How to choose a game development studio

1–3: Proof they can build your game

Ask for shipped games, not concept art. A portfolio of live store links beats a showreel — install two or three and judge the quality yourself. Ask what's similar to yours: a studio brilliant at hyper-casual may struggle with a mid-core RPG; genre experience shortens everything. Ask who exactly will work on your project — the team you meet in the sales call is not always the team that writes the code.

4–6: The contract questions that save you later

Source-code ownership is the big one: you should own 100% of the code, art, and store accounts, delivered in a repository you control from day one — anything less makes you hostage to the studio. Ask how change requests are priced before signing; scope always evolves, and the difference between a fair change process and hourly-rate ambush is enormous. Ask about the NDA and IP assignment — a professional studio offers both without being asked.

7–8: Process and communication

Ask to see their milestone structure. Good studios work in visible increments — playable builds at regular intervals, not a big reveal at the end. You want to be testing an APK on your own phone within the first weeks. Ask who your point of contact is and how often you'll hear from them. A dedicated project manager and a weekly build-plus-status rhythm is the standard you should expect; "we'll update you when there's news" is a red flag.

9–10: Money and honesty

Get a fixed quote against a written scope — vague estimates become vague invoices. Compare quotes on scope coverage, not just the bottom line: the cheapest bid that excludes testing, store submission, and post-launch fixes isn't the cheapest bid. Finally, ask what could go wrong. A studio that names real risks (scope creep, store review delays, device fragmentation) is being honest with you; a studio that promises everything will be smooth is telling you what you want to hear.

The red flags in one list

No live shipped games. Won't give you the source repository. No fixed milestones or playable builds. Prices that can't be tied to a written scope. Communication that slows down after the deposit. And pressure to sign fast — good studios are busy, not desperate. If you want to see how we answer these ten questions ourselves, ask us — we'll put every answer in writing with your quote.

How to run a paid trial before signing a big contract

The safest way to choose between two good studios is a small paid trial. Pick a self-contained piece of real work, such as one level, one feature or a performance pass, budget one to three weeks, and agree up front what "done" means. Give both candidates the same brief if you can. You will learn more from how they ask questions, report progress and handle a surprise than from any proposal.

During the trial, check that you receive the source code in your own repository, that builds arrive on the agreed schedule, and that the people doing the work are the people who will stay on the project. If a studio refuses a paid trial or will not give you repository access, treat that as a warning sign. When you are comparing quotes, our outsourcing guide and the cost of hiring a Unity developer help you judge whether a price is realistic, and our cost calculator gives a quick starting range.

Related: Outsource game development · Co-development & rescue · Game cost guide · In-house team vs outsourcing: the real numbers