Game development is a long process consisting of seven key stages. Regardless of the size of the studio involved, the same processes and stages are always adhered to. But what are the processes involved in developing a new game?
- Planning
Before they do anything, studios will consider everything in the pipeline process from theme, genre, art style, rules, characters, gameplay mechanics, any ethical considerations, and much more. They will also have to establish the game’s target audience, what its competitors are, where and when it will be published, and what budget and resources will be needed across the process. During the planning stage, ideas are likely to chop and change by the day.
- Pre-production
When the key outlines and concepts are determined and a general theme has been decided upon by the pre-production team, there will be a prototype created. The prototype offers a good opportunity to test out the core mechanics of the game and gauge how fun it is to play and the difficulty level.
Sometimes, placeholder features are applied at this stage of the process since the main focus is on the core mechanics. Once the core mechanics are incorporated with the visual features, the studio will develop the first playable version of the game.
- Production
If you are willing to find some new games, you might be surprised to hear just how much work has gone into developing them. The longest and busiest stage of game development is the production phase, which can take years in many cases. The studio will refine every element within the game, from the characters to the story and many more. The programmers are the heart of this stage and transform the concepts given to them into code to create the mechanics of the game.
The game designers are also a key part of the process at this stage. They will build worlds and environments, determine the game’s level of difficulty, and design obstacles for the player to overcome.
Once the studio is satisfied with the prototype from the pre-production stage, there will be a finished sample of the game completed and used for pitching and marketing.
- Testing
Next comes the testing stage where every tiny aspect of the game is analysed for any glitches, bugs, softlocks, or exploits that might have previously gone undetected. The studio will test for issues, such as rendering and performance – for instance, do all of the environments and objects within the game appear where and when they are supposed to?
They will also look for any scripting or acting errors, such as spelling mistakes, as well as any issues with the environment that might create loopholes to higher levels of the game. The testing stage is potentially the most thorough part for studios as every single aspect of the game is looked at with a fine-tooth comb.
- Pre-launch
Once the game has been thoroughly tested, the studio will now concentrate on pre-launch marketing of the finished product. This stage could include publicity events and campaigns such as trailers or demos of the game. These might coincide with presentations or press or fan events, where the developers can talk about the new game and answer any queries.
- Launch
The period leading up to the game’s official launch is the studio’s opportunity to add any final creative touches to characters and environments, as well as address any remaining bugs that might have seeped through. Once the game is fully polished up, it is finally released and distributed.
- Post-launch
The studio still has work to do after the launch of the game. Sales must be tracked and feedback from reviews have to be addressed. Can the game be improved upon? If players have uncovered any bugs that the developers have missed, the studio will act fast to address these. Even if the game is absolutely perfect, they might consider upgrades, such as free content updates.
Conclusion
The development of a game is a lengthy process that consists of seven key stages. Studios must go through all of these stages when developing a new game.
