One of the most popular hobbies nowadays, gaming has taken the world by storm. No matter your platform of choice, there are countless games for you to choose and play, keeping you entertained for hundreds (and in some cases even thousands) of hours every year.
Actually developing games, however, can be a tough and time-consuming task. From the initial idea and design to coding, testing, pre-launch, release, and post-launch support, there are many stages involved in creating a successful game.
By understanding the stages of game development, we can gain a greater appreciation for the effort that goes into creating the games we know and love. This is why, in this article, we will explore the various stages games go through and discuss the key tasks that are carried out at each one.
Pre-production: concept and planning
No product exists without proper planning, which usually derives from a simple concept. Games are no exception to the rule, often requiring even deeper planning than most products.
In game development, the pre-production stage is all about laying the foundations on top of which designers, developers, and artists will build the game. In this step, lead designers and top-level executives meet to discuss what the game is about, which technology stack it will use, for which platforms the game will launch, the target audience, its development time, budget, and so much more.
It’s hard to estimate how long a game will be in pre-production. Simpler projects can indeed finish this step within a week while bigger, more complex games can take anywhere from some months to over a year to get done with pre-production. All in all, it depends on the game’s scope and on how many resources are available, but this step generally takes around 20% of the total production time.
During pre-production, the team is small, formed by a producer, some developers, and some concept artists. The producer mainly handles the budget and the marketing strategy (if applicable). Developers take care of creating early prototypes to assess whether the idea is good or not. Concept artists work to set the tone for the entire project by providing countless sketches.
Game Design Document (GDD): the guiding light
In the meantime, the team members will write the Game Design Document (GDD), which serves as the backbone for the entire project. This document is also extremely important in the next step – production – as it will keep everyone on the same page.
All in all, the GDD includes a thorough description of many aspects of the game, such as:
- Executive summary: what will the main idea of your game be? What’s its genre, its target audience, and its budget? What about the platforms for which you will launch it? Who are your competitors, and what is the market outlook like? How long will development take?
- Gameplay elements: what will be its core game mechanics? What will the gameplay loop be like? What about its progression system? How grindy will it be? What are the objectives of your game (if any)? What will the user interface look like? What are the rules of your game?
- Creative elements: which art style will be used? Who are the main characters, and what is their backstory? What role do they play in your game’s universe? What’s the plot of your game? How will your team approach level design? What about the music and ambiance?
As a living document, the GDD can (and should!) be updated as the team creates and tests the prototypes, encounters technical/financial limitations, and further refines the game. Daunting as it is, writing a detailed GDD will be of great help to everyone on your team.
A well-written GDD will help project managers and top-level executives plan and organize the development of a game. It enables them to anticipate which professionals they might need to bring on board and gives them a clear plan to present to investors when looking for extra funding.
Essentially, the GDD helps ensure everyone involved is on the same page and working towards the same goals.
Prototyping: the first look at your game
As soon as the team defines the most vital aspects of your game, it’s time to create a prototype. Think of it as a trial run that helps designers figure out if a game idea is going to be as awesome as they envision. Prototyping allows your team to test the user experience and your game’s functionality, giving designers valuable data on how to improve those aspects.
Furthermore, creating a prototype can help the team identify any potential issues or design flaws that may arise later in the development process. By taking the time to create early prototypes and assessing their gameplay and functionality, developers can save lots of time and resources in the long run.
When creating a game prototype, developers need to work quickly and efficiently. Yes, this means using any suitable assets (including free ones if necessary). Have you ever seen what Horizon Zero Dawn looked like in early prototypes? Just a heads-up: nowhere close to the actual game at times!
Production: actual creation of your game
Once done with the first prototypes, full-scale production ensues. This stage of game development is the longest one and usually requires a lot of new hires, so be prepared! While small and simple games can be created in as little as 2 to 3 months, big and complex games can easily take multiple years.
Did you know that Diablo 3, one of the most recognizable ARPGs in the market, had a development cycle spanning 11 years? What about Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red’s most ambitious project ever, which took 9 years to develop?
During the production stage, the team will create almost everything that players will see and interact with, which may include:
- The game engine if applicable. While most developers use an already existing game engine to create their games, it’s usual for AAA studios to develop their own. Nintendo, for example, has many different in-house game engines at its disposal;
- The game’s code, of course! No game can run without logic, and it’s the developers’ task to do so effectively;
- All the game assets: 2D sprites, 3D models, animations, user interfaces, environments, music, ambient sounds, visual effects (VFX) and sound effects (SFX), and voice lines to name a few;
- Further refinement of game design: as developers create prototypes and the team tests them out, designers receive valuable feedback on how to improve the game and the user’s experience. More complex game mechanics are also developed and polished in this step;
- In-game lore gets deeper: worldbuilding is one of the most important aspects of adventure/action games (and is particularly important in RPGs). Nailing the worldbuilding is a surefire way to get players hooked and immersed in your game’s universe;
Quality Assurance (QA) testing for best results
As the game’s production advances, testing its features is a must. While developers and other team members could do a decent job at testing the game in a pinch, hiring dedicated QA testers will make your life a lot easier.
By the way, Quality Assurance is all about ensuring the game works as intended. It involves playing through the game while trying to identify any issues or bugs that may negatively impact the player’s experience. In some cases, QA testing is about trying to break the game in weird, uncanny ways, testing its optimization, catching typos and inconsistencies within the game’s texts, or testing whether the game is playable on different platforms/controls.
It might not look like so, but game QA is a vital part of the development process, requiring a high level of attention to detail, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Testers play a critical role in ensuring the final product is as polished and enjoyable as possible for players.
Regardless, there is something to keep in mind: game development is a cyclical process. As designers create new features and developers implement them, it’s crucial to test how well they integrate with the rest of the game.
Pre-launch and launch: market your game and launch it
Before publishing your game, it’s important to advertise it. Otherwise, how are you going to attract new players to your game?
Did you know that AAA gaming studios often have massive marketing budgets for their creations? Cyberpunk 2077, for example, reportedly had a marketing budget of around $151 million.
Smaller studios and independent (indie) game developers don’t have that luxury, instead resorting to crowdfunding or sending early-access keys to livestreamers and YouTubers. This way, they can showcase their creation to their target audience, which helps generate some media buzz.
In any case, as the launch date gets closer, the development team will be in full-on hustle mode, working tirelessly to squash as many bugs as possible, fine-tuning the gameplay mechanics, and improving models, textures, animations, and sound/visual effects.
All this hard work is aimed at creating the best possible player experience. By the time the game is ready for launch, it should be well-polished and have no major bugs. We understand that no game is perfect, and some pesky bugs will always get through even the best of QA teams.
And even if something doesn’t go as planned, as Cyberpunk 2077 has shown us, that’s where (a lot of) post-release patches come in!
Post-production: support, updates, and new content
After your game has launched, it’s one of the most exciting moments for game development studios. Hopefully, all those months or even years of hard work will pay off. But let’s be honest: the real fun begins when the bug reports start pouring in from every corner of the internet.
Game-crashing bugs and, in the case of multiplayer games, exploits should be fixed as soon as possible. Minor and unobtrusive bugs, on the other hand, can be fixed later – and even create some amusing moments for players while they’re not fixed.
Regular updates can also be a great way to show post-launch support for a game. These updates can range from simple bug fixes to full-blown downloadable content (DLC), adding even more content and hours of fun to the game. It’s a win-win for everyone: the players get more content to enjoy, and the developers get to keep the game relevant and fresh for longer.
Summarizing the video game development process
The game development process can be broken down into three key stages that lead to the creation of an engaging video game. The first stage is the pre-production stage, where the game concept is shaped, and the initial planning takes place. This phase involves brainstorming game ideas, creating a game design document, and outlining the main features and mechanics of the game.
The second stage is the production stage, where the actual development work starts. Game developers, designers, and artists come together to craft the game world, develop the game mechanics, and create the necessary assets and art.
The final stage is the post-production stage, where the game is polished, and rigorous game testing is conducted to ensure the game is free of bugs and issues. Once everything is complete and the game is ready, it can be released to the public, delighting players and showcasing the successful development journey from concept to final product.
Wrapping it up
As you have seen in this article, game development is a long process, and goes through a plethora of stages: planning and pre-production, production, QA testing, pre-launch, launch, and post-production. Every single one of them has its own quirks and may require different expertise, but they all strive to reach the same goal: creating a fun and engaging game.
By the way, are you tired of sitting on a killer game idea, but feeling overwhelmed by the thought of bringing it to life? We can help you out!
We are Main Leaf – a professional game development studio that can turn your dream game into a reality. With a team of over 70 talented, passionate professionals, we’ve been cranking out top-notch games since 2010.
Do you think your game has what it takes to join the ranks? Request a quote right now and let’s make it happen. Don’t worry, we promise to get back to you faster than the loading times on Grand Theft Auto V – you will hear from us within 24 hours!
