Game development is booming as the gaming industry adopts new technology and becomes more friendly for gamers. There are multiple reasons for evolving the game development process as gamers become more intelligent and pursue gaming as a career.
There are multiple game development stages involved in developing a high-end game that keeps gamers motivated all the time. Moreover, The gaming industry’s future will be driven by Augmented and Virtual Reality.
The gaming industry grew by nearly 14.4% in 2021 due to more gamers adopting the games. The gaming industry was 178.73 Billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $268 Billion. Asia has more density of gamers increasing due to the increase in interest in games among students and youngsters.
To develop a great game, you need to collaborate with a good video game development company. However, Asia has 1.48 billion gamers among 3.2 billion gamers worldwide.
What is The Game Development Pipeline?
The game development pipeline is the whole process involved in game development. It is similar to the production line in industries. The game development pipeline helps to decide the flow of work and helps different departments decide what work they need to do. In-game development, a pipeline is a process to produce features and assets that go into the game. Game Design Document is the first game development stage. You need to define the game development process and flow to develop a smooth and lag-free game.
A game development pipeline is a complete set of instructions provided to simplify the game development process. This stage of the development pipeline gives shape to the game here; you define all the game stages. You have a rough idea and visualization of what the game would look like.
6 Different Stages of Game Development
Game development stages involve the hard work of many developers and new ideas to make a good game that can attract gamer’s attention.
Here are the six stages of a game development process :
- High Concept
This is the general idea about the game. It is a very brief description where you have to tear down your idea into small pieces and arrange it in the form of a game. It is the first and most significant step of a game development pipeline. You can collaborate with a company that can do iOS and Android game development.
The idea needs a surface before the writer begins writing, the designer begins designing, and developers begin developing. It is an essential part of a video game; the game will start taking shape from here.
In this stage, you will think about the following questions:
Will the game be 2D or 3D?
How many characters will it have?
Where and when does it take place?
What type of video game will come on the market?
Which platform are we building?
- Pre-production
Here, you need to pitch your idea in a compact and summarised form to communicate it with ideas and their goals. It is also a stage where you decide why it would be a prudent idea to develop financially and commercially. It would help pitch the right companies to invest in your project to develop a high-end game.
Pre-production is for collaborating with different companies and raising funds from them; a few examples of perfect collaborations are:
Engineers meet with writers, letting them know that under the current technological constraints, what we can do and what we can’t.
Artists meet with designers to ensure the perfect visuals, colour palettes, and art styles are aligned and consistent.
The project manager meets with different people from different departments to find the fun factor in the game.
Writers meet with the project leads to summarise the narrative of the story. They are deciding about different aspects of the game.
- Concept
This is the bond that connects concept and pitch. It is the stage where you describe and outline all aspects of your game. It would help if you defined demographics, and took the story, risk analysis, and a boatload of further information. The concept is the main supporting structure of your idea, and you need it to produce a high-quality game.
This stage is the formation of the foundation of the game, it is the formation of a skeleton or the designing of the roots of the game. The supporting line here is that it gives you a course to the main work and reduces your problem to make your process easier.
- Game Design Document
This document includes all aspects of gameplay and may include imaginary aspects of your project. It would help if you had a game development plan and this design document. Mobile game development requires unique and extraordinary game design developers.
It has been an industry standard for a long time. More recently, the arguments against the game design documents are popping up on the surface. While these arguments have some disadvantages, this document can be beneficial if done correctly.
- Prototype
This is where you can shine better; constructing a prototype will allow you to develop the techniques and methods in which you’ll fully execute your idea. It is an excellent way to portray your idea to someone or build a proof of concept, adapting your goals to a better tangible form.
Testing the prototype is crucial while providing a top-notch game to gamers and users.
Here are some things that might be excluded due to the testing stage:
Everything is rendered correctly on the screen.
Can a character walk through a wall or a locked environment?
Are there any buggy areas or levels?
Can these features be used to exploit the game?
Permanent stocking of the character at a spot.
The dialogue of the character is bland or stale.
- Production
Production involves the design, level creation, programming, etc. You need to hire developers and build a great team in the production process. It would help if you integrated your idea with Android game development firms to produce a great game.
During production, you need to keep these things in mind:
Audio Designs are adequate to make sure the characters’ activities feel real.
Level designers make immense, dynamic, and suitable environments for multiple playstyles.
Voice actors read a huge stack of scripts, taking many steps.
Developers write large lines of milestones and sprint schedules to ensure that each department and its team members are kept accountable.
Related : Unity3D vs HTML5 Game Development
Production Milestones
The production milestones include all the stages required for a successful game launch and post-launch.
Testing
Testing is an ongoing process in the development phase itself; however, it is necessary to subject the game to a quality assurance test. Test the game internally with the core team, as well as with friends and family, to understand the user interface experience and gather collective feedback to fix any errors and iteration requirements. Before launching, conduct alpha testing to confirm that all technical features are in line with the TDD.
Pre-Launch
After the testing phase, polishing the game is critical. Refine every iteration made during the testing phase to perfect the user experience. Ensure that the game operations run smoothly on all launch platforms. Playtesting, functional testing, and game performance optimization must be conducted in this post-production phase. This is the beta testing that is essential in the final stage before launch.
Launch
The game is now all set to run its show across associated platforms! With all the functionalities and effective marketing strategies in place, you can easily release the game and watch the wonders of your creativity make a successful and exciting launch.
Post-Production
Keep in mind that after the game launches, you will need to conduct quality assurance tests, address potential bugs, and periodically update the game to keep your users engaged. The gaming experience is what will always keep your consumers coming back to your game. Timely quality checks, iterations, and upgrades to your game must be a constant procedure.
In the post-production phase, it is imperative to advertise the game on specific platforms, engage in influencer marketing, and implement social media marketing. Regardless of how thrilling and motivating your game may be, it will not be successful if it fails to engage its intended audience. Market your game with the same level of enthusiasm as its development.
Key Game Development Roles
The game-making process involves a series of game-development stages and hence requires a pool of stakeholders to roll out a well-executed game-development process. Below are the core roles responsible for putting together a successful game production.
Project Manager
A project manager oversees the game development project, ensuring that other stakeholders complete their responsibilities promptly and accurately. Additionally, he is responsible for assigning roles and the scope of work to all other divisions, as well as maintaining the team’s unity throughout the entire process of successful game development.
Game Developers/Programmers
Programmers are the heroes of game-play mechanics. Game developers are tasked with creating a secure and bug-free betting site that works smoothly on all platforms. They need to actively collaborate with game designers and artists and develop a site that is well-optimized and load-hiddle-free.
Game Artists
Game artists are responsible for bringing life to the game. They design the game site or app to be its most visually appealing and engaging self, incorporating animation, texturing, and 3D modeling to create a visually captivating game.
Game Designers
From concept to design and development, game designers outline every aspect of the game, leading the entire process and refining its core mechanics and dynamism throughout.
Sound Designers
Sound designers effectively engineer the creation and integration of captivating sound effects at various moments in the game environment.
Quality Assurance (QA) Testers
They are responsible for ensuring that the betting site is fully functional and maintains game stability. They test the prototype in every aspect and apply alpha and beta testing to ensure a bug-free and glitch-free site or app.
Writers/Narrative Designers
Writers and narrative designers create the game story and content across different stages of the game. They ensure that the site is interactive and engaging by creating a compelling site story across all pages and features of the game.
Game Producers
Game producers are responsible for overseeing every department’s deliverables in the game-making process. They ensure that the project meets the deadlines and the required budget.
Level Designers
Level designers are responsible for creating multiple levels in the game. Incorporate challenges to level up and offer rewards to maintain player satisfaction.
User Experience (UX) Designers
The role of user experience (UX) designers is to ensure game engagement and interaction by creating a user interface that provides players with an interactive and enjoyable experience.
Essential Tools for the Game Design and Development Process
Game development is the next big thing in the world of technology. The days are gone when gamers struggled with low graphics and slow processing systems. Due to advancements in technology, people are now looking forward to gaming setups and environments to enjoy hardcore gaming.
The game development process involves many crucial and critical stages. Gaming is becoming a strict mode of entertainment for people. Game development stages use both tools and developers to develop a game.
Here are some of the tools that a game development company uses:
Here are some of the tools that a game development company uses:
# Engines
- Unreal Engine 4 : It is an excellent choice for a game available in the modern market. Since the original engine came out, this tool has been an excellent choice for unreal engine game developers.
- Unity : It is a growing and popular engine. Unity has a few advantages depending on the requirements of the game. This engine makes the developing process quicker and easier to pick up.
- GameMaker : It does not require a programming language, so that’s why it stands out from the other engines’ list.
- Godot : This engine works perfectly for 2D and 3D engines, and it comes with an extensive array of commonly used elements and tools.
# Coding
Coding is needed to develop a good quality game environment that can solve your problems.
- Visual Studio : It is a tool that has been the IDE of people’s choice for the last 20 years. It supports multiple languages, debuggers, editors, etc. People are recognising it as a better option to help you create mobile games for iOS and Android.
- GNU toolchain : This compiler is a collection of the open-source equivalent of Visual Studio code. You can leverage having more toolchains if you are developing your game in the Linux ecosystem.
Related : Cost To Make A Multiplayer Game
Programming language
A programming language is necessary for a large video game development company. Suppose you are good at C++, which is the basis of any programming language. If you think making games for browsers you need to know different types of codes to get a complete user experience.
Java is as popular as C++ when it comes to the programming language world. Most popular games in the world like Angry Bird, etc are created using Java. Java supports multithreading, which means it uses less memory while providing most of the CPU.
Art and design
- Photoshop : the most famous software when it comes to digital art creation.
- GIMP : the best alternative to Photoshop. If you are a small business and can’t afford the premium plans of Photoshop, you can easily afford GIMP plans.
- Blender : It is used in the Art and Design process.
Game Development Trends 2024
In 2024, the era of virtual and augmented reality will bring a highly stimulating gaming experience with innovative game-play mechanics. This year, there will be a trend towards reshaping the mobile gaming experience to provide a more evolved experience. Generative AI is the new norm, where characters feel almost real, and players feel more associated with the game characters. The cloud gaming ecosystem will grow significantly, making online streaming extremely convenient.
Final Words
The game development process involves many critical stages like using the right tools and having the correct developers. The game development pipeline is a series of processes that are arranged in such a manner as to develop a game quickly and effectively. Making a game is complex and without working with a Game development company.
You can have a great idea, but converting it into a real-life gaming environment needs the right developers’ efforts and tools. Android game development is also in trend due to the improving technology of Android mobile phones.
It would be best if you had a game development plan to produce a great game that satisfies all the gamer’s requirements and provides a virtual environment where they can relax and enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
What is the game development pipeline? The game development pipeline serves as a guideline to guarantee the successful and strategic development of the game. From pre-launch to post-production, the pipeline ensures end-to-end execution of the game development stages. Game producers attend to all the critical stages of the game development pipeline. Project managers, programmers, game artists, game designers, sound designers, quality assurance testers, writers, narrative designers, level producers, and UX designers all contribute to the game development pipeline. This guarantees a detailed approach to each stage of the game development process, resulting in a high-quality game product.
What is a Game Design Document (GDD)? A game design document is a structured blueprint that ensures the game development process remains on course. It ensures the successful development of a game by communicating and assigning roles and responsibilities, as well as setting timelines. The GDD is indispensable for monitoring the process at each stage, from the concept phase to the post-launch phase. It is the visionary document that, when executed with precision, leads to a successful game launch.
How long does it take to develop a game? It typically depends on the game’s scope and complexity. Depending on the intricacies of the game, a game producer needs to hire various key game development roles and then lay out the game development document with precision, depending on the game’s complexities. Simple mobile games can take up to six months or a year. Complex games can take 2-4 years or longer, depending on the goals and resources.
What tools are essential for game development? It’s a combination of tools that are essential for game development. It depends on the game’s intricacies. However, identifying game engine tools like Godot and Unity is crucial for determining the essential software required for the development of a specific game. Programming languages, audio and visual tools, project management tools, collaboration tools, testing tools, and control systems are important tools in game development.