![]() ![]() The feedback from these tests will be used to make changes to improve the game as production continues. While production is going on, the studio will run small and specific internal and external playtests to find problems in the way of usability, fun, and realizing the game's overall design intent. For example, CDProjekt upped their team size from a dozen to around 500 at its peak. They’ll bring on more and more team members to start knocking down the requirements one by one according to a set schedule. Once the planning and game design document is deemed to be comprehensive enough, the studio starts ramping up production (or a wave of 150 developers crashes in after development on another game winds down, jump starting production anyways). Along with the development schedule, the design document is the most important deliverable that will go on to inform everything for the next few years. Ideally, it'll provide the direction that various designers, developers, and artists need to bring the game to life. This document will list all the requirements of the game, ranging from what happens in the narrative to how different game systems will work. Eventually, it’ll be hundreds of pages long. If they get the go-ahead to continue, they’ll add a few members to the team, spend a bit of time prototyping, plan out the development budget and timelines, and slowly add depth to a game design document that gets thicker and thicker over time. They’ll generally decide on core elements like the target audience, platform, and core gameplay, and then pitch the idea to key business decision-makers. The exact process will vary from company to company, but there are some general trends that collectively make up what we’d call the Waterfall process of software development.īasically, a small core group of lead designers and developers will get together and start brainstorming ideas for a new game. These very same problems have been encountered decades ago in software development and, to a large extent, I think they’re a result of natural human tendencies that will fester if left unchecked.īut, before we get to that, let’s start with how AAA studios make games right now: How does AAA make games? Well, I can’t claim to know for certain, but I do think there are some general, underlying problems associated with their current way of working. After all, we’re talking about super smart people that should have all the resources and experience they need to pump out great products, right? How is it possible that they end up with something like Anthem, Battlefield 2042, or Cyberpunk 2077? ![]() If you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered how it’s possible that so many high profile games crash and burn in such a phenomenal way. ![]()
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