Hi everyone,
I’m nearing the end of development on a game I’ve been working on and nearly ready to release for Steam. I’m brand new to this process, but understand there is artwork to upload for what’s known as the Steam capsule.
I don’t want to do AI image generation. I’ve checked around Fiverr and it feels like a good chunk of the people there are either using AI for their finished results or not including everything I may need for the process and some have reviews stating they either took longer than advertised or didn’t provide everything as promised which are both concerning. Also, I’m unsure what is a fair price for this. The prices are widely ranged from $10 to $500, with different degrees of what’s included. Some of the higher end tiers don’t seem to include everything I might need from what I’ve read too, so I’m unsure on that too.
So I guess my three questions are:
- What exactly is needed (just for the Steam capsule) to include when publishing my game on Steam?
- What is a current fair price for someone doing this work?
- What are some good places to go to get quality work done for this? Potentially somewhere that enforces rules and ensures payment/results are met for both parties in an escrow-type of way.
A lot of this goes down to how quickly you need it. If you look around on Mastodon, you’ll find artists using tags like ‘#commissionsopen’ showing they’re available. You’ll be able to see their previous work so you can kind of find someone who has the style or vibes you’re looking for.
Price is going to be a huge range because it depends on how detailed it is, when you need it, etc. Most artists that do commissions will have general prices for their work laid out so you’ll have a rough idea for what they’ll charge.
You will want a fairly high res image (without the game title text, which you’ll add later as it may need to be moved around) because you’ll end up cropping and resizing it for other library assets, and for other store platforms if you decide to go down that route. (Also because Steam will sometimes add/change required images)
I can’t speak for all artists of course but I’d guesstimate you’re probably looking at ~$125 and 1-2 weeks for delivery. (though again, super dependent on what you’re looking for)
These are side jobs for most paid-by-commission artists, so you’ll have to be a little loose with expectations.
That makes sense. I didn’t take into account turnaround time versus cost on profiles, but that explains some of the higher costs.
- Steam lists the capsule requirements. Don’t over think it. The capsule isn’t what sells your game.
- A reasonable price would be up to the artist. I’d say $50-$100.
- You may be able to find artists on LinkedIn, DeviantArt, or Instagram. Ask them about payment methods.
Furthermore, Steam is going to require some 20 different images just to have it approved. All in different hyper-specific dimensions. Dont focus on one.
Thank you!
