PreMortem.Games

AUGUST 16, 2023

“We as a team learned from The Ancients to pace our enthusiasm and scale the game to the size of the studio. There are plenty of indie developers that say this and it’s possibly the most crucial part of game design and development.

Technology 104

Technology Indy Games Playtesting 104

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Pedersen is the programmer and CEO of the company and Ryder takes on the roles of game director, graphics artist, musician and game designer. We try to make games that we’d like to play ourselves, but we don’t necessarily stick to one game genre”, says Thomas Ryder.

Indy 118

Indy Point and Click Studios Vector Graphics 118

PreMortem.Games

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

Pedersen is the programmer and CEO of the company and Ryder takes on the roles of game director, graphics artist, musician and game designer. We try to make games that we’d like to play ourselves, but we don’t necessarily stick to one game genre”, says Thomas Ryder.

Point and Click 104

Point and Click Vector Graphics Indy Art 104

Logic Simplified

OCTOBER 18, 2023

The Demand for Multiplayer Games There is a great demand for multiplayer games and it is the tech experts, creative thinkers, and game designers who have made them what they are today. Let’s elaborate on how multiplayer game design isn’t as simple as just throwing together some mechanics and calling it a day.

Game Designer 52

Game Designer Game Design Balance Concepts 52

AWS Games

MAY 12, 2023

Come “behind-the-scenes” with AWS GameTime Each episode is hosted live and our Twitch viewers get the chance to directly chat with the creators and game industry veterans of their favorite games. The casual interview setting is the perfect way to ask lots of questions about their game design and game development process.

Game Development 72

Game Development Game Developer AAA Development 72

Ask a Game Dev

JANUARY 30, 2023

The game industry really lacks a strongly defined central lexicon for terminology. I’ve held many different titles over the course of my career - scripter, technical designer, system designer, combat designer, game designer, gameplay engineer/programmer, client engineer/programmer, and software engineer/programmer.

Game Design 52

Game Design Game Designer Dev Engine 52

Game Design Aspect

JUNE 9, 2021

Roundtable: Creating Non-Toxic Gamer Communities (1 PM Eastern) What game design principles can be used to promote friendlier and harassment-free communities? Join us for a discussion on what strategies game designers can use to create safe virtual spaces that are enjoyable for all players.

Writing 52

Writing Educational Education Game Designer 52

Game Dev Unchained

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

The conversation shifted from the nuances of game development to the larger, looming concept of the “metaverse.” Today, with an impressive team of 32 people, they’re working on Eco , a virtual society game built inside a self-contained ecosystem. .” But publishers are not the only avenue.

Indy 105

Indy Platformer AAA Educational 105

The Bottom Feeder

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

When I did earlier remasters, I often redid things like the game system, because I thought my wiser game designer brain could make the old stuff better. Never forget that nothing ruins a good game faster than more game design. They were crude, weird, and unbalanced.

Fantasy 75

Fantasy Game Designer Game Design Graphics 75

Game Design Aspect

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

Sande Chen Profiled as one of the Game Industry's Top 100 Most Influential Women and a 2020 Women in Games Global Hall of Fame winner, Sande Chen is a writer and game designer with over 15 years of experience in the industry.

Writing 52

Writing Educational Education UX 52

Game Dev Unchained

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

The principles and design tenets he acquired in architecture seamlessly blended into his game design. The game “Star Citizen,” for instance, raised eyebrows for accumulating a whopping $600 million in contributions, smashing Guinness World Records.

Indy 64

Indy Pixel AAA Art 64

iHobo

JULY 12, 2023

Although these lines are increasingly blurred today (as AAA cRPGs will tend to draw heavily from both traditions), there is a clear historical period after the Ultima - Wizardry split that dominates more than two decades of cRPG design.

Open World 52

Open World AAA Game Designer Game Design 52

AWS Games

JUNE 13, 2023

Thoughtful consideration of the game design is unsurprising considering the comprehensive development expertise behind it. This allows smaller game companies to produce AAA game content, and that’s exciting.

Studios 52

Studios Development AAA Games 52

The Bottom Feeder

OCTOBER 13, 2021

We write super-retro, super-low-budget games that don't look great. Our game design is quite solid, but the stories we tell is what keeps us in business. Our games are highly interactive novels with settings, characters, and stories that get people to actually give us real money. Thus, you'll mainly get it in indie games.

Writing 59

Writing Games AAA Indy 59

Keith Burgun

JUNE 20, 2022

I think overall, it ends up just looking “ok” because it’s not as cohesive as I wanted, and I probably should have hired more amazing artists to do more large art and effects for the game. For the budget I had for the game ($0), I think it looks pretty good though. It was really cool to win that Game Design award!

Indy 52

Indy Point and Click Game Designer Game Design 52

Keith Burgun

JULY 29, 2022

Games that are this massive must be made in an “assembly line” sort of way; they’re just too expensive to put actual surprises into. AAA games are first and foremost products and their “smooth functionality” is prized above all else.

Fantasy 52

Fantasy AAA Concepts Games 52

The Bottom Feeder

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Standard Disclaimer This game is a huge success in every way, and I am an ant. Though God help any foolish reviewer who tries to give an AAA game less than 9/10.) Looking at the achievement percentages on my PS5, over 40% of players finished the game, which is a great rate. But in a, you know, Norse way. Sold a ton.

Fighting 95

Fighting Games Balance Writing 95

Ask a Game Dev

JULY 10, 2023

It’s a pretty broad mix. Most devs are still using C++11/14 to my knowledge, with several ongoing legacy titles continuing to use C++03 to support them. One of the biggest pillars of development is that the ability for devs to work (stability) is paramount. If we were to make a change like an engine or software upgrade (e.g.

Dev 40

Dev Software AAA Asset 40

iXie gaming

MARCH 2, 2025

This technique isnt just a nostalgic throwback; its a strategic design choice that allows developers to craft visually striking, performance-efficient, and highly engaging experiences. From indie studios to AAA developers, 2.5D Works While 2D and 3D have traditionally been viewed as separate paths in game development, 2.5D

Art 52

Art Game Design Game Designer Hitbox 52

SOVEREIGN MOON

OCTOBER 11, 2020

Unity has a reputation for being a complex game engine designed to help developers make AAA games. However, recently they have made some major pivots which allow non-programmers to more easily use their game development software. Every game engine mentioned in this list is incredibly powerful.

Engineering 52

Engineering Engine Visual Scripting Scripting 52

Keith Burgun

APRIL 10, 2023

If this were true, then puzzle games like Portal or would also not have worked, because after the first few days of Portal’s release, players could quickly just look up solutions to puzzles if they wanted. The same is true for secrets in games.

Fantasy 52

Fantasy Puzzle Content Cutscenes 52

Deconstructor of Fun

DECEMBER 13, 2022

That makes them the closest thing in games to a rock supergroup: Maya Kylmamaa (Game Lead, Engineer) , was CEO of the now defunct Reforged Studios (a Helsinki studio focused on AAA strategy games). Summarizing: a professional well experienced with PC, with first-hand experience leading a team/company.

Studios 52

Studios Mobile Mobile Console 52

Radiator Blog

FEBRUARY 10, 2025

Death is usually (a) game over, (b) rare, or (c) strongly penalized. This is where sports have solved a major game design problem: in most sports, defeated players do not die. Yet I feel that the "basic theory" of most sports is still a pretty unexplored domain by the big sports game studios. (

Games 130

Games Game Designer Game Design Indy 130

Deconstructor of Fun

JUNE 6, 2022

Regular mobile game economies are deeper and more consumable-based than those in cosmetic-driven games , which means that Passes on these games can provide more rewards (currencies, boosters, upgrade resources, etc) and keep them perceived as valuable.

Content 52

Content Mechanics Balance Mobile 52

Radiator Blog

JUNE 2, 2023

In this sense, playing a 75% finished game is more useful than playing a 100% finished game. So this post will focus on my read of the general game design and player experience. Similarly, you can see where the core game design wanted to hit. that a bigger US AAA or a non-US indie would've failed to capture.

Studios 246

Studios Co-op Open World Cutscenes 246

Radiator Blog

NOVEMBER 3, 2021

In a past era of game design, we complained when combat games had obligatory stealth sections -- now we have story games with obligatory combat sections. Before you begin the zombie-filled Palace quest, the game UI helpfully advises, "if you're not a fan of action or horror gameplay, feel free to decline this quest."

NPC 130

NPC Fighting Art Dev 130

The Bottom Feeder

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

Vampire Survivors got big at about the same time and really showed what the much bigger AAA game does wrong. 25 if your game is extra-fancy. Twin-Stick Shooters Show the Perils of Game Design This has been my favorite genre since the first of its kind, Robotron: 2084 , came out in 1982. It was great timing.)

Indy 89

Indy Balance Game Designer Game Design 89

The Bottom Feeder

MARCH 13, 2024

Meanwhile, for a degree in Computer Game design, Digipen tuition is almost $60000/year now. Annual tuition to learn to make games at Digipen. They should be begging you for another chapter/song/game level. People should be taking your game home and playing it on their own until late at night. Almost $60K!

Indy 105

Indy Art Writing Games 105

Moonmana

APRIL 7, 2023

Some say Unreal is better just because it’s a common choice for AAA studios. Unity has created a large community and made video game development more accessible to game developers with various expertise levels. Unreal makes it possible to bring literally any vision to life in the form of an advanced video game.

Engine 52

Engine Engineering Game Engine Games 52

Deconstructor of Fun

JULY 8, 2024

AAA Boom and Bust Supercell’s “much more typical of a AAA game launch, and is atypical of a mobile launch” strategy failed. This model emphasizes the role of soft launches: launch when KPIs suggest the game is compelling rather than editorial opinion, whether from marketing, platform, or game design leaders.

Mobile 110

Mobile Mobile Platformer Feature 110

Logic Simplified

AUGUST 24, 2023

The Preferred Choice for AAA games Unreal Engine is well-documented and has great tools for the game development discipline that reduce the manual and resource-intensive tasks in game development.

Engineering 56

Engineering Engine Development Visual Scripting 56

Radiator Blog

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

This is similar to my tactics games writeup and Enderal (huge Skyrim mod) writeup where I spoil some interesting game designer / systems design things. I don't discuss much of the game narrative. I assume general game design knowledge but minimal Deathloop-specific knowledge.

Fighting 130

Fighting NPC Puzzle AI 130

PreMortem.Games

AUGUST 9, 2023

But a friend showed me Braid and Limbo towards the end of Film School and I finally realised ‘Wait a second, one person can make a game!?’ (I These were small versions of the AAA games I had played a lot of, but they were just as enjoyable.” Pat Naoum: “Game development takes so long!”

Dev 104

Dev Art Concepts Indy 104

PreMortem.Games

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

But a friend showed me Braid and Limbo towards the end of Film School and I finally realised ‘Wait a second, one person can make a game!?’ (I These were small versions of the AAA games I had played a lot of, but they were just as enjoyable.” Pat Naoum: “Game development takes so long!”

Dev 104

Dev Art Concepts Indy 104

Deconstructor of Fun

JANUARY 20, 2020

While games like Plarium’s RAID Shadow Legends boast a lineup of AAA quality 3D champions, you can get away with less. This game significantly cheaper production budget with assets being done in relatively low-quality 2D. RPG used to be the frontrunner of meta game design.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Fighting Studios Art 52

Deconstructor of Fun

OCTOBER 17, 2022

In order to achieve that goal, the game had to overcome two major challenges: it had to be free-to-play and it had to appeal to the Chinese audience. However, the development of CoDO was a rich bootcamp in F2P FPS development and western IP localization. This is a lesson CoDO quickly learned from Chinese Live Ops practices.

Content 52

Content FPS Mobile Mobile 52

Deconstructor of Fun

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

AAA game franchises are in the middle of a renaissance on mobile. 4 Freedom of Session Design Lastly and most importantly, TiMi does not restrict the player from playing the game as often or as long as they like. This analysis is written by Adam Telfer , Om Tandon and Nate Ross. Make sure you don’t miss on all of the ?content

Mobile 52

Mobile Mobile FPS Console 52