Become A Game Developer - Business Ideas

Updated: September 15th, 2022
Become A Game Developer

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

Are you passionate about video games and want to turn your hobby into a career? Have you always dreamed of creating your own game and seeing it come to life on the market? If so, then becoming a game developer may be the perfect business opportunity for you.

As a game developer, your job will involve creating, designing, and coding video games from start to finish. This includes coming up with ideas for new games, creating prototypes and mockups, coding the game using programming languages like C++ or Java, and testing and debugging the game to ensure it is functioning properly.

To start and run a successful game development business, you will need a few key things:

A strong foundation in programming and computer science. While you don't need to be an expert programmer, having a strong understanding of programming languages and computer systems will be essential to creating and coding your games.

Creativity and a knack for storytelling. Game development is about more than just coding - it's also about coming up with engaging and immersive storylines that will keep players coming back for more.

Marketing and business skills. Once your game is complete, you'll need to market it and get it in front of potential customers. This will require a strong understanding of social media, digital marketing, and business strategy.

A team of skilled professionals. Depending on the size of your business, you may need to hire a team of developers, artists, and other professionals to help bring your game to life.

With these skills and resources, you can start and run a successful game development business and turn your passion for gaming into a lucrative career.

Becoming a game developer requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell game, or selling game online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

market size
$162B
revenue (monthly)
$2.5K
starting costs
$16.8K
gross margin
83%
time to build
360 days
growth
Word of mouth
business model
Subscriptions
time investment
Full time

Startup Costs

Min Startup Costs Max Startup Costs

Office Space Expenses

$0

$7,000

App Creation Costs

$1,099

$20,099

Software Expenses

$162

$2,894

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$0

$2,500

Website Costs

$13

$215

Training & Education Expenses

$0

$850

Total Startup Costs

$1,274

$33,558

Successful Businesses

Business URL Rank

Unity

unity.com

1,746

AMD

amd.com

2,285

Kongregate: Play free games online

kongregate.com

5,184

Steam - The Ultimate Destination For Playing, Discussing, And Creating Games

steamgames.com

14,675

GamesIndustry.biz

gamesindustry.biz

22,760

The Ultimate Resource for Video Game Design

gamedesigning.org

39,229

Scirra Ltd

construct.net

85,776

Cubix

cubix.co

102,465

Caesars Games

caesarsgames.com

118,461

BHVR

bhvr.com

278,072

Schell Games

schellgames.com

301,322

Pros & Cons

Pros Description

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Rewarding work

Starting a game developer can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

Scalable

With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.

Traffic to your website

A game developer gives people a reason to visit your website and to keep coming back to you!

No overhead costs

To get your game developer started, there are no costs associated with overhead, storage, packaging, etc. This will save you a lot of time and money!

Cons Description

Crowded Space

Competition is high when it comes to your game developer, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.

Motivation of employees

If you plan to have a sales/content team on board, finding creative ways to motivate them can be a challenge. It's important that you're able to offer great incentives and a good work environment for your employees.

Longer Sales Process

A game developer can be a big time and money investment for your customer, so it's important you plan and predict a longer conversion funnel and stay in communication with potential customers.

Security Issues

With any Saas business, data loss and security issues may arise throughout your process of building your product. It's critical that you understand exactly what you're responsible for and how to avoid potential issues down the road.

Isolation

Often times, as a game developer, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members.

Taxes

As a game developer, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.

Marketing Ideas

  • 1

    Affiliate Program

    Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.

    Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.

    The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.

    Learn more about affiliate program ➜

  • 2

    Direct Sales

    Direct sales strategy implies a direct contact between a seller and a consumer without the involvement of any third party. Direct selling is popular in sectors where sellers communicate with their clientele personally. The sales technique occurs at non-store locations which include at home, work, or online.

    For direct selling to succeed, hire a few (or many) salespeople to support the sales conversion process. It's critical that you assign them specific roles and responsibilities to nurture the client and provide excellent support.

    Learn more about direct sales ➜

  • 3

    Word of mouth

    Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.

    Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.

    According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.

    Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.

    Learn more about word of mouth ➜