Why are more and more game companies outsourcing work, and what does that mean for those workers chasing stability and security in an industry that's now worth $75 billion?
Those are the questions posed by the Wall Street Journal, which reached out to a number of industry heavyweights to better understand why outsourcing is quickly becoming the new normal.
For many, it's about being able to manage work and cash flow effectively. Consulting firm Accenture PLC, a leading outsourced labor provider, says more companies are chasing what it calls a "liquid workforce" because it can be turned on and off as schedules chop and change.
It's a sentiment that's reiterated by Rocket League creator, Psyonix. Speaking to the WSJ, the studio's chief executive, Dave Hagewood says "the smaller we can be, the better."
Hagewood estimates that 40 or 50 of the 120 people working on the game are contractors -- at the very least, that means one third of the Rocket League dev team are third-party workers.
When you consider the scale of Rocket League's popularity and success -- the game made $110 million in revenue during its first year on sale and currently has around 25 million players -- that number takes on new meaning, and reveals how developers can achieve huge success while still staying small.
The full article is well worth a read, and pulls together more opinions from developers, publishers, academics, and contractors themselves.