Staff Augmentation for Game Development | Nine Pixels
Engagement Model

Your Team. Extended Instantly.

Pre-vetted game developers who join your existing team, work in your tools, and follow your process: available within 72 hours. You direct the work; we handle contracts and payroll.

TEAM INTEGRATION
👥
Your Internal Team
Existing developers
+
Nine Pixels Developer
Joins your tools & process
72hr
72hr
To start
None
Min term
2wk
Notice
What Is Staff Augmentation?

Your Team, Instantly Extended.

Staff augmentation places individual pre-vetted developers directly into your team. They use your Slack, access your repositories, attend your standups, and follow your sprint process.

This is the fastest model, most developers start within 72 hours. Ideal for filling a skill gap, ramping up for a milestone, or adding capacity without a full team build.

Filling a specific skill gap

You need a Unity developer, 3D artist, or QA engineer for a defined period. Staff aug delivers that skill without a permanent hire.

📈
Milestone ramp-up

Your team needs extra capacity for a launch or crunch phase. Add resource for 6–12 weeks, then release.

🎮
Existing team, existing process

You have internal developers with established tools. A staff aug developer slots into that structure without disrupting it.

🔍
Testing before permanent hire

Want to see a developer work in your codebase before committing? Staff aug is a natural trial period.

How It Works

Instant Capacity From Day One

Designed to minimise friction and maximise contribution speed.

72-Hour Start

Most developers start within 72 hours of engagement confirmation. No weeks of recruitment.

👥
Your Tools & Process

Developers join your Slack, access your Git, attend your standups, follow your sprint process. Zero disruption.

📈
Day-Rate Transparency

Simple transparent day-rate billing. No hidden fees, no overhead charges.

Pre-Vetted Network

Every developer passed our four-stage vetting: portfolio, technical test, live interview, trial engagement.

🔄
Scale Up or Down

Add developers, extend, or release with two weeks’ notice. No long-term commitment required.

👔
Permanent Hire Option

If a developer is a great fit, convert to permanent hire with a one-time conversion fee.

How It Works

How It Works

From brief to building in 72 hours.

📝1
Submit a Brief

Role, tech stack, seniority, start date. The more detail the better.

🔍2
Shortlist in 72hrs

2–3 pre-vetted candidate profiles within 72 hours. Review portfolios and choose who to interview.

💬3
Interview & Select

Interview candidates directly or let us facilitate. You decide who joins.

4
Start Building

Developer joins your Slack, accesses your repo, attends your first standup.

📈5
Scale as Needed

Extend, add more, or release with two weeks’ notice.

Why Nine Pixels

Staff Aug Through Nine Pixels

What makes us different from a generic recruiter.

🎯
Game-Specific Vetting

Our vetting is done by game developers. We know the difference between someone who’s shipped and someone who’s done tutorials.

72-Hour Guarantee

Shortlist within 72 hours of a complete brief. If we can’t, we tell you immediately.

💰
No Placement Fees

Transparent day rates. No 15–25% annual salary finder’s fee.

📈
Flexible & Fair

Scale up, down, or exit with two weeks’ notice. No penalties, no minimums.

Client Testimonials

What Our Clients Say

Trusted by studios, publishers & brands across the UK, Europe, and beyond.

Mobile Game

Nine Pixels delivered our mobile game on time and on budget. Their Unity team was exceptional, they anticipated problems before they became blockers and the quality of the final product exceeded everything we had scoped. We’re already in talks for our next title.

RH
Rob Hartley
CEO, Ironforge Studios · London, UK
Hyper Casual

We brought Nine Pixels in to build our hyper casual title. Best call we made on that project. The team knew exactly what they were doing and we shipped two months ahead of schedule.

KO
Karen O'Brien
Head of Production, Apex Interactive · Manchester
Dedicated Team

The dedicated team model was perfect for us. Nine Pixels assigned us developers, a 3D artist, and a QA lead, they felt like an extension of our own studio from day one. Our game hit 500K downloads in the first week of launch.

AK
Ahmed Khan
Founder, NovaByte Games · Dubai, UAE
WebGL

Nine Pixels built our WebGL game from the ground up, browser optimisation, game economy, cross-platform support, everything. Their expertise across both Unity and web deployment is rare. Huge commercial success and we’re building a sequel together.

TN
Tom Nakamura
Co-founder, PlayForge Labs · Singapore
Co-development

What sets Nine Pixels apart is that they think like game developers, not contractors. They pushed back when our design decisions would have hurt the player experience: and they were right every time. Our retention metrics are the best we’ve ever seen across 12 titles.

LF
Luca Ferrara
VP Product, Stormgate Entertainment · Milan
Staff Augmentation

We needed senior Unity developers urgently mid-project. Nine Pixels had them onboarded and contributing within 72 hours. Their talent pool is genuinely impressive and the communication was flawless throughout. We’ll use them again without hesitation.

CD
Claire Dubois
CTO, PixelPulse Studios · Toronto, Canada
FAQ

Staff Aug FAQs

Common questions about staff augmentation for game development.

How quickly can a developer actually start?+
For available developers: 72 hours from contract signing to first standup. Some have notice periods of 1–2 weeks. We always confirm availability before shortlisting.
Do we interview candidates first?+
Absolutely. You review profiles, then interview whoever you want. You never commit until you’re satisfied.
What if the developer isn’t working out?+
Release with two weeks’ notice. We find a replacement immediately and provide a handover at no extra cost.
How is billing structured?+
Day-rate, invoiced weekly or monthly: your preference. Agreed before engagement, no hidden fees.
Can we hire them permanently?+
Yes, with a one-time conversion fee. Significantly less than a traditional recruiter’s placement fee.
Do developers work in our time zone?+
We match on time zone as part of the brief. For real-time collaboration we prioritise 4+ hours of daily overlap.
Start in 72 Hours

Ready to Extend Your Team?

Submit a brief and we’ll send you a shortlist within 72 hours.

Extend Your Team See Our Work