Airship vs. The Alternatives

An honest look at how working with Airship compares to traditional outsourcing and in-house hiring. We believe transparency builds trust.

vs. Traditional Outsourcing

How we compare on the things that matter.

Typical OutsourcerAirship

Team QualityVariable quality. Often subcontracted to junior artists with limited oversight.Named, senior artists assigned to your project. Tech art-led crews with 10+ shipped credits average.

Pipeline IntegrationAssets delivered in generic formats. Integration burden falls on your internal team.We work inside your engine, your naming conventions, your scene structure. Zero handoff friction.

CommunicationAccount managers relay messages. Feedback loops are slow and lossy.Direct access to your art crew. Daily standups, shared Slack channels, weekly reviews.

Quality AssuranceQA is an afterthought. Rework cycles eat your timeline.QA baked in at every milestone. Style guides, reference matching, and approval gates before batch production.

ScalabilityScaling means finding new vendors. Each new team means new onboarding, new risks.From 2 artists to 40+ person crews. Scale within a single, trusted partnership.

ReliabilityDeadlines slip. Priorities shift to whoever pays more. No accountability.98% on-time delivery across 200+ titles. Your deadlines are our deadlines, non-negotiable.

People & CultureArtists are disposable resources. High turnover means inconsistent quality.We develop brilliant people. Low turnover, invested crews, artists who grow with your project.

Technical ExpertiseArt-only focus. Technical problems become your problem.Tech art-led production. Shaders, performance, rigging, pipelines, all covered.

vs. Hiring In-House

Sometimes in-house is right. But for production peaks, specialist needs, and sustainable scaling, there's a better way.

In-HouseAirship

Cost StructureSalaries, benefits, office space, equipment, HR overhead. Fixed cost regardless of workload.Pay for production capacity when you need it. No overhead between projects.

Hiring Speed3-6 months to hire, onboard, and ramp a senior artist. Longer for specialists.Shortlist in 24 hours. Onboarded and producing within 2 weeks.

Layoff RiskHire for peak, lay off after launch. Devastating for culture, costly for reputation.Smooth wind-down. Nobody gets fired. Your core team stays intact.

SpecialisationGeneralists cover gaps. Finding a groom specialist or Niagara expert takes months.Immediate access to deep specialists. Hair, VFX, tech art, cinematics, ready now.

FlexibilityLocked to your headcount. Can't pivot quickly when priorities shift.Flex on demand. Add 5 environment artists this month, 3 character artists next.

When we're not the right fit

We believe in transparency. Airship might not be right for you if:

You need the absolute lowest cost per asset (we optimise for quality and reliability, not race-to-the-bottom pricing)

Your project needs fewer than 5 assets total (our minimum engagement is designed for meaningful scope)

You want to manage individual freelancers directly (we provide managed teams, not body-shopping)

Sound like what you need?

Let's have an honest conversation about your project and whether we're the right fit.