Which One Would Be Suitable for 2D Game Development – Unity OR Cocos2DX

Mobile game development has become a lucrative global business owing to the involvement of cutting edge technologies and creative presentation. For long smartphones due to their multi-purpose abilities have already been popular among the users globally. Addition of mobile games has made it all the more demanding and has also increased the number of smartphone users across the world. The initial phase of mobile game development witnessed the growth and popularity of 2D games among both casual and serious gamers everywhere.

2D games can be made engaging with eye catching graphics, powerful storytelling, and stimulating gameplay. Also 2D games can be made compatible across wide ranges of devices and platforms. 2D   game developers work with the latest technologies and engines-HTML5, Unity, Cocos2DX for creating diverse games of multiple genres.

Let us go through this blog to understand which one to choose for developing 2D games between Cocos2DX and Unity

You can consult an established 2Dgame development company for creating 2D games based upon Unity or Cocos2DX.

Which One Would be Suitable for 2D Game Development

As mobile games have become hugely popular all over the world, creating of such games has also been a prime focus among the developers. With rapid developments in technologies, game developers are focusing to target multiple platforms from a single instance of game development. This task can be executed easily as various technologies and frameworks are widely available in today’s market. However, the question arises-which one would be suitable for making 2D games distinctive and immersive at reasonable costs for attracting and retaining gamers.

With respect to this statement you can choose between two prospective solutions- Unity and Cocos2DX. Although Unity is the most preferred one but it is expensive as compared to Cocos2DX. Also Cocos2DX is completely free which is not the case with Unity. From our experience we can suggest you to go for any one between these 2 according to the scope and nature of your business.

Advantages of Cocos2DX Vs Unity

Cocos2DX is an open source and free engine as compared to Unity. Unity on the other hand is expensive. Although there is a free license with Unity, but is not a complete solution for professional game developers. The cost of license in Unity varies between 1500 USD and 4500 USD plus taxes which can pose a serious hindrance for new developers. On the other hand, Cocos2DX has light libraries and uses C++ language which makes it convenient for creating simple games with dynamic gameplay. So if you are not willing to invest in upfront costs to purchase license, then you can consult a  Cocos2DX game development company to meet your business requirements.

Cocos2DX is also useful for creating lightweight games. The gamers can experience smooth gaming performance with Cocos2DX.

Being a crossplatform game development engine Cocos2DX facilitates you in using different programming languages like Lua, C++ and Javascript. Using Cocos2DX you can easily create games for Linux, Windows, Mac and also for different OS for mobiles-Android, iOS, Windows. Because of the embedded graphics of the Cocos2DX the performance of the applications on the device can be enhanced. Some of the games developed using Cocos2DX which deserve mention are  Castle Clash, Badland, Dragon City Mobile, Big Fish Casino etc.  Cocos2DX uses C++ in creating application first and then it creates for iOS, Android and Windows. For creating applications using Javascript, it consists of a comprehensive software suite including Cocos2D-HTML, Cocos2DX, JSB and command-line interface.

It uses Eclipse code for creating cross platform games. Through this development platform programming and eliminating errors in Lua and Cocos2D-JS can be done easily and quickly. For creating stunning graphical UI and skeletal animation it uses Cocos Studio.

Advantages of Unity Vs Cocos2DX

Unity as compared to Cocos2DX is highly advanced and can be used for creating both 2D and 3D games. If you want to make 2D games with unique designs, immersive gameplay and across platforms then Unity will be your most suitable option. A Unity game development company uses tools and resources that can design the game scenes with customized physical and light effects, insert scripts and objects for making games interactive.

The graphical editor of Unity is capable in placing the gaming assets and modifying parametres to bring in exciting opportunities in the gameplay. The in-built features of Unity are integrated with one another and help in creating complex games within a short time span.

Unity uses C# or Javascript as the programming language. Both these are powerful than C++ and also facilitate in algorithms and program actions in an easy manner. Issues like memory leaks or management of pointers can be avoided in Unity and you can purely focus in developing your gaming features. The code editors for Unity like VisualStudio or MonoDevelop are comprehensive, stable and simple as compared to Xcode used for Cocos2D game development.

2D games created with Unity can be deployed across platforms-consoles, browsers and desktops so that it can be played in all devices or gadgets.

There is abundant availability of Unity documentation which can help the developers to learn and know about recent updates or advancements in technologies. The texts and the tutorials are compact and precise and hence can be learned quickly.

The Asset Store is a very powerful tool used by a Unity game development company. Resources and plugins of hundreds of developers are sold through this store. You can either buy or download some powerful plugins like 2D textures and animations from the official store of Unity. For example, Ngui an extension of the Graphical Editor is a vital component for 2D game development.

You can hire Unity game developer who can help you in making advanced games in less time for attracting different types of gamers across the globe.

Features like compatibility, Asset Store and also the documentation are not vividly present in Cocos2DX as compared to Unity. Thus if you aim for making high-end games across wide ranges of platforms, you can simply opt for Unity.

Conclusion: This blog contains a comparative analysis between Cocos2D game development and Unity 2D game development. Both have their own pros and cons. If budget is not your constraint and if you are looking for diverse games to be played across platforms, Unity should be your choice. But if you want to create simple and engaging lightweight games within a specified budget then you can go for Cocos2DX.