Create Stealth Games That Keep Players Coming Back
Transform your stealth concept into an arcade experience where tension and reward keep quarters flowing. Perfect timing, smart design, and mechanics that make players think before they act.
Back to HomeWhat Stealth Development Brings You
Games Players Actually Want to Master
Your stealth game will give players the satisfaction of outsmarting systems rather than just reflexes. They'll keep feeding quarters because each attempt feels like they're getting closer to the perfect run.
Mechanics That Create Stories
Players will talk about their close calls and clever escapes. The emergent gameplay creates memorable moments that feel unique to each attempt, building the kind of word-of-mouth every arcade game needs.
Balanced Difficulty That Hooks
We'll craft visibility systems and patrol patterns that challenge without frustrating. Players who stick with your game will improve steadily, creating the satisfying learning curve that keeps arcades profitable.
Quick Sessions with Deep Replayability
Arcade sessions run between two and six minutes, but the multiple approaches and risk-reward decisions mean players will want to try different strategies. More attempts means more revenue per location.
You'll launch with a stealth game that respects player intelligence while delivering the quick-play format arcade operators need. The result is a title that earns its place on the floor and keeps earning.
The Challenge With Stealth in Arcades
Stealth Usually Means Slow
Traditional stealth games reward patience and methodical play, but arcade economics demand faster session times. You need mechanics that create tension without requiring players to crouch behind crates for five minutes.
Visibility Systems Get Complicated
Good stealth needs clear feedback about when players are hidden and exposed. But arcade screens are viewed from odd angles, controls are unfamiliar, and players might be trying your game for the first time. If they can't immediately understand why they got caught, they won't try again.
Balancing Challenge and Accessibility
Your game needs to feel achievable to first-timers while offering enough depth for repeat players. Too easy and there's no reason to improve. Too hard and quarters dry up after the first frustrating attempt.
Creating Meaningful Choices Under Pressure
The best stealth games let players choose their approach, but arcade time pressure means those choices need to feel significant quickly. You're balancing freedom with urgency, and that balance determines whether players lean in or walk away.
These aren't problems you solve by copying what works in home games. Arcade stealth needs specific design decisions that respect both the player's time and your business model.
Our Approach to Arcade Stealth
Compressed Tension Cycles
We design visibility systems with faster state changes than traditional stealth. Guard patrol patterns cycle every 20-30 seconds instead of minutes, creating multiple decision points per session. This keeps the tension high while respecting arcade time constraints.
Players get the stealth experience - planning routes, timing movements, managing risk - but condensed into two-to-six-minute sessions that feel complete rather than rushed.
Clear Visual Feedback Systems
Your game will use color coding, icon states, and position indicators that work from any viewing angle. When a guard spots the player, it's immediately obvious why. When they're safely hidden, they know it.
We test readability across different display types and viewing distances during development. Players shouldn't need tutorials to understand when they're visible.
Multiple Viable Approaches
Each level offers at least three distinct paths with different risk-reward profiles. Cautious players can take longer, safer routes. Aggressive players can attempt quicker, riskier shortcuts. Both approaches feel valid and rewarding.
This creates natural replayability. Players who complete a level using one strategy will want to try others, and the game accommodates both careful planning and bold improvisation.
Escalating Alert States
Rather than instant failure when spotted, we implement alert phases that give skilled players escape opportunities. A guard who notices something suspicious doesn't immediately trigger game over - instead, players have a brief window to break line of sight or use distractions.
This makes the difference between frustration and excitement. Players feel like they earned their escapes through skill rather than just getting lucky with timing.
Score Multipliers for Smart Play
We add scoring systems that reward stealth mastery beyond just completion. Perfect runs without alerts earn higher multipliers. Collecting optional objectives while staying hidden adds bonus points. Using distractions effectively increases score chains.
This gives advanced players goals beyond finishing levels, extending the game's appeal as their skills develop and creating competition for high scores.
Working Together on Your Stealth Game
Starting Point: Your Vision and Our Experience
We begin with a detailed conversation about your stealth concept. What's the setting? What should players feel when they're successfully hidden versus caught? What makes your take on stealth different from other arcade games?
You'll leave the first meeting with documentation outlining how we'll adapt your vision for arcade play, including preliminary thoughts on visibility mechanics, level structure, and control schemes.
Prototype Phase: Testing Core Feel
Within three weeks, you'll have a playable prototype focusing on the stealth mechanics. This isn't polished visuals - it's functional gameplay testing whether hiding, spotting, and evading feel right.
We'll iterate on this prototype based on your feedback and our playtesting observations. Most projects go through 4-6 prototype versions before we're satisfied with the core mechanics.
Level Design and Balancing
Once mechanics feel solid, we build out levels and test them with players who haven't seen the game before. Their first-time experience tells us what's intuitive and what needs better feedback.
You'll receive weekly builds with new levels as we develop them. We adjust patrol patterns, hiding spot placement, and objective locations based on actual play data rather than assumptions.
Polish and Arcade Testing
The final phase adds visual polish, audio feedback, and screen elements that communicate game state clearly. We test the game in actual arcade conditions - varying noise levels, different lighting, players who walk up mid-session.
Before delivery, the game will have been tested by at least 50 different players across various skill levels. You'll receive documentation covering known player behaviors and suggested operator settings.
Post-Launch Support
After delivery, we provide 60 days of adjustment support. If operators report that difficulty needs tweaking or players are exploiting unintended strategies, we'll work with you to address these issues through updates.
You're not left figuring things out alone. We've seen how stealth games perform in locations, and we'll help you interpret early operator feedback.
Investment and What's Included
Complete Stealth Game Development
Core Development
- Custom visibility system with clear feedback
- 8-12 levels with multiple approach paths
- Patrol AI with predictable patterns
- Alert state system with escape opportunities
- Distraction mechanics for tactical play
- Score multiplier system rewarding stealth
Testing and Support
- Difficulty modes from beginner to expert
- 50+ player playtesting sessions
- Arcade environment testing
- 60 days post-launch adjustment support
- Operator documentation and setup guide
- Weekly progress updates during development
Why This Investment Makes Sense
The price reflects actual development time for stealth mechanics that work in arcade settings. We're not building a home console experience - we're crafting something that needs to hook players in seconds and keep them engaged for minutes.
Stealth requires more iteration than reflex-based games because the feedback systems need to communicate complex information instantly. The extra testing time is factored into the price.
Consider the alternative: hiring developers without arcade experience who'll need months to understand why their implementations don't work on location floors. The iterations we've already done save you that learning curve.
Payment terms can be structured with 40% up front, 40% at playable prototype, and 20% at final delivery. This spreads the investment across project milestones.
How We Ensure Your Game Works
Metrics We Track During Development
- • Average session length (target: 2-6 minutes)
- • Percentage of players attempting second play
- • First-time completion rate by difficulty mode
- • Points where players most commonly fail
- • How often players use distraction mechanics
- • Alert state escape success rates
What Testing Reveals
Our playtesting identifies problems before they reach operators. We watch where players look when they get caught - if they seem confused rather than understanding their mistake, the feedback isn't clear enough.
We measure how long it takes new players to understand the visibility system. If most people aren't getting it within their first 30 seconds of play, we redesign the indicators.
The 50+ playtester requirement isn't arbitrary. That's the minimum sample size where patterns become obvious and we can confidently adjust difficulty without just reacting to outliers.
Realistic Timeline
Weeks 1-3: Initial meetings, documentation, prototype development focusing on core stealth feel.
Weeks 4-10: Iterative prototype refinement based on your feedback and our internal testing. Most projects settle on mechanics by week 8.
Weeks 11-18: Level design and balancing phase. Weekly builds with new content. External playtesting begins around week 14.
Weeks 19-22: Polish, arcade testing, final adjustments. Delivery typically happens between week 20-22 depending on any unexpected issues discovered during location testing.
What You Can Expect
You'll have a stealth game that feels distinct from both arcade action games and home stealth titles. Players will understand the rules quickly but take time to master the strategies.
The difficulty progression will let casual players reach level 3-4 while skilled players can complete the full game. This range keeps both groups interested and feeding quarters.
Operators will appreciate that the game teaches itself through play rather than requiring staff to explain controls. The clear feedback systems mean fewer "this game is broken" complaints.
How We Protect Your Investment
Milestone-Based Payment Structure
You're not paying the full amount up front and hoping for the best. Payments are tied to deliverables - prototype completion, playable build with levels, and final delivery. If we don't hit a milestone, you don't pay for that phase.
Playable Builds from Week Three
You'll see working gameplay early in the process, not just concept documents and promises. If the stealth mechanics don't feel right in the prototype, we address it before moving to level design. This iterative approach prevents expensive late-stage problems.
No-Obligation Initial Consultation
Before you commit to anything, we'll review your stealth concept in a 45-minute consultation. We'll discuss whether your vision translates well to arcade format, identify potential challenges, and outline our recommended approach. You'll walk away with useful feedback regardless of whether we work together.
Post-Launch Adjustment Period
The 60-day post-launch support isn't just for bug fixes. If operators report that difficulty needs tweaking based on actual floor performance, or if players discover strategies that break the game's balance, we'll work with you to address these issues.
Honest Assessment of Feasibility
If your stealth concept won't work well in arcade format, we'll tell you during the consultation rather than taking your money and delivering something compromised. We'd rather have that difficult conversation early than waste your time and resources on a flawed approach.
Getting Started Is Straightforward
Reach Out Through Our Contact Form
Fill out the contact form with basic details about your stealth game concept. Include what makes your approach different and what you envision for gameplay. The more specific you are, the better prepared we'll be for the consultation.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
We'll respond within two business days to schedule a 45-minute video call. During this conversation, we'll discuss your vision, explain how we'd adapt it for arcade play, and address any questions you have about the process.
Review the Project Proposal
If we both think the project is a good fit, you'll receive a detailed proposal outlining the development approach, timeline, deliverables, and payment structure. Take whatever time you need to review it and ask questions.
Begin Development
Once you're ready to proceed, we'll schedule the kickoff meeting and start the initial research phase. You'll receive the first prototype build within three weeks, and regular updates continue throughout the project.
The consultation doesn't obligate you to anything. It's a conversation where we both figure out if working together makes sense for your specific project.
Let's Build Your Stealth Game
You have a stealth concept that could work in arcades. We have the experience to make it happen. The next step is a conversation about your specific vision and how we'd approach it.
Start Your ProjectFree 45-minute consultation • No obligations • Honest feedback
Explore Other Development Options
We offer specialized services beyond stealth development to support your arcade game project.
Arcade Hardware Prototyping
Need custom controllers or cabinet modifications? We design and build hardware proven to survive commercial arcade environments, with durability testing and maintenance documentation included.
Cross-Promotion Network Services
Get your finished game in front of operators and players through our network of 430+ arcade developers. Coordinate promotional campaigns and track performance across complementary titles.