Game Development
Feb 15th, 2024Virtual reality (VR) is a computer generated simulation of immersive 3D images or environments that you can explore and interact realistically using special gear like headsets and gloves.
The VR market became very popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people bought VR headsets as a way to escape the lockdown. But after the uplift of the lockdown, it saw a downward slope in the past year — as people started to engage in physical activities in the outside world.
Yet again this year, we are seeing an increase in the purchase of VR equipment among people. Also, with recent technological advances, VR is becoming cheaper and more affordable.
As per recent market predictions, you can see an increasing interest among gamers with the release of new VR platforms.
We can surely say that it is an excellent time for game developers to start developing unique VR games — due to its future scope in the industry.
In this article, we will have a detailed account of how much it costs a VR app development company to develop VR games.
The cost to build a VR game app will be somewhere around $50,000 to $1,00,000. The actual cost can be more or less, depending on the game’s complexity and the features you want to add.
A vital component in determining the VR game app development cost is the type of game you want to make.
Every game is different and unique from other games. So, the Virtual reality game development cost also varies from one game to another.
One of the easier ways to determine the cost is by the type of game you want to develop:
Simple VR Game: A simple VR game with basic features can cost around $15,000 or more and will take about 10 to 12 weeks of development.
Mid-core VR Game: Mid-core VR game development cost will take around six months to complete and will cost approximately $30,000 to $ 50,000 or more.
AAA VR Game: Developing a AAA VR game can cost somewhere around $50,000 to $1,00,000 or more, depending on its complexity. The game development cost can take a year or two.
Rather, you can use a cost estimate for a more accurate price calculation. You can contact a VR gaming company and ask them for a cost estimate to understand the nuances of game development.
Estimation cost of a VR game can be calculated by analyzing the game’s requirements, and the price can vary based on various factors. It is essential to not miss any one factor because it might pop up in the middle of game development. Then, you might need to deal with additional expenses, which are more than the actual budget.
For that reason alone, it is advised to seek professional help in calculating the cost estimate. So, you can remove unwanted expenses when you have a strict budget.
The cost estimation process takes place in two stages:
Preliminary Cost Estimate: The initial cost estimate will give you a rough idea of the cost, time, and resources required to develop the game. This estimate is done when minimal data is available on the game.
Exact Cost Estimate: Unlike preliminary cost estimates, this gives a detailed estimation of the end cost by calculating the price for every stage of the game development process. It is more accurate as the game developer can access more information on the project.
There are various factors that influence the VR game development cost.
Let’s learn about them.
Virtual reality development costs can rapidly vary depending on the location of the VR game developer. The developer in the US will cost around $100 per hour, while Asian countries like India cost much less, which is approximately $20.
When you take middle Eastern countries like Dubai and Saudi Arabia, the developers can be hired for $40 or $50 per hour, which is much cheaper when compared to the US and other European countries.
Size of the team: The larger the team’s size, the more the cost you need to spend on employee wages. A simple VR game project takes two or three months to develop, while large projects take nearly a year. With that, you can calculate the employee wages for a project.
The employee’s salary will vary greatly depending on their skills and experience. Junior programmers might charge less when compared to experienced developers.
But you should consider that an inexperienced developer takes much more time than an expert in the field. They also tend to make mistakes, which might lead to additional expenses.
Hardware is critical to support the game production process. VR games predominantly use 3D animation with high-graphic resolutions. So, you need robust hardware to keep the game running in real time. Other testing hardware, desktops,
When it comes to hardware, a virtual reality game development company has two options before them:
Comparatively, renting hardware is much more cost-effective than buying them.
As much as hardware, selecting the perfect game engine is essential for successful game development. You would be required to pay a certain fee for using the engine for game development.
For instance, if you are working with Unreal Engine, you must pay 5% of your sales if your game exceeds $ 1 million in revenue.
Never exclude marketing costs from your budget planning. It is an important step to bring your fantastic game to the target audience.
Experts in the gaming industry suggest that a company needs to spend 25% to 50% of the total money spent on marketing their game. The percentage of spending should be based on the company’s size, type of game, and ROI.
The game developers can take care of the game marketing, or you can market the game yourself.
Beware of the hidden costs when you are planning your game budget. If not, you might face budget constraints in the final game development stage.
Various Types Of VR Platforms — How Do They Impact The Virtual Reality Development Cost?
There are many popular VR platforms in the market in 2024:
Developers must be mindful of different platform policies, including potential fees when creating games for VR platforms.
Although these policies are not publicly available, you should be aware of the platform’s developer policies, distribution options, and store policies, as they may contain information about revenue-sharing models, application fees, and other costs related to publishing and selling games on these platforms.
Here, we have listed the names of 5 most anticipated VR games for 2024.
Apart from this, a new mod is available in the market starting in 2024, which you can use to insert VR mode into an already-released unreal engine game.
What is even more exciting than the release of these games is the release of the Unreal Engine VR injector mod. You can inject VR into most of the games made with Unreal Engine 4 and 5 using this mod.
All thanks to the VR modder Praydog for developing UEVR, you can now play your favorite unreal games in VR.
To summarize, the average VR game development cost can range between $50,000 to $1,00,000. Moreover, it is not the actual cost — which may vary significantly based on various factors like the game type, complexity, location of the game studio, etc.
While developing a VR game, you also need to know various hidden expenses that might increase the game’s expenses to a greater extent.
Juego Studios is one of the best game development companies with 11+ years of experience developing various games for mobile, consoles, and PCs. Our game developers work with cutting-edge technology to make impressive real-time 3D games. We also work with various VR platforms like Meta Quest 3, Sony PlayStation VR, Valve Index VR, and HTC Vive Pro 2.
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