Cinematics, Cutscenes and Games - 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

How Drama and Fake Ads Convert To Real Profits

Deconstructor of Fun

FEBRUARY 10, 2025

Dylan Tredrea is a product & publishing consultant with over 12 years of experience in mobile free to play games at studios such as Disney, Rovio, Zeptolab, & CrazyLabs. Introduction I remember as a young product manager, working on major releases at Disney and Rovio how excited I was for the cutscenes.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes AI Content Mechanics

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

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

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

The importance of the narrative depends primarily on how important the narrative is to the game. For a game like Overwatch, where the core gameplay is team pvp, the narrative is a lot less important and things like relationships are generally prioritized. If we can always make changes forever, we'll never ship the game.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Dev Rigging Cinematics

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

The cost of any content in game dev is directly proportional to how much new stuff needs to be created for that content. that might need to be created for certain specific cutscenes. that might need to be created for certain specific cutscenes. that might need to be created for certain specific cutscenes.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Rigging Animation Animation

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

Game storytelling and narrative design involves creating a compelling and immersive narrative that enhances the player’s experience and engagement with the game. World-building: Creating a consistent and immersive game world that players can explore and interact with.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Cinematics Writing Games

Hideo Kojima: Influential and Innovative Video Game Director and Writer

Game Designing

DECEMBER 1, 2022

In the world of video games, few people have played as large of a role in progressing video games as an art form as Hideo Kojima. For over three decades the Japanese game director has continued to release classic and critically acclaimed video games, most famously the Metal Gear series. Early Career. Independent Work.

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? Do you want to make people laugh at the silly things the game’s troops say if you click on them enough times? If so, you probably want to be a game writer. And that’s valid! We need to understand, at least at a high level, all of its features.

Cutscenes

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The Future of 3D Art in Interactive Entertainment

iXie gaming

JUNE 19, 2024

As the gaming world changes, new technologies have become essential in modern games. This technology allows game artists and developers to create high-quality and interactive 3D experiences using real-time rendering. Nintendo’s Super Mario was one of the most fun and engaging arcade games until Battlezone came out.

Entertainment

Entertainment Art Technology Animation

AppLovin's Modern Community and The Power of Game Narrative

Deconstructor of Fun

MAY 20, 2024

Written by Ahmetcan Demirel , the maestro of product management and a podcast host ( Game Dev Diary ) from Germany! With a knack for puzzle, arcade, and simulation games. Making a successful Match-3 is one of the most challenging tasks a mobile game developer can tackle. and Dream with Royal Match.

Puzzle

Puzzle Games Game Engine Simulation

How to Use Unity Cinemachine Virtual Cameras

Game Designing

APRIL 21, 2022

Coding camera angles for games and animation has been a pain … Until now. In short, Unity Cinemachine opens up an entirely new world of opportunities for animation, game design and development, and directors working with virtual cameras. In short, the Unity Cinemachine is a game-changer. What Is Unity Cinemachine?

Animation

Animation Animation Code Software

The Lost Ark Has Found its Way

Deconstructor of Fun

MAY 15, 2022

This post is written by the fantastic Game Bakery substack team of Chase, Zixuan, Haiyin, Caitou, Fish, Amy, Chow, Jing, Wanzi and edited by Caitou, Rob. When we talk about MMO, many may relegate this game category to “old-school” or “niche.” Amazon Games has finally made its name after the tough launch of New World.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Art Content Mechanics

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

iXie gaming

MARCH 28, 2025

By 2026, the gaming industry is expected to reach $321 billion , with real-time rendering and AI-driven game art playing a pivotal role in its growth. Game art has undergone a seismic transformation over the past decade, driven by technological advancements, evolving player expectations, and a rapidly growing industry.

Art

Art Render Ray Tracing AI

Tryhard dev log - Cutscene and Game Scripting with Yarn Spinner v3.0 beta

Radiator Blog

APRIL 6, 2025

In our upcoming game Tryhard , we have cutscenes and dialogue and level scripting like many other RPGs. This dev log is about how were implementing some of that stuff in the game. Just let all the game dev words and lingo wash over you like a summer rain.) Imagine a cinematic sweep or a slow dolly / zoom?

Cutscenes

Cutscenes Scripting Beta Dev

UEFN & HaZ Dulull- A New Dawn for Creators

Game Dev Unchained

JULY 26, 2023

The realms of gaming and the film industry are coming together in a harmonious convergence, as the technology and expertise of both fields are being shared and utilized to create impressive results. This was the primary discussion during the latest episode where I invited the accomplished filmmaker and game designer HaZ Dulull.

Film

Film AI Technology Engine

Game Developers Network

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

How Drama and Fake Ads Convert To Real Profits

Trending Sources

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

AppLovin's Modern Community and The Power of Game Narrative

How to Use Unity Cinemachine Virtual Cameras

The Lost Ark Has Found its Way

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

Tryhard dev log - Cutscene and Game Scripting with Yarn Spinner v3.0 beta

UEFN & HaZ Dulull- A New Dawn for Creators

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