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Ocean View Games
Game Development Team Size Calculator

Game Development Team Size Calculator

How many developers do you need? Get a team size recommendation based on your game's scope, platform, genre, and timeline.

Game typesets the base team
Platformsselect all that apply

Content volume
Multiplayer

Visual stylesets how many artists
Artworkbought assets can replace the artist

Timelinefrom pre-production to launch

In-houseselect all that apply

Your team

1

Person at peak production

Micro teamOne or two people do it all

Build with this team£26,000 to £52,00012 to 24 weeks, every role included
Staffing gap1 personbeyond your team, about £11,000 a month

Who you need

Programmers and engineers
1
Artists and animators
0
Game designer
0
QA tester
0
Producer or project manager
0

Ocean View Games is engineer-led. On a project this size the senior engineers who build your game also shape the design with you, plan the milestones and test their own work, so there is no game designer, producer or QA tester on the bill.

Filling the gap

  • Ocean View Games is a studio of two senior Unity engineers, so we cover all of the engineering and there is no developer to find.
  • Ready-made artwork keeps an artist off the team. We can help you source asset packs that suit your game, so budget for their licences instead.
Next steps

Cover these roles with our engineers

Send us this plan. We will book a free discovery call about the roles we can cover, from a single senior Unity engineer to a full squad.

Save and share

How this is calculated

Days of work: Educational, minimal content
68 to 136
Deadline: 3 to 6 months
26 weeks
Smallest team that meets it
1 person
Schedule with this team
12 to 24 weeks
Build cost with this team
£26,000 to £52,000
Staffing gap
1 person
The gap, a month
£11,000

The calculator runs on our cost estimator: your answers give the days of work in each discipline, and the team is the smallest one that finishes them by your deadline. Adding people shortens the schedule with diminishing returns, because coordination takes a growing share of everyone's time, so a tight deadline needs a bigger team and costs more. Each role takes seats in proportion to its days; a role under half a person gets none, and the others cover it.

Engineering is costed at our £500/day rate, art at £350/day, design and production at £400/day and QA at £250/day. The gap is the team minus the art, design, QA and server engineers you already have in-house.

A planning guide based on typical team shapes, not a staffing plan. The right team depends on your brief, your existing people and how the scope changes as the project develops.

How Game Dev Teams Are Structured

Small Team (2 to 4 People)

Typical for casual, puzzle, and indie games. Everyone wears multiple hats. Usually 1 to 2 programmers, 1 artist, and the designer is often also one of the programmers. QA is done by the team. No dedicated producer; the lead developer manages the project.

Mid-Size Team (5 to 10 People)

Typical for mid-range mobile and PC games. Roles start to specialise. Dedicated programmer(s), artist(s), designer, QA tester, and a part-time or shared producer. If the game has multiplayer, a dedicated networking engineer is essential.

Large Team (10+ People)

Typical for RPGs, strategy games, and MMOs. Full role specialisation: multiple programmers (gameplay, tools, networking, UI), multiple artists (concept, 3D, animation, VFX), dedicated designer(s), QA team, producer, and possibly audio and community roles.

These are development team sizes, not marketing, business, or community teams. Post-launch LiveOps may need additional dedicated staff.

When to Scale Up vs Outsource

Hire Internally

Best when you need someone permanently, the role is core to your long-term plans, and you have 2 to 4 months for recruitment.

Co-Development Partner

Best when you need to scale quickly, the need is for a defined period (a production phase), or you need specialist skills (networking, porting, performance) that you will not need permanently.

Learn More →

Full Outsourcing

Best when you do not have an internal team at all, or you need a complete workstream handled end to end while your team focuses on other priorities.

Learn More →

Related Services

Fill your staffing gap with senior Unity engineers.

Co-Development

Embed our senior Unity engineers directly in your team.

Unity Game Development

Full-cycle Unity development from prototype to launch.

Related Resources

Game Development Cost Estimator

Know your team size? Estimate the cost.

Game Development Timeline Estimator

Get a phase-by-phase timeline estimate.

Game Development Outsourcing

Full project delivery with a dedicated external studio.

Why OVG

Senior Unity engineers compared against in-house, freelance, and offshore.

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the game and the deadline. In our calculator a hyper-casual game for iOS and Android due in three months needs 2 people. A casual puzzle game due in three to six months needs 2 people, and an RPG with online multiplayer due in 12 to 18 months needs 3 to 6 people. A tighter deadline needs a bigger team. Use the calculator above for your specific project.
For teams of 4 or fewer, the designer role is usually covered by a programmer or the project lead. For larger projects, a dedicated game designer improves the quality of mechanics, progression, and player experience.
As early as possible, but realistically most small teams defer QA testing until alpha. For teams of 5+, a dedicated QA tester during production catches bugs before they compound. For any game heading to console, QA for certification compliance is essential.
Domi Online was built by a core team of four, including David Edgecombe as lead developer, Adam Kaye as senior Unity developer and Brinca as the project's network engineer, working alongside the client's game direction and community management team.
Yes. We provide senior Unity engineers on a co-development basis, from a single developer to a full squad. An embedded engineer is typically contributing to your project within 1 to 3 weeks of signing.

Fill the gap with senior Unity engineers

Co-development adds senior Unity engineers who work in your tools and your sprints, without the cost and delay of recruiting.

Tell us the roles you needCo-development options