What is Unity (previously Unity 3D)?
Freecodecamp defines Unity as a cross-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies, which is primarily used to develop video games and simulations for computers, consoles, and mobile devices.
First announced only for OS X, at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in 2005, Unity has since been extended to target 27 platforms. Simply put, Unity is a multipurpose game engine that supports 2D and 3D graphics, drag and drop functions, and scripting through C#.
Growth of The Usage Of Unity 3D Development
Unity's growth can be termed as disruptive innovation. While most game software engines targeted the bigwig game makers in the console and PC markets, Unity catered to the massive untapped market of independent developers with a less dynamic product that was better suited to their needs and budget.
Today, Unity is popular among mobile game developers since nearly half of the world’s games are built with it. The size of the global gaming market has exploded from $27 billion to $135 billion, driven by the rise of mobile gaming, which Unity now comprises the majority of.
Unity is growing in popularity as it is increasingly being used for 3D design and simulations across various industries like film, automotive, and architecture and is now used to create 60% of all augmented and virtual reality experiences. The mammoth rise of Unity development is the reason why your business should consider hiring Unity developers.
According to Lindsay Schardon, game developer and Zenva contributor: “Unity is definitely one of the most popular game engines being used today – particularly in the indie game development spheres.”
Why is Unity 3D Development so Popular?
Unity development has become a popular platform among game developers mainly because:
- Unity gives developers just about everything they need to build games in one package.
- game developers regard Unity as the most widely used and fastest-growing game development platform available today. Worldwide Unity comprises over a 45% share of the full feature game engine market.
- It significantly reduces the complexity of game code thereby increasing developer comfort and capability because it’s based on the high-level programming language C#.
- Is super fast in terms of development speed.
- Reaches over 600 million gamers all over the world.
Companies That Hire Unity Developers
Several famous games in the likes of "Fallout Shelter," "Temple Run," "Monument Valley," "Battlestar Galactica Online," "Assassin's Creed: Identity" and "Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft" are made with Unity.
Unity clientele includes Cartoon Network, Coca-Cola, Disney, Electronic Arts, LEGO, Microsoft, NASA, Nexon, Nickelodeon, Square, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. From large enterprises and small brands to independent professionals, more and more developers are moving to Unity.
| What is Unity used for? | Developing video games, Creating virtual and augmented reality experiences, Developing 3D visualizations and simulations for architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries. |
| Advantages: | Cross-Platform Compatibility, Powerful Game Engine and Tools, Large and Supportive Community |
| Disadvantages: | Learning Curve, Performance Challenges, Potential Licensing Costs |
| Related programming languages: | C#, JavaScript, Boo |
| Freelancers average hourly rate: | Average of around $44 per hour, depending on factors such as skill lever, experience, location and complexity of the project. |
| Where to hire? | Freelance marketplaces, talent platforms, outsourcing firms, development communities, Unity-specific job boards |
Advantages and Challenges of Unity Development for Businesses
Advantages:
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Unity engine offers extended support to 27 platforms making it the preferred choice for most game developers.
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Unity apps and games can be easily shared between PC, web, and mobile platforms.
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Debugging and tweaking are much easier with Unity game development because all the game variables are showcased during gameplay.
Challenges:
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The most obvious disadvantage is that Unity doesn’t allow developers to start from a foundation or a template. The developer has to code and implement all the details to start from scratch for each game.
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Unity lags when it comes to graphics and lacks a wide range of capabilities for creating visually attractive graphics. Unity supports high-quality graphics and makes the visuals adaptable on every screen and device without any distortion.
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Unity developers need to purchase expensive licenses to access the best graphics, deployment, and performance improvements.
What Is a Unity Developer?
Freelancercamp describes Unity Developers as those who work with Unity – a runtime and development environment for games or a game engine. The majority of Unity products are generally geared at gaming platforms such as PC, game consoles, mobile devices, and web browsers.
However, Unity developers are not limited only to building games. Unity developers are foraying into several industries such as medicine, automotive, and aeronautical engineering that are employing Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality tools based on the Unity environment.
How To Hire A Great Unity 3D Developer?
Essentially, there are three different options for hiring a Unity developer:
- Full-Time : Hiring a full-time Unity developer is wise if you are in the business of building games and virtual reality or augmented reality solutions that require a dedicated Unity resource.
- Part-Time: Hiring part-time Unity developers is wise when you do not require a dedicated person to build or maintain games or other solutions.
- Freelance Unity3D developers: Freelance Unity developers are good at troubleshooting game issues or building solutions. Freelance Unity developers do offer the advantage of cost-efficiency as compared to full-time or even part-time hires.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Unity Developer?
The rates to hire a Unity developer can vary due to several factors like level of expertise and past experience, geography, and market conditions.
While an experienced Unity 3D developer who has better experience and expertise and may work faster will command higher fees. On the other hand, a novice Unity developer who is still setting up his presence and building his clientele may charge more competitively.
According to Upwork, rates typically charged by Unity 3D developers are:
- Beginners: $15 per hour
- Intermediate: $32 per hour
- Advanced: $75 per hour
Essential Skills Required as a Unity Developer
Freelancercamp has put together the perfect list of essential skills that every Unity developer must possess:
- Excellent knowledge of Unity, including experience with scripting, textures, animation, GUI styles, and user session management
- C# programming skills to write Scripts
- Familiarity with level design and planning
- Knowledge of game physics and particle systems
- Experience with mobile and console game development
- Ability to optimize memory and space usage for support of older hardware
- Experience with 3D / 2D development
- Experience with Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality
- Strong understanding of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and Data-Oriented Programming
- Experience using the Entity Component System (ECS)
- Familiarity with current design and architectural patterns
- A knack for writing clean, readable, and easily maintainable code
- Experience in implementing automated testing platforms and unit tests
- Knowledge of code versioning tools (Git)
Why Hire a Unity Developer?
As one of the most popular game engines, Unity 3D has many cutting-edge features for cross-platform game development. Unity uses C# programming language and API, with built-in Visual Studio integration. Unity also has JavaScript and other alternatives to VisualStudio. Many developers prefer Unity3D for game development because many artists enjoy also building within it as well for a top-notch gaming experience.
Finding a Unity developer or contracting with a game development company isn't always as simple as it sounds. There are many different skills needed for game development, from AI, to Vuforia augmented reality, to lighting to engine development, and it's important that you hire someone with the right skills.
Firstly, despite its name, Unity 3D games can be made in 3D, 2D, and 2.5D. 3D is often more complex and deals with advanced features like physics and 3D models. You want your Unity developer to be familiar with the assets. Make sure you choose someone proficient in Unity 3D or Unity 2D, depending on the type of game you're planning.
Also, make sure that you hire someone who has experience with mobile game development, console, or PC depending on what platform you're creating your game for.
When using Unity, you're bound to pick up a wide range of technical skills. If you're creating a very small game, you may not need specialists for each part of the game development. If a game developer profile doesn't specify them as a level designer, lighting engineer, etc., or they have multiple skills listed, they're probably a generalist. In your hiring process, make sure they have the skills you require.
A UI/UX designer creates the interface for your game or app. This is crucial as a bad UI makes a game that's frustrating or annoying to play. Finding a good UI/UX designer may be difficult as it combines knowledge of art and programming languages.
A level designer uses 2D or 3D assets to create compelling and interesting levels. It's useful to have a level designer whether you're making a puzzle game or an open-world RPG -- but the two are very different, so check that they have a similar experience.
Familiarize yourself with the process, so you can hire Unity 3D developer that fit your business needs.
Where To Hire a Unity3D Developer?
Platforms like Toptal make for a great choice to hire unity developers because every developer is vetted by the hiring platform. However, several other platforms like Upwork, Arc, Fiverr, Freelance.com, Guru, etc. make for promising alternatives too.
Ultimately, which sites you employ depends on a multitude of factors, such as:
- How quickly you need to hire Unity 3D developers and how they fit in your development team
- How much experience you have hiring developers
- Whether or not you're equipped to test technical skills for Unity 3D development
- How many developers you need to bring on
- The years of experience those video game developers need
- Whether or not you're open to freelance game developers of if you need to contract with a game development company
- What your budget constraints are
- How important quality is for your Unity 3D game development and project management
Hiring Unity developers - FAQ
- What is the difference between Unity and Unity 3D?
- Unity is ideal for developers with computers that do not support 3D-accelerated graphics. Factually speaking, Unity-2D is almost exactly the same as its 3D counterpart, albeit without the attractive graphics and overall look. You can create 2D and 3D content separately using the Unity game engine. Unity can include 2D and 3D elements in the same project or enable a 3D game to simulate a 2D view in 2.5D.
- What programming language is used in Unity?
- Unity developers use C#, a hybrid of Javascript, and BOO which has a similar syntax to Python.
- What is Unity used for?
Unity is used to build 2D and 3D games. It is very versatile as a cross-platform services, giving the developers an opportunity to build for mobile, console or desktop.