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

Publishers buy from studios like ours for three reasons: a vertical slice they can put in front of a greenlight committee in 6 to 8 weeks, work-for-hire production they don't want to staff internally, or an embedded co-dev team that scales an existing internal project. We can quote on any of the three. The decision-maker on our side is the engineer, not a producer.

Discuss your project

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, Technical Developer 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.

Portfolio relevant to publisher work

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Case Studies

Pocket Factory

Designing and Building a Hyper-Casual Merge Game

How we designed core gameplay and monetisation for Pocket Factory, a hyper-casual mobile game for iOS and Android.

Game Design
Monetisation
Market Research
Hyper-Casual

Read Case Study

Genres and platforms we cover

Unity is our core specialism. We also build browser experiences with TypeScript, PixiJS and HTML5 where that stack suits the project. We cover 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)

Live multiplayer (Domi Online) and game porting for existing projects.

Web (Browser, WebGL)

Browser games built with Unity WebGL or a TypeScript and HTML5 stack, including PixiJS where appropriate. We choose the approach around content, target devices and loading requirements.

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 previous employment. At OVG we have shipped Vocab Builder for The Language Conservancy.

Hypercasual and casual mobile

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 during our team’s previous employment, not as OVG client engagements.

RuneScape Mobile (David, 2017 to 2019)

Word Fun World, work during previous employment

Fire of London, work during previous employment

Navigo, work during previous employment

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.
Built on our proprietary Unity prototyping framework. 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: £600/day per developer, £1,200/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 Technical Developer 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.

Services for your project

Rapid Prototyping and MVP Development

Playable Unity prototypes, MVPs and vertical slices for testing game ideas and technical feasibility. Get feedback before committing to full production.

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Co-Development & Staff Augmentation

Unity co-development for game studios. Embed senior UK engineers in your team or give us a defined workstream, with agreed milestones and documented handover.

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Unity Game Development

Unity game development for studios, publishers and organisations. UK engineers taking gameplay, systems and technical delivery from prototype to release.

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Mobile Game Development

Mobile game development services for iOS and Android. UK-based Unity developers building new mobile games, porting existing titles, and improving live mobile projects.

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Game Porting Services

Game porting for PC, iOS and Android, including console games moving to mobile. UK Unity engineers assess feasibility, adapt controls and optimise performance.

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Performance Optimisation Services

Unity performance optimisation: thermal throttling, memory management, draw call reduction, and crash resolution. Led by a developer who worked on RuneScape Mobile.

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Already 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

6 to 8 weeks for a vertical slice that survives a greenlight committee. 2 to 3 weeks for a playable concept demo if the goal is just to prove a core loop. Both are built on the production foundation rather than thrown away, so nothing is wasted if the pitch lands.

Yes. Standard mutual NDA at no cost before any code, roadmap, or IP changes hands. We will sign your template where reasonable; if you don't have one, we send ours.

IP transfers on final payment per milestone, work-for-hire terms. We retain the right to mention the engagement in our portfolio (subject to any specific NDA terms you require), but the bespoke codebase, assets, and resulting game are yours. Our pre-existing tools and frameworks remain ours and are licensed for use within the delivered project. Standard contract templates available on request.

Not on our own. We have not shipped a console title, and certification needs platform-holder access and experience we will not pretend to have. The Unity engineering a console port stands on (build pipelines, performance budgets, controller input) carries over, so we scope console requests case-by-case and tell you upfront whether we're the right team. If we're not, we'll point you to a specialist porting house.

No, never. Cash terms only, paid in arrears against milestones (work-for-hire and prototypes) or in advance against day rates (co-development). We are not in the business of being co-financiers of publisher projects.

£10,000 minimum for prototypes (covers a focused 2 to 3 week vertical slice). Day rates have no formal minimum but we will usually ask for a 2-week commitment so the embed can ramp into your codebase and start contributing before the engagement winds down.

Need a Unity Development Partner for a Project?

Whether you need a prototype, work-for-hire development or engineering support alongside an existing studio, tell us what you’re looking to deliver.

Tell Us About Your Project

Discuss support for your portfolio

Share the title, platforms and delivery milestone that need attention. We'll discuss development, porting or technical review support.

Start by telling us what kind of help you need.

Location

London, United Kingdom

Response Time

We typically respond within 1 to 2 business days.