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Ocean View Games
Senior engineers, direct access, honest advice

Senior engineers, direct access, honest advice

Work directly with the senior Unity engineers responsible for your game. When a project needs more, we bring in specialists we've worked with before, and the core team stays accountable.

Send us a briefHow we work

  • Direct access to engineers

    You speak directly with the senior engineers building your project. Technical questions go straight to the people who can answer them.

  • Clear costs up front

    Every proposal sets out costs against milestones before work starts. Changes to the agreed scope are quoted separately, so nothing arrives unannounced on an invoice.

  • Honest advice

    We'll push back on a brief that won't work, and say so if we're not the right fit, even when that means pointing you elsewhere.

What clients say happened

Domi Online

What started as a code review led to us becoming the project's core engineering partner, covering gameplay systems, multiplayer architecture and backend infrastructure.

Read the case study →

Bookwood, GamerCat Studio

We built the core Unity architecture and a content pipeline that delivers new stories on demand without enlarging the base install.

Read the case study →

Embedded game development

Domi Online project
“I can say with full confidence there would be no Domi Online without their expertise.”
Read full quote
“Initially hired David to review code for the game at a very early stage and was blown away by his abilities and after a round with the board we hired David as lead developer for the project. He brought with him other developers who also did great work and I can say with full confidence there would be no Domi Online without their expertise.”

Pellek

Creative Director / Co-Founder, Domi Online

Game development and delivery

Bookwood project

“It was a pleasure working with Adam and David on Bookwood. The game would literally not exist without them! It's rare to find people who are both so friendly and so professional.”

James

Technology Lead, GamerCat Studio

Client quotations are excerpts. Read the full client feedback.

Freelancer, offshore, hire or us?

How Ocean View Games (OVG) compares with the four real alternatives. Figures are UK-indicative. We compare categories, not named companies.

Ocean View Games compared with a freelancer, an offshore agency, an in-house hire and a mixed-experience studio
DimensionOVGFreelancerOffshore agencyIn-house hireMixed-experience studio
Time to start1 to 3 weeksDays2 to 6 weeks2 to 6 months1 to 3 weeks
Senior engineers on the projectSenior technical leadership throughoutDepends on the individualTeam composition and senior access varyYes once hiredA mix of senior and junior engineers
Time zone overlap (UK)FullVariableOften 0 to 3 hoursFullVariable
Communication channelDirect to the engineersDirectUsually via an account or project managerDirectUsually via a project manager
Intellectual property (IP) handoverClean, contract-definedRisk depends on contractVariableN/A (your IP)Variable
Scaling the delivery teamTrusted contractor and specialist network, added deliberately rather than instantlyLimitedLarge pools of capacitySlow (hiring)Larger standing team
Organisational layersFew. You talk to the senior coreNoneMore layers between you and the codeYour own structureManagement layer above the delivery team
Best forSenior-led delivery on complex projects, scaled to fitTightly scoped pieceworkVolume production where time zone and seniority are negotiableLong-term core teamLarger production scopes

OVG vs hiring a freelancer

When a freelancer is the right answer

  • You have a tightly scoped, well-defined task (a specific bug, a specific feature)
  • You can manage the engagement yourself and don't need a peer reviewer
  • The work doesn't depend on architectural decisions that affect the wider codebase
  • You're comfortable with single-person risk (illness, holiday, disappearance)
  • Budget is the dominant constraint

When OVG is better

  • The work needs architectural judgement, not just execution
  • You want senior engineers cross-reviewing each other's code
  • You need someone to push back when a brief is wrong
  • Project continuity matters across multiple months
  • IP and contract structure need to survive due diligence

OVG vs offshore agency

When an offshore agency is the right answer

  • Volume production where seniority of every engineer doesn't matter
  • Art, animation, level design, asset production where the work is well-specified
  • Price is a dominant constraint and time zone is genuinely workable for you
  • The team you're hiring has a strong track record in your specific genre

When OVG is better

  • The project needs UK or EU time zone overlap
  • You want the engineers who'll write the code to be in the same conversations as the buyers
  • Architecture, performance, or platform compliance are critical
  • Communication overhead has cost you time on previous outsourced engagements
  • You're shipping for a UK or EU audience and cultural fit matters

OVG vs in-house hire

When in-house is the right answer

  • You're building a long-term studio, not a project
  • You want institutional knowledge that compounds over years
  • You have the runway to wait 2 to 6 months for the right hire and 6+ months for them to be productive
  • You have engineering management capacity to support the role
  • The work is core to your business and you want to own it deeply

When OVG is better

  • You need to start now, not in three months
  • You're not sure yet whether you need a permanent role
  • You want senior judgement on the project without senior management overhead
  • The work has a clear endpoint and doesn't justify permanent headcount
  • You want to test what "good" looks like before defining the in-house role

OVG vs a mixed-experience studio

When a mixed-experience studio is the right answer

  • The project needs a broader team with defined roles and responsibilities
  • You need a mix of experience levels across a larger production team
  • You have technical leadership in place to guide delivery

When OVG is better

  • The project needs experienced technical judgement
  • You need engineers who can own technical decisions and delivery
  • The cost of getting it wrong (delayed launch, missed certification, technical debt) exceeds the rate difference
  • You want direct conversations with the engineers making the decisions

When we're not the right fit

We'd rather tell you now than halfway through a project.

  • You need a large team immediately. Our specialist network takes time to plan in, so a 20-person team next week isn't something we offer.

  • Art direction is the main need. We specialise in engineering. We can work alongside your art team or an art partner.

  • You need console certification. We haven't shipped a console title, so we assess these requests case by case and will point you to a specialist if that's better for you.

  • The budget doesn't match the scope. We'll suggest a smaller first phase, such as a Rapid Audit or Paid Scoping, rather than over-promise.

  • The project is outside what we take on. We don't take on NSFW content, real-money gambling, social casino, or equity or revenue-share deals.

Common questions

A senior freelancer can be a good fit when you need an individual specialist. OVG offers a small engineering team with shared knowledge of your project and continuity across development. Our core team reviews each other's work, giving you another experienced perspective on technical decisions.
Yes. We have a small senior core team and can scale delivery through a trusted network of contractors and specialists we have already worked with on real projects. Depending on the engagement, additional engineering, backend, art, user interface and user experience design, audio or quality assurance expertise can be brought in while we retain technical leadership and accountability. Ramping takes planning rather than a phone call, and we will never silently swap in someone you have not been introduced to.
We offer both, plus monthly retainers for LiveOps. Which one fits depends on how well-scoped the work is. See how we work for the engagement options and what each includes.
We will tell you why, in plain terms, and where possible point you to a category of partner that fits better (a larger work-for-hire studio, an art-led team, an offshore production house). We'd rather lose a deal than take work we can't deliver well, so the no is the same answer you would want from any partner you trust.
It depends on the scope, platforms and how much wider production is needed, so we quote each project after the discovery call. Development projects start from £5,000, and our standard delivery rate is £500 per day per engineer, based on a 7-hour billable day. Technical audits and advisory work are £750 per day, and our fixed-price Rapid Audit is £1,250, delivered in 2 working days. All prices exclude VAT. Offshore agencies typically charge £150 to £300 per day; the trade for the lower rate is some combination of seniority on your project, time zone overlap and direct access to the people writing the code. For some projects that trade is worth it, and for others it is not.
Once the contract is signed and the deposit has been paid. We agree a start date with you as part of the proposal.
Yes. Our engineers can work in your repositories, task tracker and sprints, or fill a gap while you recruit. See co-development.