Established...Just Now...Right Then

So it's interesting that a report is necessary to determine that offshore outsourcing is "established" in the game industry. I think that's kind of like a report announcing that Sony, MS, and Nintendo have a lot of pull in the industry. I think a lot of people in the game industry have already been outsourcing, or trying to figure out when and where to do so. Outsourcing is a strategic business component, and not something that gets done willy nilly. I suppose it does get done willy nilly from time to time, but that's probably where a lot of the problems come from.

The game industry and game development as it's modeled itself right now isn't really good at outsourcing though, because that requires having some idea of what you need, want, and where you're going, which is a systemic problem in the industry. "I want that...no, that....I mean, that!" The rise of outsourcing could very well be a boon to developers in the industry hoping for better work conditions, as before outsourcing becomes as prevalent as the rest of the software industry, you're going to have to get a lot better at planning. If you need hands-on, highly flexible, local development, it's not going to work outside your company walls. I hate to break it to you.

GameDaily BIZ: Report: Outsourcing in Gaming Industry Established

"58% of respondents with outsourcing experience admitted that the process of offshore outsourcing was significantly harder than they had anticipated, while only 18% found it much easier than they expected," said Gunjan Bagla, Principal of the Game Industry Practice at Amritt. "It's reasonable to add new vendors due to capacity issues as 19% of our respondents did, or to reduce risk, as another 15% of respondents reported. But disappointments over quality and schedule indicate systemic issues."