AAA, Cinematics and Indy - Game Developers Network

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The Art of 2.5D: How It’s Redefining Game Design

iXie gaming

MARCH 2, 2025

From indie studios to AAA developers, 2.5D This makes it perfect for indie developers and cross-platform releases. locks the perspective, allowing developers to craft cinematic, carefully framed environments. Metroidvanias & Indie Games: Innovation Without Complexity Dead Cells and Cuphead prove that 2.5D

Art

Art Game Design Game Designer Hitbox

A friend of mine wants to become a game designer without learning any other disciplines in game dev, he seems very sure this is possible but his confidence comes off as “idea guy” to me. I like thinking about design as well and how it could all fit together cohesively but I’m worried he’s setting himself up for failure by not learning another discipline to go along with it. Am I correct in this thought or am I being an jerk?

Ask a Game Dev

AUGUST 3, 2023

If he wants a career in AAA games, he will need specialized expertise. That might mean working on combat, quests, cinematics, narrative, itemization, UX, enemies, levels/environments, or any of a number of other specialties. There's just too much work to be done without enough hands to do it within a small team.

Cinematics

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Chris Zukowski’s tips on How to NOT screw up your game launch “Wishlists aren’t milk”

PreMortem.Games

JULY 22, 2024

“Gamers on Steam don’t want to watch cinematics; they want to watch gameplay.” And finally, indie developers often underprice their games. “Indie games have actually gone down in price while AAA games have been raising their prices.” .” Also, include gameplay in your primary trailer.

Games

Games Communications Studios Indy

On the topic of cutscenes, do you think we will get to the point where fully pre-rendered cutscenes will be phased out entirely? Are there any other advantages to having a cutscene be pre-rendered rather than in engine besides the cutscene being “prettier” than the base graphics?

Ask a Game Dev

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

As in-engine rendering improves, AAA games will likely move away from pre-rendered cutscenes but AAA games are far from the only games that use cutscenes and have engines that can render high quality cinematic visuals (e.g. mobile, consoles with weaker hardware specs, indie games) for important parts.

Cutscenes

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Making Lucid with Eric Manahan

Game Dev Unchained

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

The Creative Spirit of “Lucid”: A Deep Dive into the Musical and Inspirational Layers of Indie Game Development While many of us have been engrossed in the epic cinematic experiences of Hollywood or caught up in the intricate weaves of Studio Ghibli’s storytelling, a fresh voice has emerged from the world of indie game development.