Ludo is one of the most popular board games, originating in India. Simple rules and highly addictive- the game can keep every age group hooked till the last token reaches home. When Ludo video games came around, they became an instant hit with Ludo King enjoying a nearly 79% user base in India and became available to international users in 2020.
Ludo games owe their popularity to various factors like scopes to win real money while gaming. The rules are easy to learn making it appealing to larger masses. This, in turn, makes Ludo games a very profitable genre to invest in.
You must first understand the ludo game development costs to launch a game as successful as Ludo King. The development team to the features and graphics- every aspect of the game has certain associated expenses. All these together determine the overall cost of the Ludo game.
Ludo games have witnessed immense popularity ever since the advent of digital versions. For some, it is like old wine in a new bottle. Others solely enjoy bonuses and real earning opportunities. Here are some factors that help online ludo games achieve popularity quickly:
As an investor, you can yield a significant ROI on the Ludo app development cost by tapping into the different revenue models associated with the game. Here are a few ways in which a ludo game generates revenues for the admin/operator or investors:
Several factors like the cost of hiring a mobile game development company or post-launch maintenance- all influence the overall development cost. But given the popularity of Ludo, one can expect significant ROI by strategically implementing the revenue models.
Ludo game development cost gets influenced by several factors ranging from the app platform to payment gateways. It also gets influenced by the developer team’s location and size. Here we have listed all the factors that a game development company takes into account while estimating the cost to develop a ludo game app:
The first and foremost step of game designing is creating the GDD. Here, every detail about graphics, UI/UX integration, animations, frontend and backend development, and AI implementations are mentioned. Preparing these documents takes time and hence, incurs significant costs. However, it is a crucial step as designers, developers, and project managers- all use it as a reference point to track the progress. The more complex your idea is, the more time will be needed to prepare this document.
Android and iOS are the most popular platforms to develop Ludo game apps. However, the mobile game development cost gets influenced by the choice of platform. You can also choose other platforms or multiple platforms for the game. However, note that the choice of platform will eventually impact the development cost. Moreover, on certain platforms, adding features in the future can be comparatively expensive. For example, on iOS, the cost to add new features is 10-20% more than that on Android. If you are opting for native development on both platforms, the cost incurred would be higher. However, opting for hybrid platform development can reduce the cost by up to 30%. Hybrid platform development lets you simultaneously develop both platforms thus, saving more time and money, in the process.
The app size must be considered during the development. An app that is too large, loads slowly, and takes up too much storage would perform poorly. It is unlikely that users would willingly put up with these issues for a simple Ludo game. Hence, the developers must devise ways to reduce the app size without cutting down on essential features and functionalities. Moreover, the size of the app should be optimized for different devices to enable smooth functionality for all. The key is to strike the right balance between features and functionality. The cost to develop a Ludo game app would increase when the app size increases. This is because the creative process gets more complex and needs additional time, leading to expenses.
There can be a wide variety of features for a Ludo game. The game development services include carefully deliberating on the game mechanics as it influences the cost significantly. The development cost is directly proportional to the features and levels added to your game. With more features and levels, the cost would increase accordingly.
Ludo games can have a variety of features like online and offline games, single or multiplayer, bonus levels, live tournaments, multilingual, play with friends, and so on. Adding each of these features would add to the total development hours and the resources required. This in turn adds up the overall ludo game development cost. Ideally, a standard ludo game can be 10-15 weeks to design but the time frame increases as the development gets more complex.
Ludo games are very popular in India particularly where we have a wide variety of languages. To reach out to wider audiences, making the game multi-lingual enhances its accessibility. The more languages you integrate, the higher would be the cost of development. This is an optional inclusion but it can greatly improve the reach of your game, making it a wise choice. Even though it adds a significant amount to the overall cost, multi-lingual is a useful feature in the long run that can help fetch better ROI.
The rates of game development vary from one place to another. As a result, the overall cost of development gets affected by the location of the development team. The best game developers are found in India, Poland, Australia, USA, and UK. However, there is a significant difference in the hourly charges for developers in different countries. The cost ranges from $50-$250 per hour, based on where the development team is located.
Occasionally players pay real cash to buy in-game currencies to enhance bonuses and participate in tournaments. In other cases, certain ludo games give real money rewards for playing. To enable such transactions there should be a flexible payment gateway. The development process needs to integrate multiple payment gateways that will help to make these transactions smoother. However, the integration will add more to the development cost. Often adding multiple payment gateways leads to extra costs and development time.
Testing the game is crucial in the game development process. The testing process is important to ensure the game functions properly after the launch. The app testing is done several times till it is perfected. The entire process takes a long time and hours of work. The tester needs to check whether all the features are working smoothly. They need to also check whether the app is streamlined and working on different platforms. This is essential to ensure that the app has the highest quality.
Last but not least is the post-launch assistance and upgrade of the game. The game needs to be updated occasionally to remain compatible with the different platforms. Also, integrating new features or organizing exclusive tournaments and events keep the game interesting. This calls for post-launch LiveOps services which ensures the game stays engaging to the players. These are estimated within the development cost of the game but can add up later on. This also includes real-time chat support which is also crucial in such a game.
The average ludo game development cost with basic features ranges from $10,000-$15,000 for a small-scale game development company. However, if you want a game with all kinds of features, payment gateways, and live chat options, similar to Ludo King- the cost can go as high as $30,000 or more. Here is an estimate of hourly rates for game development companies of different stature:
| Type of company | Hourly cost |
| Small-scale game development company (2-4years experience) | $15-$25/ hour |
| Medium-scale game development company (4-6years experience) | $30-$60/hour |
| Seasoned game development company (7+ years experience) | $80-$250/hour |
The Ludo game development cost is moderately low compared to other games. But the extreme popularity of the board game makes it a profitable choice with maximum ROI. When you carefully evaluate the different factors influencing the development cost, you can easily find a cost-effective way to get a well-designed ludo game.
Juego Studios is one of the leading game development companies which offers a wide variety of game development solutions including mobile games. We have hands-on experience with ludo game development and have our take on the game- Tribal Ludo. Get in touch with us to get all-around game development solutions with unparalleled quality.
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