Create the immersive experience in-house or hire a specialist agency?
creating the experience with an in-house team pays off when you have a continuous flow of projects, stable technical talent and management capacity; hiring a specialist agency pays off when the volume is occasional, you need speed, a very diverse skill set (3D, development, design, strategy) or you want to reduce risk. Many companies end up with a mixed model.
What it takes to produce an immersive experience
A project usually needs very different profiles:
- Strategy and product: defining objectives and the mechanic.
- Experience and interface design.
- 3D modelling and animation.
- Development (WebGL, 3D engines, AR/VR, backend).
- Audio and video production.
- Project management.
- Testing and quality control on many devices.
- Analytics and measurement.
- Operation (at events and shops).
Bringing together and keeping all those profiles in-house is costly.
Comparison
| Criterion | In-house team | Specialist agency |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed cost | High (salaries, tools, training) | Low (you pay per project) |
| Cost per project | Low if there is volume | Higher for a one-off project |
| Speed of start-up | Slow (hiring, training) | Fast |
| Breadth of profiles | Limited | Broad |
| Accumulated experience | Depends on the team | High (many projects) |
| Knowledge of the business | High | It has to be conveyed |
| Control and confidentiality | Maximum | Requires agreements |
| Flexibility | Lower | Higher (it scales as needed) |
| Technology updates | Hard to stay up to date | It is part of their business |
| Dependency risk | Key people | Supplier |
When an in-house team makes sense
- Stable volume of immersive projects over years.
- Your own digital product where AR/VR is a central part of the business.
- High confidentiality requirements or integration with internal systems.
- A technical culture and the ability to attract and retain talent.
- Deep knowledge of the product that would be hard to convey.
When an agency makes sense
- One-off projects (campaigns, trade fairs, launches).
- Short timescales or fixed dates.
- You need a diversity of skills in a short time.
- You want to validate before investing in a team.
- Little previous experience and you want to learn from specialists.
- A budget that does not justify hiring permanent profiles.
Mixed models
1. Agency for production, in-house team for operation
The agency creates the experience; the company manages it and updates the content.
2. In-house product team + agency for specialisms
A small team defines the strategy and coordinates; the agency provides 3D, development or design.
3. Agency as a transition
You start with the agency, learn and gradually internalise it.
4. No-code platforms and tools
For simple cases (3D viewers, quizzes, basic WebAR) a marketing team can create content with platforms, and turn to specialists for what is complex.
Questions to help you decide
- How many immersive projects do we expect in the next 2-3 years?
- Do we have, or can we hire, the key profiles?
- What is our timescale?
- What level of quality and novelty are we looking for?
- Which risks concern us most (quality, cost, dependency, confidentiality)?
- Can we manage the project and the supplier?
How to choose a good agency
- Similar cases to yours and verifiable references.
- A stable team and clear roles.
- A transparent process (phases, milestones, approvals).
- Ownership of the content and the code agreed.
- Ability to measure and report.
- Support and maintenance defined.
- Clear communication without unnecessary jargon.
- Prior tests: demos, prototypes, a pilot.
How not to lose knowledge
Whatever the model:
- Document the project and the decisions.
- Require delivery of source files, models and access.
- Train your team to operate and update.
- Keep ownership of the key assets.
Key ideas
- An immersive project requires many profiles; bringing them together has a cost.
- An in-house team pays off with stable volume; an agency, with one-off projects.
- Mixed models are common.
- Define ownership, documentation and knowledge transfer.
- Choose suppliers by similar cases, process and transparency.
Frequently asked questions
Can I start with an agency and then internalise?
Yes, it is a common strategy if knowledge transfer is agreed from the start.
Do no-code platforms replace an agency?
For simple cases, yes; for bespoke, complex or high-impact experiences, usually not.
How many profiles do I need if I go in-house?
At a minimum: product/strategy, 3D, development and design, plus project management.
How do I avoid depending on a single supplier?
With contracts that guarantee delivery of files and documentation, and with standard formats.
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