Table of Contents
From epic battles to heart-racing adventures, the gaming industry has introduced various realms beyond an individual’s wildest imagination. The sector has come a long way. Starting with pixelated screens and bulky controllers, it has now evolved to immersive experiences and touchscreens.
But have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes? Who pulls the strings to ensure seamless gameplay?
Business process outsourcing (BPO) is essential to leveling up the gaming and entertainment markets. Third-party providers offer comprehensive support services and up-to-date resources at competitive pricing options.
Let us explore below how service providers drive the continued success of gaming companies.
When BPO Joins Gaming and Entertainment
You might ask what BPO’s role is in helping produce unique video games. The short answer is that the approach optimizes resources and gaming experiences. So, expect faster and more cost-efficient processes when outsourcing meets gaming and entertainment.
Hiring third-party teams to handle front- and back-office tasks lets you focus on your core competencies and projects. Service providers assist you in creating and delivering superior gaming products through the following functions:
Boost Game Development
Tapping into an outsourced gaming team fastens and improves game development procedures. The right BPO organization helps your company deliver gaming products on time and within budget.
Outsourcing also gives you immediate access to game developers specializing in desktop, mobile, and console games. However, you must specify the third-party skills needed to support your in-house team. This way, you can balance your resources, time, and task allocation.
For instance, if you lack a 3D graphics developer for a new game set to release within a week, you can immediately find one via outsourcing. You can hire a third-party expert and pay for their services hourly. Thus, BPO removes the need for comprehensive training.
Third-party vendors also allow you to employ professional game developers for a month- or year-long project using affordable BPO pricing models. Below are the usual service packages offered in game development.
- Fixed price. A third-party team fulfills project requirements and goals within set deadlines and approved funds.
- Time and material. This deal includes post-production support, such as game updates and improvements.
- Interactive collaboration. Vendors and clients exchange insights and work together in real time, monitoring progress and proposing changes while developing a new game.
Besides such skills and payment options, BPO companies use various advanced technologies to ensure smooth game development. The following tools boost game development, from conceptualization to programming and testing:
- Game engines (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine, and Godot)
- 3D modeling and animation (e.g., Autodesk Maya, Blender, and ZBrush)
- 2D art and animation (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, Aseprite, and Spine)
- Sound and music editors (e.g., Audacity, FL Studio, Wwise, and FMOD)
- Programming (e.g., Visual Studio, JetBrains Rider, and Sublime Text)
- Version control (e.g., Git, GitHub, and GitLab)
- Level design and world building (e.g., Tiled, World Machine, and Houdini)
- Testing and debugging (e.g., Unity Profiler and Visual Studio Debugger)
- Project management (e.g., Asana, Slack, and Microsoft Teams)
- UI/UX design (e.g., Adobe XD and Figma)
- Physics and simulation (e.g., NVIDIA PhysX)
Streamline Game Testing
Boosting game testing is another critical role of BPO in the gaming and entertainment sectors. Statista forecasts almost 3 billion gamers worldwide by 2027. So, you must ensure adequate testing of your game offerings; hiring a BPO vendor helps you achieve that.
Service providers perform game testing and quality assurance (QA) to help deliver a well-polished and bug-free game. They supply dedicated game testers and QA teams to identify and immediately resolve issues before launch.
Furthermore, third-party vendors source real users for beta testing. This final testing phase is vital to double- or triple-checking the game’s condition before general release. The action improves overall game stability, performance, and player satisfaction.
Lead Event Planning and Management
Letting a BPO company facilitate your esports event planning and management gives you sufficient time to prioritize your core gaming and entertainment functions. These primary efforts may include creating compelling content, focusing on players’ experiences, or ensuring your game is in good condition.
Service vendors can help minimize event interruptions by providing project managers with specialized skills and proficiency in up-to-date technologies and strategies. Here are a few ways project managers can limit disruptions:
- Handle event logistics, such as venue selection, equipment setup, and transportation.
- Determine and seek potential event sponsors and partners.
- Develop and implement comprehensive marketing strategies.
- Oversee online ticketing and registration processes for attendees, teams, and players.
- Lead content creation, including live streaming, video production, and photography.
- Manage community engagement efforts online or offline.
- Provide on-site support, such as setting up the event venue and configuring equipment.
- Perform post-event analyses to identify areas for improvement.
- Create crisis management techniques to address unexpected challenges.
Facilitate Monetization Strategies
BPO companies specializing in the gaming and entertainment sectors offer monetization support services. Research showed that nearly 3.2 billion gamers spent $196.8 billion in 2022.
These figures reflect that businesses encounter voluminous work. They need to optimize revenue generation while ensuring unmatched customer experiences. Hence, providers perform the following functions to help ease their monetization efforts:
- Study market trends, player preferences, and competitive pricing models.
- Identify effective monetization models, such as subscriptions and ad-based free-to-play.
- Help determine optimal pricing points for game packages and premium content.
- Design virtual game economies, including in-game currencies and item rarities.
- Oversee in-game stores to ensure well-categorized and well-priced items.
- Collect and analyze player behavior data to understand spending patterns.
- Handle inquiries and refunds related to in-game purchases.
- Ensure regulatory compliance, such as disclosure of in-game purchases.
- Provide support for continuous user engagement enhancements.
Improve Customer Service and Marketing
Collaborating with a BPO contractor helps enhance your customer support and marketing operations. Providers utilize highly skilled workers, automation tools, and robust measures to carry out these tasks:
- 24/7 consumer care powered by artificial intelligence (AI)
- Cloud-based omnichannel support
- Social media management
- Self-service support
- Game localization and translation support
- Player feedback analysis
- Offline and online advertising
- Influencer sourcing and collaboration
- Content creation and optimization
- Virtual community engagement
- In-game event promotion
Deliver Comprehensive Technical Support
Anticipate comprehensive technical assistance when contracting a BPO company to support your gaming and entertainment businesses. Third-party technicians use various remote access and AI-based tools to troubleshoot game issues even while working from home.
These professionals resolve technical game problems, including bugs, crashes, and connectivity issues. They guide users through installing and setting up game platforms. System maintenance and updates are also part of their responsibilities.
Most importantly, service vendors help strengthen your game’s security, especially if it has in-game purchasing features. According to reports, 384,224 gamers encountered malware and unwanted software from July 2021 to June 2022. To avoid such incidents, vendors should execute the security measures below.
- Data encryption
- Firewall protection
- Intrusion detection and prevention systems
- Biometrics and multi-factor authentication
- Security patching and updates
- Regular security and compliance audits
- Incident response planning and implementation
- Data backup and recovery
- Penetration testing
- Endpoint security
The Bottom Line
BPO’s role in the gaming and entertainment industries expands as the demand for smooth and exciting games increases. Service providers help streamline game development, testing, and monetization with their skilled workers and upgraded solutions.
Expect well-organized esports events when you entrust them to third-party teams. They also assist you in broadening your customer base and market reach. Part of a BPO company’s cost-effective support is to protect your game products and users.
Let’s connect if you want to learn more about how a service vendor can boost your gaming enterprise. Unity Communications houses diverse customer service agents, digital marketers, and finance workers. They proficiently use advanced solutions to help address your non-core requirements.
