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Video game outsourcing companies have become the backbone of modern game development. Whether it’s handling complex art pipelines, multiplayer engineering or full-scale co-development, external studios have helped to bring many of today’s biggest titles to life. From AAA blockbusters to indie hits, studios around the world now rely on specialised partners to meet deadlines and maintain a level of quality. But with so many outsourcing options available, which ones are best for you?
To help you find the best solution, we’ve rounded up the top 8 game development outsourcing companies - teams trusted by major publishers like Microsoft, Ubisoft, EA and Activision to deliver world-class results.
Virtuos Games
Virtuos is one of the most recognized names in game dev outsourcing (for good reason). Founded in 2004, the Singapore-based studio has grown into a global powerhouse with over 4,200 developers across Asia, Europe, and North America. Virtuos specializes in AAA co-development, art production and engineering - making it a trusted partner for major publishers like Ubisoft, 2K, and Square Enix.
From Horizon Forbidden West to Dark Souls Remastered and Halo Infinite, Virtuos has contributed to some of the most impressive games of the last decade. Their distributed model allows teams to collaborate across time zones efficiently, while their focus on scalability and quality ensures they can take on projects of any size. Virtuos delivers high-end solutions that rival any in-house team, making them a go-to name in game dev outsourcing.
Saber Interactive
Saber Interactive is a juggernaut in both full-scale game development and outsourcing. Saber has carved out a name as a studio that can handle everything from massive AAA productions to high-quality ports and remasters. With over 20 offices worldwide - including teams in the U.S., Spain, Sweden, and Russia - Saber is flexible and is great with large-scale collaboration.
Their portfolio includes The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition for next-gen consoles, Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Crysis Remastered, highlighting their strengths when working with complex legacy systems. For teams that need an experienced partner capable of handling large, multifaceted projects - Saber Interactive remains one of the most reliable video game outsourcing companies out there.
Iron Galaxy
Based in Chicago with additional offices in Orlando and Austin, Iron Galaxy has built a strong reputation with some of gaming’s biggest names. Their resume is stacked with projects such as Uncharted (Legacy of Thieves Collection), Skyrim, Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy and 7 Days to Die, among many others. What makes Iron Galaxy stand out is their collaborative approach - they’re not just an outsourcing team; they embed themselves into your workflow and treat your game like it’s their own. Whether it’s optimizing a AAA shooter or bringing a massive open-world RPG to handheld hardware, Iron Galaxy consistently delivers impressive technical results.
Skybox Labs
SkyBox Labs has carved out a reputation as one of the premier co-development studios in North America, partnering with some of the most powerful names in gaming, from Microsoft to Mojang. Based in Vancouver, they’ve played a key role in franchises like Halo Infinite, Minecraft, and Destiny.
Skybox is capable of handling critical systems like AI, gameplay engineering, and backend architecture. Beyond co-development, SkyBox also supports live operations and long-term content pipelines, helping studios maintain consistent quality across updates and platforms. They’re trusted to handle sensitive, large-scale IP because they’ve proven that they can deliver AAA reliability on a consistent basis.
Certain Affinity
Certain Affinity is one of the most respected support studios in the FPS space, known for its long-term partnerships with 343 Industries, Bungie, and Activision. Since its inception in 2006, the studio has contributed to titles like Halo, Call of Duty and Doom. The studio’s FPS expertise is so trusted that they’ve often led the design of entire multiplayer modes and systems for AAA franchises.
In recent years, they’ve also begun moving toward original IP, while maintaining a strong co-dev identity - showing how a trusted game dev outsourcing company can grow into a world-class game maker in its own right.
Sumo Digital
Sumo Digital is one of the UK’s biggest names in game development outsourcing, but calling them just a “support studio” doesn’t quite do them justice. Over the years, Sumo has evolved from a dependable co-development partner into a powerhouse capable of leading full-scale productions. They’ve worked on everything from Sackboy: A Big Adventure and Vampire The Masquerade to supporting Hogwarts Legacy and Forza Horizon 5.
With studios spread across the UK, India, Canada, and Poland, they can handle projects of almost any size or scope. Whether a publisher needs art outsourcing, design collaboration or entire end-to-end game production - Sumo’s global infrastructure and experience make them a go-to partner.
Sperasoft
Sperasoft is behind some of the biggest games of the past decade. They’ve contributed to games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla,Mass Effect Legendary Edition and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, to name a few. Their strength lies in large-scale co-development, helping AAA studios handle the technical and production-heavy challenges that come with blockbuster releases.
Many outsourcing studios focus mainly on art or asset creation, but Sperasoft is often brought in for core gameplay systems, backend services and engine-level work. Making them a great service for when your game needs serious technical adjustment or when your internal devs are stretched thin. They also have a reputation for tight integration with client teams, often embedding their staff directly into ongoing projects to ensure seamless collaboration. That’s part of what makes them a trusted partner for companies like Ubisoft, EA, and 343 Industries.
Keyword Studios
Keywords Studios is easily the biggest name in game development outsourcing - a global powerhouse network, covering everything from art and audio to programming, QA, localization, and player support. If there’s a stage in the game development pipeline, Keywords probably has it covered already. They’ve contributed to an enormous range of titles like Call of Duty, League of Legends and Fortnite. Whether you need a hand with audio development or an entire engineering department to handle a port, they will have the resources to help out.
Keywords Studios operates through semi-independent subsidiaries: meaning teams like Lakshya Digital, d3t, and Climax Studios all sit under the same umbrella, each bringing their own expertise to the table. For smaller studios, they can act as an extension of your team, letting you scale production safely without losing control of your vision.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the key when exploring game dev outsourcing companies is finding a partner that fits your game’s vision, budget, and production style best. In an industry where timelines are tight and player expectations are incredibly high, outsourcing has become a cornerstone of modern development: allowing small teams to compete on a global scale and giving big studios the flexibility to move faster than ever before.
Choosing the right partner is about finding a studio that understands your goals and can adapt to the way you work. From art and animation to full development pipelines, the right outsourcing studio might be the difference between a good game and a great one.
