Cinematics and Cutscenes - Game Developers Network

Narrative in trailers, cutscenes and cinematics (for the game music composer)

Game Developer

DECEMBER 16, 2022

Emphasizing narrative using game music - 4th in an article series on music for trailers, cutscenes, & cinematics, by composer Winifred Phillips.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Cinematics Games

I feel like I or someone else asked you this, but do you think that gameplay will ever get to the point where it looks like the fancy prerendered cutscenes? Even the outstanding visuals we have now, don’t really look like say, Sonic Unleashed’s opening cinematic from….Christ, 2008 was really 15 years ago. Anyway, Is there a way to match that that look in style and fidelity or is it just kind of a “physics” thing where that’s basically not possible? What stops that if that’s the case.

Ask a Game Dev

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

I don't believe that gameplay will ever look like fancy prerendered cutscenes because gameplay has certain needs that cutscenes do not, and cutscenes have certain needs that gameplay does not. When you're watching a cinematic in a game like Spider-Man, what are you seeing on screen? Here's what I mean.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Cinematics Dev Technology

How Drama and Fake Ads Convert To Real Profits

Deconstructor of Fun

FEBRUARY 10, 2025

Introduction I remember as a young product manager, working on major releases at Disney and Rovio how excited I was for the cutscenes. After release I was responsible for analyzing churn and sharing the results with the team: the cutscenes were driving users out of the game. The team poured their hearts into the work.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes AI Content Mechanics

Does it take much work/money to edit cutscenes once finished? Like, you develop a cutscene but then you decide to change details like background, music, clothes, facial expressions of the characters or even add to the scene a character who originally wasn’t supposed to be there. How often does this happen?

Ask a Game Dev

APRIL 12, 2024

Once upon a time, back when all cutscenes were pre-rendered FMV, it was tremendously expensive to make changes because making any small change required re-rendering the entire video which was enormously expensive. Today, for an in-game cinematic, a lot of the things are done in real time so we can swap things out as needed.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Cinematics Asset Render

Hello! I have a question about cutscenes. How does a decision get made about whether a cutscene can be skipped or not? I know some games have certain skipable cutscenes and others unskippable, and that in HD remakes of old games developers will sometimes add the ability to skip them. Do these decisions tend to be story-motivated or is there commonly a background mechanical reason to force a cutscene to play fully through?

Ask a Game Dev

APRIL 19, 2024

Cinematics are mostly for storytelling purposes, but they also hid a very real secondary purpose - we would do a lot of game setup during cinematics, like streaming data off of a physical disc while the cinematic is playing so that we can load what comes next.

Cinematics

Cinematics Cutscenes Dev Data

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

I don't think that we'll ever see pre-rendered cutscenes go away permanently. 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.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Render Cinematics Engine

So how much $ (in general) does it cost to produce a fully animated/rigged, fully voiced 1-3 minute cutscene in a game that’s in ongoing development (something like SWTOR, where they have a lot of prebuilt assets)? Like just a general low range and high range? I’m seeing a lot of people complaining about prioritizing content they want, and don’t know enough about the behind the scenes costs to properly communicate they’re being unrealistic with their complaints.

Ask a Game Dev

FEBRUARY 19, 2024

that might need to be created for certain specific cutscenes. that might need to be created for certain specific cutscenes. If the cutscene needs new animations we need to bring on an animator to spend time building the new animations needed for the cutscene. needs its own rig), that's time from a rigger to create.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Rigging Animation Animation

Sent this ask a while ago but I think Tumblr ate it so here it is: In which stage of game development are relationships between characters decided? Asking this because I recently found an old Final Fantasy VII relationship chart and originally some characters were supposed to have completely different bonds compared to the ones they ended up having in the actual game. These seem to be quite important plot points, so I assume that final decisions should be made before creating cutscenes? Or you can change stuff later if devs come up with better ideas?

Ask a Game Dev

APRIL 8, 2024

For features like cutscenes, it depends on how much difficulty it takes to build the cutscenes. That could mean combat, it could mean itemization, it could mean summoning magic, it could mean narrative, it could mean cutscenes/cinematics. In the original FF7, the FMV sequences were set in stone.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Dev Rigging Cinematics

I feel like I or someone else asked you this, but do you think that gameplay will ever get to the point where it looks like the fancy prerendered cutscenes? Even the outstanding visuals we have now, don’t really look like say, Sonic Unleashed’s opening cinematic from….Christ, 2008 was really 15 years ago. Anyway, Is there a way to match that that look in style and fidelity or is it just kind of a “physics” thing where that’s basically not possible? What stops that if that’s the case.

Ask a Game Dev

OCTOBER 31, 2023

I don't believe that gameplay will ever look like fancy prerendered cutscenes because gameplay has certain needs that cutscenes do not, and cutscenes have certain needs that gameplay does not. When you're watching a cinematic in a game like Spider-Man, what are you seeing on screen? Here's what I mean.

Cinematics

Cinematics Cutscenes Dev Technology

Game storytelling and narrative design

Jaunty Bear Games

JANUARY 31, 2023

Cinematography and cutscenes: Using in-game camera work and cutscenes to create cinematic and visually impactful moments that help to advance the story and immerse the player in the game world.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Cinematics Writing Games

Hideo Kojima: Influential and Innovative Video Game Director and Writer

Game Designing

DECEMBER 1, 2022

Combined with his love for film, this leads to deep story-driven games with lengthy and cinematic cutscenes (Metal Gear Solid 4 once held the world record for the longest cutscene in any game). His games’ cinematic qualities and high technical standards also laid the early groundwork for our modern big-budget AAA games.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Film Cinematics Games

A day in the life of a narrative designer

Game Global

JULY 12, 2021

When you imagine doing this job, is it mostly about crafting amazing cutscenes? We must understand (and preferably help create and document) the game as a whole: from core mechanics to level design to cinematics, and everything in between. What is Narrative Design? If so, you probably want to be a game writer.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Writing Scripting Localization

The Future of 3D Art in Interactive Entertainment

iXie gaming

JUNE 19, 2024

Cinematics and Storytelling: 3D art is a powerful cinematics and storytelling tool. Game artists can leverage the power of 3D art to create 3D cutscenes and cinematics that deliver compelling narratives. This enhances the overall players’ experience, driving higher engagement rates.

Entertainment

Entertainment Art Technology Animation

How to Use Unity Cinemachine Virtual Cameras

Game Designing

APRIL 21, 2022

This can be ideal for cinematics who have been looking for a way to fully automate in game camera systems. Game developers can switch from 2D to 3D, from real-time play to cutscene, and from the traditional first-person shooter view to a camera that follows the action up close and personal.

Animation

Animation Animation Code Software

AppLovin's Modern Community and The Power of Game Narrative

Deconstructor of Fun

MAY 20, 2024

The game is full of cinematics that enhance both the cheesy dialogues and the key story moments. Then the player is introduced to the event and they unlock another couple of cutscenes throughout that event while also receiving their rewards.

Puzzle

Puzzle Games Game Engine Simulation

The Lost Ark Has Found its Way

Deconstructor of Fun

MAY 15, 2022

Animation: Two perspectives, the separation of cloud and mud Lost Ark has a sincere visual performance, among which are various cutscenes from a top-down perspective. Despite the game’s powerful use of top-down view, the live cutscenes of Lost Ark are full of bugs. The rough cutscene). The grand scene).

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Art Content Mechanics

Emerging Trends in Game Art: Real-Time Rendering, Stylized Game Art, and Beyond

iXie gaming

MARCH 28, 2025

Real-Time Rendering For decades, game developers relied on pre-rendered cutscenes and static assets to deliver high-fidelity visuals. Today, real-time rendering is redefining game development, offering dynamic lighting, physics-based effects, and cinematic quality graphics all rendered instantaneously.

Art

Art Render Ray Tracing AI

UEFN & HaZ Dulull- A New Dawn for Creators

Game Dev Unchained

JULY 26, 2023

However, with the quality threshold of animated films matching the one of video game cinematics, he says, the gaming industry’s influence is being acknowledged more than ever. For a long time, game studios looked to films for inspiration to make their cutscenes and dialogues more cinematic.

Film

Film AI Technology Engine

Game Developers Network

Narrative in trailers, cutscenes and cinematics (for the game music composer)

Trending Sources

How Drama and Fake Ads Convert To Real Profits

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?

Game storytelling and narrative design

Hideo Kojima: Influential and Innovative Video Game Director and Writer

A day in the life of a narrative designer

The Future of 3D Art in Interactive Entertainment

How to Use Unity Cinemachine Virtual Cameras

AppLovin's Modern Community and The Power of Game Narrative

The Lost Ark Has Found its Way

Emerging Trends in Game Art: Real-Time Rendering, Stylized Game Art, and Beyond

UEFN & HaZ Dulull- A New Dawn for Creators

Stay Connected