The 7 Stages of Game Development
Have you ever wondered how much effort goes into making a game an effortless experience? The adrenaline rush and excitement that keeps gamers on the edge of their gaming seats is no lighthearted process.
Behind all the hard work of game developers, the key seven stages of game development make any gaming project a masterpiece.
From game concept to the game engine, technical support to bug testing, and finally shipping out, game developers dedicate countless hours throughout this complicated yet gratifying process. Let’s dive into the process and see how these seven steps of game development turn a gaming idea into an immersive reality.
7 Stages of Game Development
- 1. Planning
- 2. Pre-production
- 3. Production
- 4. Testing
- 5. Pre-Launch
- 6. Launch
- 7. Post-Launch
1: Planning
As a man approach a wall in the distance, he spots a massive owl perched on top of it. Its eyes glitter in the light, capturing attention. He moves closer, and to his surprise, the owl speaks: “We now know the way out.” The owl then extends a claw, offering him a golden key.
Now, this is where your next big gaming idea begins. It revolves around a character and the choices he can make.
- Will he accept the key and follow the owl’s guidance?
- Will he continue down the bizarre street and explore further?
- What if the owl and the key are a trick to distract him from his way?
Planning a game idea has several steps. Before you launch into developing your game, some fundamental questions need answering:
- What genre will your game be?
- Will it be 2D or 3D?
- What art style will you use?
- What gameplay mechanics do you want to include?
- Who’s the hero, and who’s the villain?
- Which game engine will you use?
A game’s journey doesn’t always go as planned. Ideas can be thrown around during the planning phase that could ultimately transform the game in unexpected ways.
For example, they may seem significant at first but soon become outdated. Understanding that ideas should remain adaptable while in the planning stage is crucial.
The last thing you need is a game concept. This phase is like a game of chess. Each move must be carefully considered and evaluated for the best result. Thus, flexibility and staying ahead of potential changes are key to game development success.
Proof of concept
Crafting a game takes planning and dedication, not to mention an eye for detail. This is the final part of the planning phase, after which the actual crafting begins.
It helps demonstrate whether you have the necessary resources to bring your game to life and, more importantly, to try and attract potential publishers.
It’s paramount that your plans answer a string of important questions:
- What is the cost of developing your game?
- What are the resources for financing?
- Which platform will best serve your game idea?
Each factor will influence the success of your game, so it’s worth spending time creating a well-thought-out plan when constructing your proof of concept.
2: Pre-Production
Pre-production is where game ideas hit their stride. As game developers scope out work.
It starts with the game’s pre-production, where
- Writers provide valuable insight into the game narrative. They develop character backstories and explore interrelated storylines.
- Designers and Artists work together on visuals, color palettes, and art styles.
- Developers write thousands of lines of source code to make it all come alive.
- Project leads put each department on a sprint schedule to ensure deadlines are met.
So whether you’re a planning novice or have been around game design for years, pre-production is where you’ll start seeing your game materialize into a reality.
3: Production
This is where planning transforms into action.
Production is the most crucial stage of game development and entails considerable investments of both time and money.
During production, game developers and designers create worlds that come to life with a perfect balance of story and art direction, game mechanics, and seamless development.
- Developers make an immersive environment for a story.
- Models for key characters are designed, rendered, and animated.
- Actors record lines of dialogue to find the desired tone.
- Sound Designers weave thrilling game sounds from menu navigation clicks to the creaks under each character’s footstep.
- Writers also touch up scripts to effectively convey the game’s message.
Thus, production is when game developers turn their creations into fully immersive gaming worlds.
Game development is no game. It takes hours of hard work and meticulous tweaking to perfect game designs down to the last pixel.
Though the testing phase allows game developers to make the changes needed for a game’s success, one must be prepared for minor and major adjustments.
Major game overhauls can mean scrapping details and reconstructing parts of the game from scratch in an entirely new way. This can be disheartening after months or even years of pre-production.
But every effort boils down to one mission: give the player an effortless experience.
A Hook in the Game: What keeps players on the edge of their gaming chairs?
These hooks can come in various forms, but top developers know these game mechanics create a unique experience to keep the game fresh. Players remain captivated even after hours of playing.
Great game designers understand the importance of keeping players coming back for more, crafting an experience that keeps them engaged during single gameplay sessions and even long after.
4: Testing
Quality testing is an integral stage of game development. Incorporating game development best practices into game testing is essential for creating high-quality game experiences. This means adequately testing solid environments, such as whether the player can walk, break, or phase through them.
- Performance Issues: game testing should look for rendering and performance issues, like objects turning up on the environment when they shouldn’t or framerate drops due to too much onscreen at once.
- Potential exploits: it’s essential to look for potential exploits that allow players to gain unfair advantages in the game. For example, a brutal villain should remain undefeatable to a certain degree. So that his defeat can become rewarding for gamers.
- Softlocks can cause players to get stuck through no fault of their own.
- Scripting errors: A perfect sync between sound and situation is worth the effort. Therefore, it is essential to strike the right tone of voice through all elements of game testing.
By considering all these points during game testing, developers can ensure their games reach the highest possible quality standards for an enjoyable game experience.
5: Pre-Launch
You can feel the anticipation build as game development reaches the pre-launch stage. The pain-staking work over countless late nights has reached the point where the game is ready for public evaluation, and the possibilities of what comes next are wide open.
Questions like
- Will they think our game is fun?
- What sort of media coverage are we going to get from this?
Such questions may linger in the minds of game studio developers as they prepare for launch day.
You may run demos and trials or tie them into significant events like E3 or PAX. No matter your choice, you should be prepared for whatever kind of response the game will get when it goes public.
6: Launch
Amazing things can happen by chance.
Sometimes, the most rewarding changes are made just a few weeks before a launch. Therefore, the ultimate pre-launch marketing is an opportunity to get enough feedback to make final tweaks.
With game development entering its final stage, launch day is approaching. Now is the time to polish your game before it is released and players get their hands on it. To ensure your game is up to scratch, iron out any game-breaking bugs that might adversely affect game performance, implement minor quality-of-life improvements, and add any final artistic touches.
7: Post-Launch
Are you serious? You created a game!
Congratulations, team gamers. You did it. Your brainchild is out in the wild. Now, It’s time to move into the post-launch phase, starting with
- Bug fixes to keep gaming a seamless experience. Because your players have invested their time and money – they deserve game stability.
- Downloadable content (DLC) to beef up the original game content you had to leave behind when reaching your launch deadlines.
- Show your audience some love by providing free content updates. It’s always nice to get a surprise in the form of new game features or characters.
Final Words
There you have it – the key to game development success. The seven stages of game development, from pre-production to post-launch, are essential for creating an efficient and successful game.
Though the road may be challenging and complex, sticking to these seven steps will bring you closer to achieving your project goal.
And if gaming is what you’re passionate about why not bring your ideas to life?
Turn your what-ifs into realities with RevvLab. A strategic game dev team awaits your creative minds at RevvLab. So, don’t hesitate and show us what you got!
It’s time to take full advantage of the 7 Stages of Game Development with RevvLab and make something unique happen!
Tags:
- Article, Gamedevelopment, Revvlab, Technology
