5 things to learn from AAA studios
Game Developer
SEPTEMBER 9, 2024
This article covers five key aspects—production, community, development, storytelling, and updates—valuable for both indie and AAA game developers.
AAA Game Development Indy 
Virtuos acquires British indie game developer Third Kind Games
GamesIndustry.biz
AUGUST 20, 2024
Virtuos has acquired British indie game developer, Third Kind Games. Virtuos says the acquisition will enhance its "AAA co-development capabilities and establish a new foothold for Virtuos in the UK."
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Trending Sources
Why You Can’t Objectively Build Great Games
Game Wisdom
NOVEMBER 8, 2024
Why You Can’t Objectively Build Great Games Josh Bycer josh@game-wisdom.com I was reading a piece over on Game Developer that gave me pause for a second about whether this is what game design at the AAA level is about now — focusing on analytics and trying to “math” the perfect … The post Why You Can’t Objectively (..)
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Four ways to build better indie marketing campaigns
GamesIndustry.biz
FEBRUARY 26, 2024
Getting your game noticed isn't easy, and it's particularly tough for indie game developers right now. But even then, indie games have a much harder time cutting through the noise. Read more
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Column Tomas Sala • Art schools should educate designers, not production drones
PreMortem.Games
DECEMBER 15, 2023
Now that the games industry has witnessed more than 9.000 layoffs this year, we have to seriously reconsider how the educational system is operating. Do we really need tons of new AAA production workers to come into the industry every year? All screenshots are taken from the upcoming game Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles by Tomas Sala.
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How VFX Streamlines Player Experience
Starloop Studios
JANUARY 12, 2023
Visual effects in modern gaming can be a transformative process that brings a title’s presentation and immersion to the next level. It has become an integral part of game development, from small-scale indie gems to AAA blockbusters.
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The Most Important Article On Selling Indie Games Ever!
The Bottom Feeder
JULY 24, 2023
I've been writing indie games for a living for 30 years now and so have been shipping them continuously for longer, as far as I know, than anybody else, ever. Never trust professional reviews of AAA games. They were written by professional indie game developers who should know better. (I’m
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Former EA devs' Simply Sweet Games aims to "raise the bar for the entire industry"
GamesIndustry.biz
MARCH 7, 2024
Headquartered in British Columbia, Canada, Simply Sweet Games is a fully remote studio that is currently developing its inaugural mobile title – the roguelike word puzzle Criss Cross Castles. Merry and Kom have over thirty years of experience in AAA, mobile, and indie game development.
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Mini compendium of indie games
Played with Fire
APRIL 14, 2022
As game fans, we can choose from both big AAA productions and less known (but not always) indie productions. Even though most of us completely fall for the phenomenon of big-budget games, we sometimes forget that in order to create something amazing you don’t need huge resources, but only a good idea.
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Survey finds more than half of game developers experience crunch
GamesIndustry.biz
SEPTEMBER 5, 2023
A new union survey raised further concerns about crunch culture in game development, with more than half experiencing crunch in the past two years. 57% of those surveyed said they most recently worked on an AAA game. 57% of those surveyed said they most recently worked on an AAA game. Read more
Mastering Metaverse: John Krajewski’s Eco Adventure
Game Dev Unchained
SEPTEMBER 18, 2023
I sat down with John Krajewski , the man behind the unique and forward-thinking game, Eco. The conversation shifted from the nuances of game development to the larger, looming concept of the “metaverse.” “The community’s voice is invaluable; it helps shape the game,” he remarked.
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Introducing AWS GameTime – a new AWS Twitch show
AWS Games
MAY 12, 2023
AWS GameTime is for gamers and budding game developers who want to go “behind-the-scenes” and learn how their favorite gaming experiences are made on AWS. The livestream is dedicated to showcasing game developers, playing their games and sharing their stories and expertise from the video game industry.
Making Lucid with Eric Manahan
Game Dev Unchained
SEPTEMBER 19, 2023
I recently spoke to Eric and chronicled his mesmerizing journey from architecture’s rigidity to the fluidity of game development. I’m making a game called Lucid ,” began Eric, a clear nod to a rich history of 32-bit gaming, particularly the SNES era. .” There was a turning point though.
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Heroic Labs supports Godot development
Mircosoft Game Dev
OCTOBER 2, 2019
At Heroic Labs , we see games development in a similar way. The rich variety of tooling available to games developers has delivered an explosion of creativity over the past decade. And that’s why we’re excited to support the development of the Godot Engine as a sponsor. Democratising game development.
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How much freedom does a game designer have at a non-indie studio? Are they able to pitch and create their own ideas or are they basically project leads that get assigned games to make/design (ie that time everyone was making a WW2 shooter)?
Ask a Game Dev
AUGUST 5, 2024
We're not project leads that pitch entire games, we're [ content creators ] that build the bits of specific content in games - the spells, the monsters, the fights, the classes, the races, the quests, the environments, the stats, the companions, and so on.
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Oscar Salandin, developer of BOTSU Ridicuous Robots: “Solo dev can be lonely”
PreMortem.Games
JULY 29, 2024
Oscar Salandin , known as Peculiar Pixels, received a major validation for his debut game, BOTSU Ridiculous Robots , by being named the Overall Winner at the Develop Indie Showcase Awards 2024. The English solo developer began his journey right after the Pandemic. Inevitably, I’ve gone over time and over budget,” he says.
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Know How Much It Costs to Make a Game Before Investing!
Big Games
OCTOBER 10, 2023
Depending on these, you can make a budget-friendly game or the next GTA. Keep reading this blog to understand how mobile game development costs differ from AAA games. Will it be a 2D puzzle or an AAA game like Grand Theft Auto V? The best part about these is that even a solo developer can create them.
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Recently, Jason Schreier revealed some bts talks with Blizzard devs who told him that they were trying for an RTS for years but were denied by execs. I understand that execs weigh risk/reward in terms of profitability but from the consumer side, these sorts of reveals makes it seem like innovation is being stifled and shifted to the indie scene like the nothing but superhero movies. What’s it look like from the dev and creative side?
Ask a Game Dev
OCTOBER 15, 2024
Unfortunately, the real story in the AAA space is that experimental and niche games like RTS games don't have as much of a potential market anymore. Creatives want to be creative, so they pitch creative stuff. Executives care about the bottom line and return on investment. But why not just form smaller teams?" you might ask.
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How an indie developer realized an out-of-this-world vision for multiplayer video game “Crossfar” using Amazon GameLift
AWS Games
JUNE 8, 2023
The number of services available on AWS and the quality of those services are key to the success of solo game development businesses like mine. Using AWS also helped lower development costs and accelerate iterations.” Additionally, developing a “Crossfar” sequel is under consideration.
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AI x Game Industry in 2025 - The Unspoken Part
Deconstructor of Fun
SEPTEMBER 16, 2024
The three predictions for the AI x Game Industry in 2025: Games made by AI will fail to impress both the player and the publishers. The first iteration of AI tools for game development will not have the impact investors were dreaming of. Most AAA simply cannot afford the team sizes of today.
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Goodfirms interview with Moonmana COO Iana Tkachenko
Moonmana
OCTOBER 31, 2022
Founded in 2008 , Moonmana is a European game development company and Art production studio that works hand-in-hand with Forbes TOP 13 List of the most valuable video game companies. . They readily accept challenges, devoting all of their creative ideas, talent, and enthusiasm to the realization of game projects.
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Flavored by Authenticity: How Personal Experiences Amplify Narrative
Game Design Aspect
FEBRUARY 1, 2022
Matthew Farber, Juliana Loh, Kimberly Unger, and I headlined the Georgia Game Developers Association CIMFest last year with this powerful panel exploring how personal experiences empower narrative writing. She has been invited to the White House and represented the USA at the World Conference on Science Literacy.
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The Three Game Industry Trends to Watch in 2024
Deconstructor of Fun
MAY 13, 2024
Get your latest Newzoo report for free >>> HERE <<< In this episode of the Deconstructor of Fun podcast, host Mishka Katkoff engages with Ben Porter, NewZoo's Director of Consulting, to delve into the profound shifts within the gaming industry reflected in NewZoo's latest report.
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Upcoming CIMFest Keynote: Flavored by Authenticity
Game Design Aspect
JUNE 9, 2021
this Saturday June 12, 2021, we are headlining the Georgia Game Developers Association CIMFest and I also will be moderating IGDA GDSIG's skipped (due to the cancellation of GDC last year) roundtable, Creating Non-Toxic Gamer Communities. There was just so much more to talk about emotional touchstones in emergent narrative!
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The Showdown: Unity Vs. Godot Vs. Buildbox Vs Unreal Engine
SOVEREIGN MOON
OCTOBER 11, 2020
Which Game Engine Has The Best Visual Scripting Tools For No-Code Devlopment? In today’s tutorial we’re going to compare a few different game engines that come with built in visual scripting tools to help game developers make video games without code. Introduction to Visual Scripting.
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Unity VS Unreal: Which Engine Should You Choose As A Beginner
Awesome Tuts
NOVEMBER 13, 2022
On the path to becoming a pro game developer the hardest thing is not learning how to make games, it’s actually the un-learning you have to do. You see choosing a game engine depends on your goal as a game developer. When it comes to use, C++ is more used in the game development industry than C#.
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What does inflation mean for the games industry?
Gamesbrief
AUGUST 11, 2022
There are three major ways that we, as consumers, spend money on video games: We subscribe to services such as Gamepass, Apple Arcade or Netflix We buy “boxed product” games, for example: AAA titles in physical boxes or indie games on Steam We buy virtual currency or virtual items in free-to-play or service games.
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5 Tactics for the Volatile PC/Console Market
Deconstructor of Fun
AUGUST 26, 2024
This evolving landscape presents opportunities for agile developers to thrive, even as AAA studios grapple with extended development cycles and rising costs. Overall, the key insights from the August 2024 re-forecasts: Modest Market Growth: The gaming market is expected to see an uptick of 2.1%
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Gem Wizards Tactics Post-Mortem
Keith Burgun
JUNE 20, 2022
Financially, GWT has made something somewhere around $20-25k putting all platforms together which honestly is actually a shockingly large amount of money for an indie game, believe it or not. But I definitely lost money on the game overall – by a huge margin when you consider all of the costs. Thanks for reading!
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Predicting the Future of Supercell’s Brand New Studio
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). The common point is that both were the co-founders of the indie games company Scuttlebutt Games.
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The Golden Age of Handheld Gaming
iXie gaming
FEBRUARY 23, 2024
Sony aimed to redefine the handheld gaming experience and delivered on it while enjoying great success in the process. PSP was home to some of the most technically advanced game development on a handheld in its time. The post The Golden Age of Handheld Gaming appeared first on iXie Gaming.
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The Art of 2.5D: How It’s Redefining Game Design
iXie gaming
MARCH 2, 2025
While 3D dominates modern game development, 2.5D 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 merges the best of both worlds.
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Three Minutes to Eight developer Chaosmonger Studio “Multiple stories moving parallel”
PreMortem.Games
OCTOBER 27, 2023
His experience in those fields really helped him in his game development career. Overall, I’d say that coming from the film industry definitely helped the script-writing process for games”, he says. The more you raise the bar, the more you risk disappointing somebody, especially if you don’t have AAA budgets.”
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Staying Strong in the Game with Jordan Smith
Game Dev Unchained
JANUARY 16, 2025
Recently, I caught up with my old friend Jordan Smith to talk about where things stand and what the future looks like for game developers like us. In just the first half of 2024, over 10,000 game developers lost their jobs, according to GamesIndustry.biz (2024). Every single AAA studio is trying to copy that model.
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Unity vs. Unreal: What to Choose for Your Game? | Moonmana
Moonmana
APRIL 7, 2023
Unity versus Unreal – this seems to be an ever-lasting battle in the game development world. Having been the market leaders for years, these two are the main candidates for the title of the best game engine. The game development industry is booming, and it’s impossible not to notice how quickly it’s expanding.
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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
Chris Zukowski , Creative Director of How To Market A Game , is a game marketing consultant and strategist who has guided numerous game studios in finding their audience. “If you discount too deep, you just gave away your game to everybody who would have bought it at 25% off.”
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Design review of Redfall by Arkane Studios Austin
Radiator Blog
JUNE 2, 2023
If Microsoft had given them another 6-12 months to truly polish everything, then it maybe would've been a more solid OK game. Anyway I didn't mind the incompleteness so much because I was playing less for fun, and more "for work", as a first person game developer. It's these small moments and details that stand out.
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Out Now • Solo dev Pat Naoum of the handpainted The Master’s Pupil: “Creativity is a tool”
PreMortem.Games
AUGUST 9, 2023
Every man and his dog has made an indie game but no one has painted a game yet. A point of interest in the indie game sea.” Naoum calls himself a jack of all trades, a master of none, so going solo on game development made a lot of sense. Pat Naoum: “Game development takes so long!”
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Solo dev Pat Naoum of the handpainted The Master’s Pupil: “Creativity is a tool”
PreMortem.Games
FEBRUARY 13, 2023
Every man and his dog has made an indie game but no one has painted a game yet. A point of interest in the indie game sea.” Naoum calls himself a jack of all trades, a master of none, so going solo on game development made a lot of sense. Pat Naoum: “Game development takes so long!”
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