Cost to Port a Game to PC
If you’ve been planning to create a new game, you probably have been wondering, ‘Approximately how much does it cost them to port it to PC?’ Well, the answer depends on the game’s sales potential, the console it was developed for, and the engine it’s running on. A fighting game that sells 35 copies on PC will make approximately $1M USD, while a console exclusive will cost a million dollars.
In general, a game that is originally developed for mobile devices will be harder to port to PC because of the limitations of PC-only engines. Even then, the process can be time-consuming and costly, and if the game’s engine is only compatible with a few platforms, it could take as many as two man-months for each system. This can easily put the cost of porting a game from mobile to PC between 80 and 150k.
https://pinglestudio.com/blog/porting/how-much-does-it-cost-to-port-a-game
Another consideration when figuring out how much a game should cost is whether it’s going to be a single-player game or a multiplayer game. Multiplayer games, which rely on online player interactions, typically cost more to port. In addition to the increased number of players, cross-platform support may be challenging to implement, especially if it requires an agreement with the console makers.
Approximately How Much Does it Cost Them to Port a Game to PC?
For example, Darkest Dungeon, which sold over a million copies on PC, has also done well on PC. The game was in Early Access before it was ported, and was still relatively new in the PSN store. The game was also relatively new on the PSN store when we last reported on it. This makes it a good candidate for porting to PC.
Ultimately, it’s a developer’s decision to decide whether it’s worth the effort to port a game to PC. For indie and AAA developers, a game’s success is most important, and porting should be done only if it will increase sales. Many games that have no potential for crossover success on a PC or console should not be ported.
Because game ports have become rare, developers have to follow a different process. Because the PC and PS4 share similar architectures, it makes it easier to port them. This process can cost as much as $4000 and take a long time. It’s also worth noting that a game developer’s license is unique, and that it’s important to ensure that the license they have is the right one.
