What's the best way to find a reliable game development company for outsourcing art, coding, or full-cycle development? I'm trying to figure out whether to go with a well-known studio or a smaller team with good reviews from indie developers.

Went with a smaller team last time - great reviews, but integration took months. Bigger studios have solid pipelines and project managers, yet they're expensive and rigid. Smaller ones give flexibility but lack bandwidth for scope changes. What worked was finding a studio with clear milestones and good communication. That experience taught me that mature game development outsourcing isn't about size - it's about how they handle version control, QA integration, and unexpected delays. Now I always ask about their crisis protocols and how they respond when something breaks at 2 AM. The real test isn't the logo on their site; it's whether they troubleshoot with you or just forward emails to another time zone.