In today’s fast-paced gaming industry, more and more companies are turning to co-development to bring their games to the finish line. How do you recognize a project that might require co-development? It’s usually a tight deadline, requires specific expertise that your in-house team doesn’t have, or is a fairly large project. In that case, co-development can unlock significant creative and technical potential.
At Melior Games, we’re proud to be a co-development partner for studios, publishers, and startups around the world. This article explains what co-development is, when to consider it, and how to make it a success.
🤝 What is co-development in game development?
Co-development is when two or more teams (usually studios) work together on a game project. It’s not outsourcing one part — it’s a joint effort to create a game as partners.
Unlike traditional outsourcing (where one team only does a specific task), co-development involves deeper integration, shared responsibility for the results, and more collaboration across all stages of development.
- Game Design
- Programming
- Art and Animation
- QA
- Development of Tools and Technologies
- Real-World Operations and Updates
Think of it as co-piloting a project, rather than handing over the reins to someone else.
💡 When co-development makes sense
You might consider co-development if:
✅ Your internal team is overwhelmed
Need more hands to meet your deadline? Development partners can easily step in.
✅ You lack specialized knowledge
Partnering brings in specialists. The larger the team, the more opportunities you have to bring in specialists in mobile interfaces, multiplayer networks, or Unity optimization.
✅ You are scaling a live game
Incorporating analytics, branching out to other platforms, or producing fresh content? You may do more with co-development without overburdening your core staff.
✅ You want to speed up development
Parallel teams = faster production. Split tasks and watch your development time optimize.
✅ You are building something ambitious
Additional leaders and hands are beneficial for AAA-quality graphics, intricate gameplay, and expansive open worlds.
🛠️ What Co-Development Looks Like in Practice
At Melior Games, a co-development partnership may include:
- Shared roadmaps and sprint planning
- Regular syncs and milestone checks
- Direct communication with leads and specialists
- Shared testing, feedback loops, and iterations
- Shared tools (Git, Jira, etc.) for transparent progress
We can collaborate on the main game or take complete responsibility for a module (such as level design, mobile porting, or backend) based on your demands.
🎯 Benefits of Co-Development
🧩 1. Fills Skill Gaps Without Long-Term Hiring
Hiring and onboarding talent takes time. A co-dev studio is ready to go today.
⏱️ 2. Faster Delivery
Two teams working in parallel result in shorter development cycles and faster time-to-market.
🔍 3. Fresh Creative Input
A second team brings new ideas, alternative solutions, and outside-the-box thinking.
💸 4. Cost Efficiency
Instead of growing your team in-house, you scale only when necessary. Pay for what you use—no long-term overhead.
🧠 5. Risk Reduction
Split responsibilities, mitigate production risks, and reduce the burden on your internal team.
⚠️ Common co-development pitfalls to avoid
Co-development, like any relationship, functions best when there are open lines of communication and clear expectations. Potential risks to avoid:
- Mismatched goals or unclear task allocation
- Poor communication channels
- Different pipelines or tools that don’t sync well
- No centralized version control or documentation
To avoid these problems from the beginning, Melior Games uses strong adoption procedures, shared platforms, and communication protocols.
📈 Real-world use case: Mobile game co-development success
Let’s say a studio is developing a mobile version of their hit PC game. Their team is busy with real-time updates, but they want fast and accurate adoption.
We do:
- Touch UX editing
- Performance optimization for Android/iOS
- App Store integration and submission
- Cross-platform sync features
- Ongoing testing and maintenance
The result? A successful mobile release that expands your audience without sacrificing your core team.
🕹️ Ready to co-create something great?
At Melior Games, we can not only create games but also act as game development assistants in collaboration with your team. Our experience in mobile and multiplayer games, as well as in development from pre-production to post-launch, will be extremely useful for your successful game. We are here to collaborate, not just deliver.
📩 Contact us today and let’s find out how co-development can make your project faster, smarter, and stronger.
