is going to have a lot of text and dialogue, it’s best to at least have someone check all that text for errors before release. There is nothing worse than an indie game with typos in the text, creepy dialogues, and a boring plot, even if its gameplay is very beautiful and interesting.

The second is a project manager. The project manager’s job is to make sure the team is working quickly and efficiently, set deadlines, motivate team members that are lagging behind, and make sure everyone’s work gets done. Very often, indie developers fall behind easily and can miss deadlines because they don’t have a publisher or higher level person to push them. Therefore, they really need a person who will coordinate the work and maintain morale, whoever he or she is.

Pros and Cons of Indie Game Design

Indie games are very different from sponsored projects in many ways, both positive and negative. Our task is to give a complete picture of all of them without distortion and prejudice.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Top 10 Most Interesting Indie Games 2024

Despite the fact that many players accuse indie games of neglecting modern graphical achievements, their popularity among other players does not decrease. They are ready to support independent developers not only for the courage to challenge the grandiose AAA titles, but also for the twisted plots, touching stories, and hilarious twists that fully compensate for the minimalism of the art.

Let’s take a look at some of the most outstanding examples of indie games released in 2024.

1. Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley

Genre: adventure

Platforms: macOS, Nintendo Switch, Windows, PS 5, Xbox Series X/S

Publisher: Raw Fury

Snufkin, a mysterious traveler from the Moomin series, as he returns to Moominvalley to find it disrupted by the construction of intrusive parks that disturb the natural harmony. The objective is to oppose Park Keeper, dismantle these parks and restore valley balance. Gameplay involves exploration, puzzle-solving, stealth elements, and the use of music as a core mechanic to interact with the environment and characters.

Developers based the events partly on Tove Jansson’s book Moominsummer Madness (1954). The game had good reviews and is enjoyed by both adults and kids. Take a look at the video to get a taste of its art and music style.

2. Thank Goodness You’re Here!

Genre: comic adventure

Platforms: macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5

Publisher: Panic Inc.

The main character of the game is a short, balding traveling salesman who arrives early for a meeting with the mayor in the fictional Northern English town of Barnsworth (based on Barnsley, a real town in Yorkshire where developers of the game come from). Players walk around the town and assist its residents with various odd jobs, such as helping a man retrieve his arm from a sewer grate or delivering meat from a butcher to a pie shop.

The game is praised for absurdist humor and original hand-drawn animations. The dialogue is fully voiced, incorporating authentic regional dialects that add depth to the setting. Thank Goodness You’re Here! was nominated for Best Indie Game and Best Supporting Performer (Matt Berry) at the 2024 Golden Joystick Awards.

3. Balatro

Genre: roguelike deck-building

Platforms: Android, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PS 4, PS 5, Windows, Xbox.

Publisher: Playstack

Balatro is a card run-based game. As its developer, LocalThunk, said, “Balatro is a modern indie take on solitaire with a poker coat of paint”. The players can use jokers to modify the gameplay and invent strategies to rise up levels.

When you see a card game like this without having tried playing it, it does look surprising why it is so widely praised, has won several awards (including Best Indie Game by Joystick Awards), and has been nominated for Game of the Year. Sales figures are impressive, too: the game had made over US$1 million in gross revenue within eight hours of release. The secret to such a success is approachable design and innovative gameplay.

4. Little Kitty, Big City

Genre: adventure

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Windows, Xbox.

Publisher: Double Dagger Studio

In 2024, black cats were in trend, as they were the main characters of the top animated movie of the year, Flow, and one of the most interesting indie games of the year, Little Kitty, Big City. In the game, players must help a kitten lost in a big Japanese city find its way home (and doing various cat things in the meanwhile). The city is an open world full of objects to explore and characters to become friends with and engage in the side activities.

The game is loved by the audience for its light art style, engaging exploration mechanics, and relaxing experience. Developer of the game Matt Wood said he was inspired by his cats Mario and Roxy and his children. The result is enjoyable for both adults and children. PC version of the game has scored 80 at Metacritic, and NS version reached 83.

5. Tiny Glade

Genre: city builder, sandbox

Platforms: Windows, Linux.

Publisher: Pounce Light

If one had to describe this game with one word, the first one that comes to mind is “cozy.” The pastel palette, soundtrack, nature… Everything in it is made to give that serene feeling when you can meditatively build something without risk of losing. There’s no risk to even build something unappealing, as the building materials are limited to medieval materials and idyllic landscapes. Tiny Glade was nominated for The Steam Awards in Sit Back and Relax category, and it’s surprising it didn’t win.

A game with very similar gameplay, Summerhouse, was released several months earlier than Tiny Glade, but the latter received a lot more downloads and overwhelmingly positive reviews. The key difference is aesthetics: Summerhouse is more squared and glitchy. Whether you want to dream of your own house by the seaside or a medieval castle, you have choice between the two great indie games.

6. 1000xResist

Genre: adventure

Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Switch

Publisher: Fellow Traveller Games

This is one of those indie games that is about tough and relevant issues like intergenerational trauma, the experience of members of diaspora communities, and the coronavirus pandemic. Developed by a team of four people with backgrounds in theatre, new media, dance and performance art, the game beautifully integrates different art elements in the graphics, motion, narrative, and gameplay. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic 2047. The main character is Watcher, a clone under the control of the enigmatic Allmother, who uncovers buried truths about the world through memory exploration and emotional storytelling.

At the end of 2024, 1000xResist was on many end-of-year lists but wasn’t nominated for awards. It surged some discussions online and placed the game in the spotlight. As the result, it reached top sales results on 2 January 2025, seven months after launch. Curiously, not being listed on The Game Awards helped promote sales, as more people discovered it and wanted to try and decide whether it deserved a prize or no. Also, it won the Best Narrative award at The Indie Game Awards.

7. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes

Genre: puzzle

Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Switch, PS

Publisher: Annapurna Interactive

This is a very aesthetic and stylish game with over 150 puzzles that can be approached non-linearly. Players control a woman involved in a mysterious project within an old mansion, exploring the environment from a third-person perspective. To progress, players must observe patterns, numbers, and connections.

The game’s monochrome visuals, along with its surreal storyline, make it truly stand out. The game was nominated for several Best Indie Game awards, and the players love it. It has 94% recommendations on OpenCritic.

8. Thronefall

Genre: strategy, tower defense

Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Switch

Publisher: Grizzly Games

Thronefall is positioned as a “strategy game for people who don’t have time”. And that’s exactly what it is: classic defense tower builder simplified to the level that everybody can enjoy it without dedicating too much time and without spending hours on understanding the mechanics. The visuals are simple and aesthetic at the same time.

Early access to the game was released in 2023, and it sold almost 1 million copies in one year before its full release in October 2024. Players take on the role of a monarch who prepares their kingdom to defend during the day and fight enemy occupants during the night. One has to balance investing in the economy or defense.

9. Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut

Genre: horror adventure

Platforms: Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PS 4, PS 5, Windows, Xbox.

Publisher: Black Tabby Games

The game is created from hand-drawn gray pencil scenes and plays with overturning a classic story: instead of saving beautiful princess the player must kill her, which is necessary to prevent the end of the world. The game presents players with complex choices, leading to multiple branching paths and endings, each influenced by the player’s decisions and interactions with the princess.

This game is proof that not only AAA blockbusters love sequels and expansions. Slay the Princess was initially launched in 2023, and after receiving a lot of praise from the public, in 2024, the studio released an expanded version, The Pristine Cut. The latter presented new features, 35% more content, and even a new ending.

10. Nine Sols

Genre: action, platformer

Platforms: macOS, Nintendo Switch, PS 4, PS 5, Windows, Xbox.

Publisher: Red Candle Games

The game is set in a colourful universe which developers call “taopunk”—a fusion of Taoist themes and cyberpunk aesthetics. The game’s character Yi is on quest for vengeance against the Nine Sols, tyrannical rulers of this deserted land New Kunlun.

The combat system is inspired by Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, emphasizing precise deflection and strategy. All together—great combat mechanics, intricate story, quality level design, and beautiful graphics—earned it a place on various lists of the best indie games of 2024.

How Much Can You Earn on Indie Games?

Independent game development goes hand in hand with the belief that it is difficult to stand out here and the financial reward will not be too great. Every year there are more and more indie games, the field is very competitive, and many indie teams are not focused on creating a full-fledged interesting product.

Indie games are not limited to the creation process. It is vital for them to advance, attract the attention of potential players, and make themselves known on popular platforms.

The lack of a marketing budget or the unwillingness to spend extra money on advertising leads to the fact that players simply do not know about really good indie games. Therefore, once again we remind you of the importance of promoting your indie game: this can be a decisive factor in its success.

Now let’s talk about specific numbers.

According to research by analytics platform VG Insights that studied 21,000 indie games on Steam, half of all released self-published options do not generate more than $4,000 in revenue. They do not even cover the resources spent on their creation. About 25% of indie games have earned about $25,000 in their lifetime. Remember that these figures should be considered in terms of the time spent and the number of team members involved in indie game development. If the game has been developed for more than a year by several people, then this result cannot be called particularly successful.

All this would look very depressing if not for the rest of the indie games, proving that not everything is so hopeless. 14% of indie games have managed to break the $100,000 mark in revenue. The top 10% of the most successful and consistent have been able to earn over $150,000. This can already be called a success and evidence that a good product can make a profit even without huge investments. Most importantly, the 1% managed to raise over $7,000,000.

Of the 21,000 games reviewed, this is about 200 pieces that managed to do the impossible. For example, entertainment products such as underwater survival Subnautica and simulation RimWorld grossed over $100 million and sold millions of copies. During the coronavirus pandemic, Plague Inc. gained immense popularity, capturing over 130 million players worldwide and generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue. Subsequently, the developers of Plague Inc. donated $250,000 to fight coronavirus infection.

Most Profitable Genres For Indie Games

After examining the sales and revenues of indie games across a variety of genres, VG Insights uncovered an interesting pattern.

The most promising genres in terms of earnings are RPG, strategy, and simulation.

They are followed by adventure, action, sports, and racing games, which are worth choosing only if you are completely confident in your idea. The most inappropriate genre for indie games are casual options, in which the likelihood of high earnings is negligible.

Models of Monetization in Indie Games

The indie game definition implies that people independent of the publisher are involved in the development. That is, virtually anyone with a sufficient degree of desire and enthusiasm can engage in indie development. And everyone is very interested in what methods of monetization can be implemented in indie games, in addition to direct sales in stores. We suggest considering the following options.

In-App Purchases

This is a classic way of monetization, which is suitable for almost all games. The bottom line is that during the gameplay, the player is offered some additional bonuses that will significantly improve and simplify the walkthrough or simply play a purely decorative role. These can be extra hit points, clothing for the character, bonus abilities, or weapons.

The most important thing is to give the player the freedom of choice and the ability to continue playing without making purchases. If you prevent players from moving on without committing a transaction, it could permanently push them away from the game.

Merch

The following options will only work if your game has already gained a certain popularity among some number of players. You’ve probably heard about merch – this is a very relevant option not only for the gaming world, but also for the film and music industry. For example, selling stuffed toys based on the Angry Birds game has become a huge source of income for the Finnish company Rovio, which started as a small independent developer.

You can sell anything: figurines of game characters, T-shirts and cups with their image, bags, shoes, key chains, wallets, and much more. The more players like your characters, the more likely they are to want to purchase physical replicas or items featuring them.

Partnership

Finding a partner can be quite problematic, but this does not make this method of monetization less effective. If you manage to find an interested person, then you can, for example, introduce a logo or mention of a partner into your game in accordance with the game setting, or offer other sponsorship services that will bring you additional income. This may be a notification to players that there are other similar games and a suggestion to pay attention to them.

Advertising

Video game advertising is a path that almost everyone who develops indie games eventually comes to: players don’t have to pay anything, they just watch ads. There are several main types:

1. Banners. One of the most common types of advertising in games. A banner is a colorful ad image at the bottom or top of the screen. It’s very easy to implement, doesn’t interrupt the gameplay much, but catches the eye and can lead to a transition if the player is interested in the offer.
2. Full-screen advertising. These ads, also known as interstitial ads, fill the entire screen, closing the game’s interface, remain on the screen for a short period of time, and then disappear. It can be either static or dynamic in video format.
3. Push notification. These ads use pop-up notifications to grab the user’s attention and redirect them somewhere. It can offer both to buy additional elements for the game, and to switch to other websites and applications.
4. Advertising upon exiting the game. These ads are triggered when a user leaves the game: this is a great time to advertise another game of your partner, for example.

How to create an indie game that generates income? You need to get used to the idea that this is not the area that consistently brings mountains of gold. This is a job for the soul, where earnings are rather a pleasant bonus that may or may not come, and you need to be prepared for this. At the same time, any monetization options you choose should be implemented very carefully and unobtrusively so as not to alienate the player from the main idea.

Indie games, corrupted by the desire to earn more at the expense of their essence, lose all meaning.

How to Make an Indie Game Successful?

All indie developers want to know about this and at the same time understand that there is no exact answer. On the other hand, no one has canceled the functional analytics of the best-selling indie games. So, let’s see how similar projects on the Epic Games Store and Steam approach genre selection, gameplay, graphics, price, and marketing.

Graphics as an Auxiliary Element

The first difference between indie games and big AAA titles is their simpler graphics. This does not mean that it is bad. It can be very beautiful and eye-catching. This means that it is not the main focus of an indie game, but rather an auxiliary visual component to help you better immerse players in storytelling. 

Therefore, for an indie game, it is enough to adhere to minimum graphical standards so that players understand what is happening on the screen.

You don’t have to try to impress players with modern graphical features, you can’t beat AAA games anyway. Indies do not undertake to compete with AAA in terms of the complexity of art, their essence is in a non-standard presentation and a fresh idea.

Indie Example: Hue

The graphics in the indie platformer Hue can hardly be called sophisticated. But at the same time, its presentation and the very essence of the game is a real artistic satisfaction. Fiddlesticks Games has offered an absolute innovation in game mechanics: the main character, a boy named Hue, explores colorless locations and finds new shades, which he uses to color the world around him. Puzzles and tasks that allow you to pass new and more difficult levels are based on the manipulation of colors, and there may be several options for solving puzzles. The alternation of static and dynamic levels will not let you get bored.

An amazing soundtrack, harmoniously changing depending on whether the atmosphere is tense or calm, makes solving puzzles a real aesthetic pleasure. Hue’s journey is based on the main heart-piercing plot that will touch anyone to the core: he is looking for his mother, who disappeared for mysterious reasons. On his way, he finds notes and memories that help him to better understand her past, the reasons for her disappearance, her study of the essence of color, and her inexplicable connection with the mysterious Dr. Gray, who periodically appears at the main milestones of Hue’s journey as if prompting him the right path.

Unlimited Gameplay Options

Based on the previous point, you might think that a complex and intricate storyline is vital for an indie game.

There are options that do just fine without a storyline per se, for example, Game Dev Tycoon or any other simulator that relies not on history, but addictive gameplay.

It is important to understand that players have different moods and different needs at different times. Sometimes they want something simple, uncomplicated and funny, and sometimes they will prefer a leisurely philosophical story that invites you to consider many important life issues. Determine from the very beginning what audience you are targeting, and do not try to put everything into the game: it should be harmonious and unidirectional.

Indie Example: Game Dev Tycoon

Game Dev Tycoon is an addictive economic simulation game developed and published by Greenheart Games. The action of the game begins in the 1980s, when the gaming industry was just emerging.

The players begin by giving a name to themselves and their future company. Players can then create their own games by choosing a game theme, genre, platform, and game engine. Also within 30-42 years set-top boxes of well-known companies will be produced. Sony will be represented in the game as Vonny, Microsoft as Micronoft, Nintendo as Ninvento, Sega as Vena, etc.

Initially, players start developing games in their garage, but may soon purchase 2 new offices. In offices, players can hire other game developers and work collaboratively with them.

Unique Feature

If AAA games have an average positive rating of 79%, then for indie games it can sometimes go up to 87%. At the same time, it is noted that the players are much more warm and sympathetic to indie games, realizing that they are not made by rich corporations, but by the same ordinary people, united and inflamed by a common idea.

The intimacy of indie games and the imprint of the developer’s soul in them invites much more participation and sincere comments on them.

Indie Example: Castle Crashers

The best indie games always show some kind of innovation, be it a feature of the gameplay, graphics, storyline, or game design. For example, Castle Crashers arcade offers very simple hand-drawn graphics, but its gameplay is so addicting and unusual that players give it 96% positive feedback.

The game takes place in a fictional medieval universe. From one to four knights (depending on the number of players) take part in a party in the king’s castle. Meanwhile, a dark sorcerer steals the mystical royal jewel and captures the four princesses. The king sends knights to retrieve the stone, rescue the princesses, and bring justice to the sorcerer.

Successful Genres

We have already said that some genres of indie games are much preferable to others. RPG, strategy, and simulation will be the best choice. They do not require many years of complex development. If you are planning an adventure or quest game, then you will have to work hard to grab attention with a story and plot: the competition is high here.

Indie developers better stay away from racing and sports games, as this is already the territory of big-budget AAA franchises with cutting-edge graphics.

Remember that indie games compete with other games not for their graphics, but for their creativity, story, and innovative ideas.

Correct Price

Many indie developers tend to undervalue their games, believing that this will increase sales and attract more buyers. On average, they charge $7 per game. Many are limited to the $5 price tag. At the same time, the best indie games sell for $15, which is close to the cost of AA and AAA titles.

There is no need to artificially lower the cost. You have to evaluate the game by its quality, that is, consider the entire amount of work done and make a financial verdict.

Too low a price raises questions and doubts whether your product is another option of controversial quality, which is better not to pay attention to.

Technological and Localization Availability

The more people who can play your game, the better. The best indie games are available for both PC and Mac. Despite the fact that the Mac accounts for only 17% of the device market, it is still a large audience that is often deprived of games because developers do not care about adapting them to this device.

In terms of localization, the most popular languages ​​are English, French, and German.

The best indie games expand the available languages ​​to 7 with the addition of Polish, Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese. This allows you to potentially increase your reach from 1 billion players to 3-4 billion. Many people will prefer to play the game in their native language if it is possible and are more likely to recommend it to friends.

Marketing Matters

The more people who know about the game, the more likely it is to succeed. Someone might purposefully search for a product similar to yours, but find nothing because you decided to bypass the ad campaign.

The best indie games never ignore marketing in one way or another.

This does not mean that you need to go to an advertising agency and pay them crazy money, twice the cost of development. These can be social media campaigns with captivating trailers and art, press releases, intriguing ads, and themed events. Games accompanied by such promotional efforts become known and expected even before they are released.

Reliable Companion in Indie Games Creation

Indie game development is an incredible barrier-free world where any of your craziest and brightest ideas can come true. You may encounter certain obstacles, but the most important thing is that you already know them by sight and are ready to achieve your goal, no matter what. Just don’t stop and keep moving forward. And Kevuru Games can become your trusted companion with game development portfolio if you need help with a certain aspect of creating your unique indie game or AAA games.

The post Indie Game Development: Guide to Revenues, Most Profitable Genres & Monetization [+10 Best Indie Games 2024] appeared first on Kevuru Games.

The game was innovative not just because it used AR but also because it made players leave their homes and explore the world around them. They would still stare at their phones while walking outside, but at least they would be walking outside. That was revolutionary at the time, and really nothing similar of the same level of popularity has appeared since then.

How is the game doing in 2024, long after its hype time? Is it profitable? And how much money did Pokémon Go make in all these years? Read on to find out answers to all of these questions.

What is Pokémon Go?

Pokémon Go is an AR mobile game available on both Android and iOS platforms that lets players find, collect, train, and fight Pokémon that appear in locations around them using their cameras. Pokémon can be found on the streets of every city with the help of augmented reality tools. The game went viral right after its release in 2016, having millions of players all over the world walking around catching invisible creatures.

The game is a part of Pokémon, a Japanese franchise that started with a video game in 1996 and went on with manga, anime, and a trading card game. The name Pokémon comes from “pocket monster.” These “monsters” are little creatures of different species, each with a unique appearance and powers.

Pokémon Go was developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

Pokémon Go Player Count and Popularity

Current Player Numbers

In December 2024, there were over 97 million active Pokémon Go players, according to activeplayer.io count. The maximum amount of daily players was over 26 million. Compared to the same month of the previous year, the numbers have grown by 15%. Here is the table showing dynamics over the last year and a half.

How Many Downloads Does Pokémon Go Have?

Pokémon Go has over 500 million downloads, a crazy amount for an AR game. Half of those downloads happened in the first year, but the game has maintained a stable number of players in the following years.

Is Pokémon Go Still Popular in 2024?

The number of players in the years following 2016 was drastically lower than the year of the release. It may look as if the game was just a momentary hype that didn’t last, but at a closer look, you’ll see that the game hasn’t lost its popularity much.

People who played it at its height in 2016 may just follow the hype, and naturally, they didn’t stay for long. However, the loyal fanbase is still big even after 8 years after the release. And these players are more important for the business than the ones that just downloaded it out of curiosity. Long-time players are the ones who are most likely to spend money in-game, and that’s what matters for the game developers.

Pokémon Go Revenue and Earnings

How Much Money Has Pokémon Go Made?

The data on Pokémon Go earnings is based on player spending (in-app purchases). From this source, by the end of 2024, Pokémon Go had made $8 billion. This doesn’t include the money from sponsor locations and the amount of money people spent on the Niantic web shop, where players can purchase game items. The shop was launched in 2023, and probably a part of in-app spending has shifted there.

How Much Money Does Pokémon Go Make a Year?

Based on the data on in-app spending, we know that Pokémon Go earns $800,000-900,000 a year through App Stores. In pandemic years, Pokémon Go annual revenue has been higher, reaching $1,3 billion in in-app purchases.

Pokémon Go Profit Analysis

The results of tracking in-app purchases and adjusting to inflation show that the game hasn’t been growing its player spending in recent years. However, it doesn’t mean that the Pokémon Go team isn’t very good at monetization strategies. Here is an example.

When we see the graph of the games’ earnings, a spike during the pandemic isn’t surprising. Most games had seen a rise in popularity when people were locked down and had more free time. However, it’s not so easy in the case of Pokémon Go, a game that requires players to go out and visit specific locations. 

It seems that the game would have a crisis period when most players had limited mobility during the lockdowns. Yet it wasn’t the case – Pokémon Go managed to gain new users and earn extra by introducing several innovations to the game that made it possible to play without having to go out – remote raids, GO Battle League, and Special Research stories, virtual events, and daily free items. Later, they canceled some of the pandemic innovations to return to their initial format and get income from sponsor locations again.

All in all, the profit of Pokémon Go is stable, as the game has diverse revenue streams. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Revenue Models of Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go operates on a freemium model. It’s free to play, but players can benefit by paying – for example, decreasing the waiting time for the next Pokémon to appear.

How Does Pokémon Go Make Money?

Pokémon Go has several revenue streams: in-app purchases, advertising (sponsored locations), ticketed events, and merchandising. These are typical for most viral video games, but using advanced technologies like AR gives Niantic some extra opportunities.

In 2024, they announced the creation of a Large Geospatial Model (LGM) to revolutionize spatial intelligence for augmented reality (AR) and beyond. Although this news has raised more concerns about privacy, for the business, it means a potential for big profits from such a model, which wouldn’t have been possible without millions of people scanning their surroundings in search of Pokémon.

In-Game Purchases

Like most freemium games, in-game purchases are the main revenue stream for Pokémon Go. The currency is called PokéCoins, and it can buy use Poké balls (containers for capturing Pokémon), items to attract them, double XP, and storage upgrades that allow players to hold more Pokémon.

PokéCoins can also be earned by completing game tasks, but buying is much easier and faster.

Advertising (sponsored locations)

Since the game requires players to leave home and visit various locations, business owners use it as an opportunity to increase traffic to their cafés or shops. Starbucks and McDonalds paid to be included on the list of Pokémon Go locations.

Starbucks had many PokéStops, and offered Pokémon-themed drinks to clients. People come to catch a rare species and grab a coffee on their way.

Ticketed Events

The number of events in the game is enormous. From big events like the annual Pokémon Go Fest to regular Community Days, there is always something going on in the world of Pokémons to attend. Some events are location-based, while others are virtual.

The prices typically vary from $1 to $20. However, some events offer additional in-game purchases that maximize the event experience. For example, the cost of the base ticket and all the additional items for the Into the Wild event (November 2024) would reach up to $340.

Some events are created in collaborations – with locations like those described above or with other popular brands or celebrities – for example, Ed Sheeran, Uniqlo, The North Face x Gucci.

H2 Want to Develop a Game Like Pokémon Go?

There are many games with augmented reality on the market, but Pokémon Go is the only AR game that went viral and became a cultural phenomenon. What it takes to make a successful game is not just technology knowledge – it’s an exceptional game design, art, and monetization strategy. This is what makes Pokémon Go so successful and profitable. If you need a partner to develop the next hit, contact our professionals, and we’ll see what we can do for you.

The post How Does Pokémon Go Make Money? appeared first on Kevuru Games.