How Much Does Metaverse Game Development Cost in 2024?

Why To Invest In Metaverse Gaming

The first question that might come to mind is, why invest a huge amount in the metaverse gaming app development?

Well, according to a report, the metaverse in the gaming market can draw a huge revenue of 22.7 billion USD by the end of the year 2023. This value is further predicted to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 39.3% during the forecasted period (2023-2028). This way it can reach a whopping 119.2 billion USD in 2028.

Another report reveals that the demand for metaverse gaming is expected to increase as AR and VR headsets become more and more popular. It is projected that 76.7 million AR and VR devices will be exported worldwide by 2024. By the end of 2024, it is anticipated that there will be 34 million VR headset installations worldwide, with at least 26 million headsets being sold each year.

Needless to say, these stats are enough to prove the future of the metaverse in gaming. Then why not go for it?

Factors That Influence The Cost of Developing Metaverse Game

Although developing a metaverse game is an exciting endeavor, it’s critical to comprehend the variables that affect its price. This will help you better understand your huge spending by unveiling the transparency.

Well, numerous factors are involved, ranging from the technology you employ to the size of your development team that decides the overall metaverse game development cost. So let’s take a closer look at each of these elements to see what influences the total price of developing a metaverse game.

1Technology and Infrastructure

Technology and infrastructure constitute a fundamental component of the metaverse. The metaverse continues to grow as state-of-the-art technologies become available over time. The metaverse game developers must optimize the game and verify that it supports various platforms and devices, as well as input methods and device-specific features, before enabling these technologies.

In addition to this, quality control and testing are carried out to guarantee that the hardware and software configurations are operating as intended. Needless to say, adding these advanced technologies to a game will come with a much higher price tag than just developing the game itself.

The tech stack for creating a metaverse game is listed as

• Blockchain

Blockchain technology is frequently utilized in metaverse games to protect ownership and transactional data of in-game items. Additionally, it has the potential to establish a decentralized virtual goods marketplace. Some of the popular blockchain platforms include Ethereum, EOS, and Tron.

• Cryptocurrency

The popularity of cryptocurrency is growing every day. Currently, some of the well-known cryptocurrencies used for game transactions include Ethereum and NFTs. Ethereum levies a nominal fee known as a gas fee in order to govern cryptocurrency transactions. Undoubtedly, faster transactions and increased security are something made possible by the gas fee itself.

Also Read: The Rise of Web3 Gaming: A Paradigm Shift in the Gaming Industry

• 3D Reconstruction

One of the key technologies in the metaverse for recreating realistic features in virtual space is three-dimensional reconstruction. High-end graphic processing software, game engines, and game development tools are needed to make this feasible. Additionally, creating 3D models requires more time and resources.

• AR/VR

With the use of AR and VR technologies, gamers can access the metaverse and enjoy an immersive gaming experience. These days, mixed reality, or MR, is taking the place of AR and VR technologies in the reality landscape. Moreover, future growth in this technology is anticipated to be even greater.

• Edge Computing

The computational obstacles that game developers face when creating metaverse games for mobile devices are being overcome by edge computing. With the aid of edge computing technologies, a metaverse game development company can create captivating metaverse games. But this demands more money and time to build because they are high-infrastructure technologies.

• 5G

We were able to solve a lot of the network and technological issues with the arrival of 5G. Now working with metaverse presented us with a number of network demands, including low buffering and high latency. Well, 5G is the answer to these problems as it is capable of delivering superfast bandwidth speeds and very low latency. It has maximized the experience of the virtual world.

• Game Engines

Game engines are software frameworks that offer the physics engines, graphics rendering, and artificial intelligence (AI) required to create games. Popular game engines like Godot, Unreal Engine, and Unity are used to create metaverse games.

2Hardware

Even simple metaverse games by themselves demand more powerful graphics processors and more storage space in terms of hardware. A high-end processor with 6GB VRAM, such as the NVIDIA RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT with an i7 or i9 core operating system and at least 16GB of RAM storage capacity, is required for an immersive gaming experience.

The game’s high-quality 3D graphics are rendered with the aid of powerful graphic processors. This requires you to adjust the graphics for various hardware configurations, which will have a big influence on overall metaverse game development costs.

Furthermore, the game must be optimized for VR/AR headsets if they are to be integrated. The compatibility of the device and platform must also be verified. Aside from this, the game must be optimized for sending sensory feedback if haptic devices like gloves, vests, or full-body suits are included.

While these gadgets are not essential components of a game, they do improve immersion and enable players to fully engage with the metaverse.

3Platform

The selected platform, whether it’s a PC, console, mobile device, or VR headset will ultimately determine the cost and complexity of developing metaverse games. Each platform has different requirements for development technology, tools, user interfaces, integration, resources, and other areas.

For example, creating a game for a virtual reality headset necessitates extensive 3D modeling and optimization, which raises the cost of building metaverse games. Depending on the high-end VR game development requirements, the approximate cost of VR game development can range from several thousand to millions of dollars.

4Type of Metaverse Game

The kind of game has a big impact on its development cost. Every kind of game has different demands, levels of difficulty, and other factors. You would have to pay more for games with intricate gameplay, huge open worlds, and lots of player interaction than for a lighthearted social game with straightforward interactions and mechanics.

To make it easy for you here is a cost breakdown in USD for various types of metaverse games

• Casual Mobile Game: $10,000 to $100,000
• Puzzle or Arcade Game: $20,000 to $200,000
• Platformer or Adventure Game: $50,000 to $500,000
• Simulation & Sandbox Games: $100,000 to $1 million
• MMORPG: $1 million or more
• Competitive Esports Games: $1 million or more

5Size of the Metaverse Game App Development Team

There is a need for a committed and certified group of metaverse game developers to produce state-of-the-art metaverse game app development solutions. A minimum team includes

• Independent Database
• Three to four full-stack developers with a focus on React.js and Node.js
• Certified UI/UX developers 
• One or two developers with expertise in CryEngine, Unreal Engine, and Unity3D
• Three to four proficient 3D Modelers with excellence in Blender and Max3DS
• One Developer of Decentralized Wallets
• One to two DApp Developers

Also Read-How Much Does it Cost to Develop the Metaverse Platform?

6Location Of The Metaverse Game Development Company

It is important to consider a developer’s or game development team’s location (country or region) when estimating costs. This variation in price is the outcome of variations in labor costs, overhead, taxes, and other factors. The locations of developers and their estimated development costs (based on average hourly rates) are listed below:

• North America (like the United States and Canada): $50 to $200 or more
• Western Europe (like the United Kingdom, and Germany): $40 to $150
• Eastern Europe (like Poland, Ukraine): $35 to $60
• Asia (like India, Philippines): $25 to $50
• South America (like Brazil): $25 to $60
• Middle East (like the United Arab Emirates): $40 to $100

7Security

Cybersecurity is a major concern when it comes to the metaverse. People who actively participate in virtual spaces and share personal information about themselves are vulnerable to identity theft, phishing, spoofing, and other cyberattacks. Therefore, one of the key things you must concentrate on when creating a metaverse game is making sure it’s safe and secure in the metaverse.

You must put in place specific cyber security measures in order to make sure of them, such as secure transactions, data privacy, authentication, fraud prevention, anti-cheat systems, security audits, and penetration testing. A specific portion of game development expenses goes toward shielding users from potential threats. In addition, legal requirements increase the cost of developing a metaverse game.

8Marketing and Distribution

You will need a strong marketing plan to make sure your metaverse game is a success. This means paying more for distribution across multiple platforms, promotion, and advertising. A reputed mobile game development company can offer guidance on successful marketing tactics.

Hidden Cost – You may have to spend 15% – 20% of the total metaverse game development cost annually on upgradation and maintenance to remain ahead of competitors.

How Much Does It Cost To Develop Metaverse?

The cost of metaverse game development varies according to the features. Despite the low prices associated with new technologies, a metaverse game remains an expensive project.

Having said that, given how quickly technologies are developing, it would take an inventive group of professionals to produce something truly special and one-of-a-kind which, of course, is not cheap.

Having said that, the average cost of developing a metaverse game can range anywhere from USD $25,000 to $400,000, contingent upon the different factors discussed earlier. Play-to-earn games in the metaverse that are currently in style include, Decentraland, Axie Infinity, Alien Worlds, and The Sandbox, and these all demand huge efforts and time which raises the cost too.

How Can Blocktunix Help You In Your Metaverse Gaming App Development Journey?

Blocktunix is one of the pioneers in metaverse game development services that offers cutting-edge metaverse games with state-of-the-art technology.

With a team of certified experts and in-depth knowledge of blockchain technology, we are able to provide users worldwide with an amazing gaming platform. Our metaverse game developers are experts at creating metaverse games for different blockchain networks, such as Cardano, Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Avalanche, and Binance Smart Chain (BSC).

We work with a variety of tools, including UNITY, UNREAL, PLAY CANVAS, COCOS2D, PHASER, COCOS2D-JS, PIXIJS, THREE.JS, PHOTON, CONSTRUCT, and so on, to give users a completely hassle-free gaming experience. Our metaverse experts worked tirelessly to create the greatest metaverse game possible, one that is well-developed and will entice both new and returning users to begin their vastly entertaining gaming journey on the platform. Blocktunix, a trailblazer in the metaverse sector, has spent years developing and utilizing cutting-edge technologies for the digital realm.

You just share your business idea and see how we mold it into something capable of attracting an audience and generating high ROI.