Games
Game Development for Publishers
A senior Unity studio for publishers who need pitch-ready prototypes, work-for-hire production capacity, or embedded co-development teams. Direct senior engineers, no junior layer.
Three buying patterns, one studio that fits all three
Most publishers we speak to walk in with one of three problems: a pitch deadline that needs a vertical slice, a project on the slate they don't want to staff internally, or an internal team that needs senior Unity capacity for the next milestone. The shape of the engagement is different in each case, but the engineering bar is the same. Whichever path applies, you speak to David personally throughout: Director and Principal Unity Engineer, 12 years on Unity, Mobile Team Lead on RuneScape Mobile at Jagex (2017 to 2019), Unity Certified Expert. Adam Kaye, Lead Unity Engineer (14 years, gameplay and AI specialist), leads design-led work. There is no junior layer between the publisher and the engineering, and no producer reading from a sales script. Standard mutual NDA at no cost before any technical conversation. IP transfers on payment. Cash terms only.Genres and platforms we cover
We are Unity-only and proud of it. Within Unity, we cover the platforms and genres that fit our team's track record:
- Mobile (iOS, Android): David's RuneScape Mobile pedigree at Jagex (2017 to 2019), plus shipped commercial mobile titles including Pocket Factory, Nova Blast, and Word Fun World.
- PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, browser/WebGL): live multiplayer (Domi Online) and modernised re-release work (When Ski Lifts Go Wrong, Unity 2018 to Unity 6 LTS for Hugecalf Studios).
- Cross-platform 2D and 3D: builds shared across mobile, PC, and web from a single Unity codebase.
- Educational and serious games: team prior experience includes work for Cambridge University Press, the Museum of London, and the EU Horizon 2020 iRead programme during earlier roles at Fish in a Bottle. At OVG we have shipped Vocab Builder for The Language Conservancy.
- Hypercasual and casual mobile: What's That and Pocket Factory, with a proprietary Unity framework that compresses prototype time.
Genres we don't take: NSFW, real-money or social-casino-adjacent gambling. Other ethical or fit concerns we'll raise before signing rather than after.
Publisher-relevant track record
Direct OVG work plus earlier roles where the team shipped to publisher-level standards. Cambridge, Museum of London, and EU Horizon 2020 iRead were delivered through team prior employment at Fish in a Bottle, not as OVG client engagements.
Jagex
RuneScape Mobile (David, 2017 to 2019)
Cambridge University Press
Word Fun World, team prior work at Fish in a Bottle
Museum of London
Fire of London, team prior work at Fish in a Bottle
EU Horizon 2020 iRead
Navigo, team prior work at Fish in a Bottle
Hugecalf Studios
When Ski Lifts Go Wrong, Unity 2018 to Unity 6 modernisation and mobile/EGS port
Three ways we work with publishers
Pick the engagement that matches the problem you're solving. Each one is a different commercial shape: fixed milestones, work-for-hire, or day rates.
Pitch prototypes and vertical slices
- 6 to 8 week typical turnaround.
- Built to survive a greenlight committee, not just a demo reel.
- Documented for handover to your internal team if greenlit.
- Proprietary Unity framework cuts prototype time roughly in half. See our rapid prototyping service.
- Indicative budget: £20,000 to £60,000.
Work-for-hire production
- Full-cycle Unity development under publisher direction.
- Mobile, PC, WebGL, console (Switch, PS5, Xbox via partners).
- Senior engineering, contractor bench for art and additional dev capacity.
- Standard NDA, IP transfers on payment, milestone-based billing.
- Indicative budget: £80,000 to £500,000.
Co-development and team augmentation
- Embedded into your existing studio team.
- Day rates: £500/day per developer, £900/day for two.
- Typical engagements 2 to 6 months, can scale up or down.
- Senior-only embeds, no junior pass-through. See our co-development service.
Why publishers work with us
Direct senior access
You speak to David (Director and Principal Unity Engineer, 12 years Unity, ex-Jagex Mobile Team Lead on RuneScape Mobile, Unity Certified Expert) throughout the engagement. The diagnostic, the scoping, and the lead engineering are the same person.
Pitch-grade polish
Our deliverables go in front of decision-makers. Presentation matches the engineering: clean builds on target devices, written documentation, and a vertical slice that demonstrates the production foundation rather than a throwaway demo.
NDA-friendly
Standard mutual NDA at no cost before any technical conversation. We sign your template where reasonable; if you don't have one, we send ours. UK-registered (Company No. 13011771), UK IP law.
Honest scoping
If the timeline or budget can't deliver the pitch, we'll say so before signing. We'd rather lose the deal than ship a bad outcome on a project we already think is the wrong shape.
Our Services for This Industry
Rapid Prototyping and MVP Development
Game prototypes and MVPs built 50% faster with our proprietary Unity framework. Validate your concept before committing to full production.
Learn More →Co-Development & Staff Augmentation
Embedded Unity engineering teams led by Jagex alumni. Scale your studio instantly with senior developers who integrate from Day 1.
Learn More →Unity Game Development
Full-cycle Unity game development, prototype to App Store launch. Mobile, PC and multiplayer specialists. UK-based studio working with funded startups.
Learn More →Mobile Game Development
Mobile game development services for iOS and Android. UK-based Unity specialists with shipping credits on RuneScape Mobile, Pocket Factory, and Nova Blast.
Learn More →Console Porting Services
Expert console porting from PC and mobile to PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Unity specialists with first-time certification pass focus.
Learn More →Performance Optimisation Services
Unity performance optimisation: thermal throttling, memory management, draw call reduction, and crash resolution. From the RuneScape Mobile porting team.
Learn More →Portfolio relevant to publisher work
Case Studies
Accelerating Unity Development – Building a Modular Hypercasual Framework
How we built a Unity framework to launch hypercasual MVPs and prototypes 50% faster. Read the full case study.
Mobile Strategy Game Design & Monetisation - Pocket Factory Case Study
How we designed core gameplay and monetisation for Pocket Factory, a mobile strategy game for iOS and Android.
Tell us which of the three engagement shapes fits, send the brief or the IP, and we'll come back within a few days with a fixed-scope quote. Standard mutual NDA at no cost before any technical conversation.
Talk to DavidAlready an established studio with a development team and need embedded capacity? See our game studios industry page.
Want to understand the prototype framework in detail? See our rapid prototyping service.
Co-development engagement specifics, day rates, IP terms, and embed shapes are on the co-development and staff augmentation service page.