Seropian: "We faced a lot of challenges that we expected (sourcing talent, training, managing approvals, and asset traffic), and then a few that we didn't expect -- like really having to help contractors create accurate bids. All in all, we learned quite a bit. Working with independent talent is core to our business."

In a creative field like game development, outsourcing production is something that in general doesn't quite sit well with me. However, it's always good to see independent studios succeed, and if outsourcing can keep operating costs low enough for a developer to stay afloat, then it's probably an option that's worthwhile in certain situations. And, hey, Stubbs is looking pretty good.