Pixelles launches Prototype Fund to support marginalized gender devs in Canada
Game Developer
MAY 2, 2023
The Canadian non-profit is offering non-recoupable grants of up to $10,000 CAD.
Balatro dev gives look at first prototype, Joker Poker
Game Developer
MAY 29, 2024
LocalThunk shows how 2024's breakout deckbuilder evolved in the course of its three-year development.
Prototyping 
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Tales of Kenzera dev Surgent Studios 'on hiatus' as leaders look for partners and funding
Game Developer
OCTOBER 18, 2024
The developer has put its staff on notice for redundancy as it shops around a prototype of its next project to potential business partners.
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ID@Xbox launches new acceleration program to empower underrepresented devs
Game Developer
MARCH 21, 2023
The program will focus on key areas including porting, information, and prototypes.
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Fruit Ninja-creator Luke Muscat on the highs and lows of solo development “I’m just super motivated”
PreMortem.Games
MARCH 10, 2025
To find his first solo project, he developed a new brainstorming approach: he built a prototype in roughly 100 hours and let people play it. I build a prototype in roughly 100 hours, and then make a video about it for my YouTube channel and let people play the prototype. Solo dev was everything I had imagined and more.
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Doing this on anon for obvious reasons but is there any chance of getting hired as an entry level game dev in 2025? I’ve been unemployed for nearly two years since graduating from uni and I’m just getting rejection after rejection from game companies. All the posts are looking for senior devs, team leads, or managers. I have friends who’ve given up on the industry entirely. Is there any hope? Or am I fighting a losing battle here…
Ask a Game Dev
APRIL 16, 2025
New studios do start up, but entry level positions are rare since most of the new studios are looking for funding and they need the core senior dev team to build enough of a prototype to sell the idea to the money people. The first approach is to get a game dev adjacent job.
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Ascent of Ashes dev switches to Godot halfway development “Not as chaotic as Unity”
PreMortem.Games
DECEMBER 16, 2024
This also meant we had less dev time to fix bugs or optimize performance. Identify key features you need your engine to support, make some prototypes and see if Godot suits you and your game. The post Ascent of Ashes dev switches to Godot halfway development Not as chaotic as Unity appeared first on PreMortem Games.
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Solo developer Voidmaw on creating Katanaut: “Done is better than perfect”
PreMortem.Games
JANUARY 30, 2025
His design process is highly iterative, starting with loose ideas and evolving through sketches, prototyping, and constant refinement. I sketch things out by hand, hang up the drafts all over my wall using tape and sit on the ideas, prototype mechanics, and just see what clicks. he says, describing the core inspiration for Katanaut.
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Solo dev Chris Arvanitis: “Total control can be a double edged sword”
PreMortem.Games
AUGUST 25, 2023
A friend told me to give it a go again last year, so I started working on a prototype.” I started working on a prototype project during my free time, which eventually evolved into Ontotis.” The post Solo dev Chris Arvanitis: “Total control can be a double edged sword” appeared first on PreMortem Games.
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Game Dev Glossary: Prototype, Vertical Slice, First Playable, MVP, Demo
Ask a Game Dev
MARCH 29, 2024
Prototype - A playable example of a single gameplay system to prove out the concept. The above screenshot is from the Breath of the Wild systems prototype - wind, fire, etc. was modeled in this prototype before being translated to the 3D game world.
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A follow up to your answer about veilguard (was really hoping you would touch on that one). Why do game companies that have a “bad” release always seem to start from the bottom of the pyramid when it comes to restructuring and recouping losses? Why fire low level devs who did their best with what they had, when the companies have people in senior positions making hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not more) that they could just cut from? Why do the trenches always get the punishment first?
Ask a Game Dev
FEBRUARY 3, 2025
The next factor is that each major experience level up a dev attains tends to be a geometric difference in productivity. [ A large task that would take a junior dev two months to complete might take a mid-level dev one month and a senior dev only a week or two ].
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20 New Year’s Resolutions for Board Game Devs in 2020
Brand Game Development
DECEMBER 30, 2019
If you’re the kind of creator who has a few prototype board games in your closet somewhere, consider playing one of them with a few game designers. Order a professional physical prototype of one of your board games. You can read more about that in my article here: Setting Up Social Media as a Board Game Dev: A Primer Course.
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Global Games Fund offers devs from emerging markets up to $50,000
GamesIndustry.biz
APRIL 19, 2024
Launching this summer, the Global Games Fund will offer studios grants of between $5,000 and $50,000 to assist with games in the prototype stage or pre-production. Read more
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Two part question. 1) Where does a decision like taking DA4 from single player to live service back to single player most likely come from? Do studio leads make that kind of call, or project leads? Or is it a publisher-side “mandate” based on market trends? 2) Rebooting like that must come with significant costs given all the “wasted” dev work, so what needs to happen to make them that confident that staying on course will result in smaller returns than starting over?
Ask a Game Dev
FEBRUARY 13, 2025
A big decision like this tends to come from agreement between the dev team's executive producer, the studio head, and the publishing executives. Usually when this happens, there's also some reassignment of the dev team, either layoffs or transfers to other projects. Do studio leads make that kind of call, or project leads?
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Solo dev Tuomas Auronen (Redbeak Games) “Hardest part is financial uncertainty”
PreMortem.Games
MARCH 20, 2024
Solo dev Tuomas Auronen , operating under the name Redbeak Games , looks pretty relieved three days after the launch of his game Mortal Glory 2. So far I haven’t done any prototyping either as I feel it would have taken too long to validate my ideas that way. The toll on your mental health can be quite high for solo devs.
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Solo dev Almar works on debut game Repunk “I’ve had some darker moments”
PreMortem.Games
NOVEMBER 17, 2023
Yet, for indie dev Almar, it offered an escape from the corporate rat race he felt trapped in. This finally leads me to prototyping and validation. By September 2022 I had most of the design and lore elements of the game ready, including several prototypes, but it all looked terrible. Which art and music will be needed?
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Kazakhstan-based Goodwin Games takes us on an emotional adventure in Selfloss
PreMortem.Games
OCTOBER 28, 2024
When I’m prototyping, I keep adjusting the visuals until I feel something click in my heart, when it feels like it’s beautiful.” New prototypes Despite Selfloss’s challenging sales performance since its release, Khoroshavin remains optimistic about the future.
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5 Lessons I Learned at a Play-Testing Convention (Protospiel Atlanta)
Brand Game Development
OCTOBER 27, 2017
Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. Prototype of a beach volleyball game by Julio Nazario. Protospiel conventions are based around prototype board games. Prototypes ranged from paper-and-pencil to full-on Game Crafter $100+ sets.
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Oscar Salandin, developer of BOTSU Ridicuous Robots: “Solo dev can be lonely”
PreMortem.Games
JULY 29, 2024
Working in Mixed Reality, I met many ex game devs and artists, who I learned from and was greatly inspired by. Although we weren’t making games, the tech for Mixed Reality was identical to making games, so I picked up a lot of technical ability with Unity, game dev, shaders and more.” It’s made a huge difference.
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Solo dev Jonathan Barbosa Dijkstra “Learning new skills is a great motivator”
PreMortem.Games
SEPTEMBER 28, 2023
He took some online courses on programming and he was in business, as a solo dev operating under the name of Frambosa , only six months later. So, his solo debut game Billy Bumbum might be the first and last game he made as a one-man-dev-team. If I’m happy with this design, I’ll prototype it and test that prototype.
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The One Thing That Can Sink Sales for Board Games
Brand Game Development
OCTOBER 13, 2017
Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. I’m able to provide specific advice to new game devs on very particular areas of development. That was fine for getting the ball rolling, but now that the physical prototype has arrived, that changes things.
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How open are hiring managers in the game industry about what they are specific requirements they are looking for? In my industry I often find them looking for a generic position without listing what specialized task they are specifically looking for. Any suggestions on how to handle unclear hiring criteria?
Ask a Game Dev
MARCH 10, 2025
This is likely a scripter who can help be the glue that gets prototype and placeholder gameplay elements up and running. Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on BlueSky Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr Frequent Questions: The FAQ
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Do publishers have their own “quality control” standards? For example, do publishers have any “we will not release a game unless it meets X standard of quality based our own playtesters/etc” systems in place? If so, what happens when a game near release does not meet those requirements? Are games that clearly aren’t going to meet X standard usually cancelled before announcement?
Ask a Game Dev
JANUARY 24, 2025
Really early on, you only have one to five senior devs working on building a prototype for the approved pitches. If the prototype gets approved, the team ramps more and builds an entire playable demo that demonstrates all of the major game systems at work. At the start, you have one or two developers who write a pitch.
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Ascent of Ashes dev switches to Godot halfway development “Not as chaotic as Unity”
PreMortem.Games
NOVEMBER 15, 2023
This also meant we had less dev time to fix bugs or optimize performance. Identify key features you need your engine to support, make some prototypes and see if Godot suits you and your game. The post Ascent of Ashes dev switches to Godot halfway development “Not as chaotic as Unity” appeared first on PreMortem Games.
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How to Play a Lot of Board Games with Little Time and Little Money
Brand Game Development
SEPTEMBER 8, 2017
Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. A lot of people, left to their own devices will use the pernicious myth of “I need to play more games” to defend their game dev procrastination. If you’re an aspiring game dev, avoid snobbery.
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Indie dev studio Wikkl Works takes virtual rock climbing to New Heights
PreMortem.Games
MAY 19, 2023
The idea for New Heights emerged as a personal prototype, driven by the desire to create a game focused on exploration rather than violence. The post Indie dev studio Wikkl Works takes virtual rock climbing to New Heights appeared first on PreMortem Games. It is great to see that it’s working out so far.”
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Solo dev ansdor loves his total creative control: “I don’t like too much planning”
PreMortem.Games
JUNE 20, 2023
People who follow indie/solo devs on social media tend to be really nice and positive, but even so it takes a lot of effort.” When I have an idea I consider viable, ideally I go straight to prototyping and develop the game from there. What’s your creative process? “I I like to get my hands dirty as early as possible.
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How to Make a Tabletop Simulator Demo of Your Board Game
Brand Game Development
MARCH 2, 2020
It saves you a ton of money and time on prototyping. It takes less time to create a prototype. This is one of the most underrated marketing opportunities around for board game dev. If you plan on using Tabletop Simulator for anything other than rapid prototyping, it’s not enough to simply create a Tabletop Simulator demo.
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Board Game Development – Wait Like a Champ by Using Downtime Wisely
Brand Game Development
JUNE 30, 2017
Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. Last week in the Dev Diary, I talked about how board game development is a long, ongoing process with a lot of different stages. In short, I need a prototype board to do efficient play-testing.
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Makhoba Kamogelo: “Don’t let fear stop you from reinventing yourself”
PreMortem.Games
NOVEMBER 13, 2023
African Game Dev Prototype Fund They say the best leaders lead by example. The title has gone on to win awards and funding from the African Game Dev Prototype Fund and Humble Bundle. We also got some support from Humble Bundle, which helped us overcome this challenge.” That’s where Dungeon Crawler was conceived.
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Crack the case by chatting with GPT in Uncover the Smoking Gun by ReLU Games
PreMortem.Games
JULY 10, 2024
Before Smoking Gun, there was a prototype game called Demon, where GPT played the role of an evil spirit, and the player had to find hidden information and banish the spirit through conversation. When we first conceived Uncover the Smoking Gun, we lacked sufficient personnel and time for prototype development.
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AWS to showcase tools for breakthrough gaming experiences at GDC 2025
AWS Games
MARCH 13, 2025
Featured sessions include Leveraging AI in Live Service Games with AWS for Games Global Business Development Lead Shayan Sanyal from 2:40-3:40 PM, and Reimagining Game Dev in the AI Era featuring Andrei Muratov, AWS Head of Game Analytics from 10:50-11:50 AM. Reserve your spot for the all-day event.
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The Art of the Paper Test: Catching Accessibility Issues Early
Brand Game Development
MAY 19, 2017
Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. prior to and during its Kickstarter campaign, but it is also my favorite rapid prototyping tool. Digital play testing is an excellent way to reduce the costs of developing early board game prototypes.
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Double Fine PsychOdyssey recaps / viewing guide, episodes 01-17
Radiator Blog
MARCH 16, 2023
Last month, game industry documentary makers 2 Player Productions debuted a massive 32-part YouTube game dev doc series Double Fine PsychOdyssey , chronicling the development of Psychonauts 2 from its earliest glimmers of pre-production in 2015 to its final release in 2021.
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How Many Blind Play-Tests Does Your Board Game *Really* Need?
Brand Game Development
DECEMBER 22, 2017
Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. In absence of a Byways -related update to inspire this week’s Dev Diary, I’m answering a question I got from a new game designer a few months back. appeared first on Brandon the Game Dev.
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The Final 100 Play-Tests: How to Put Final Touches on a Board Game
Brand Game Development
DECEMBER 8, 2017
Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. That’s not necessarily good or bad, but it’s something game devs need to be wary of. This is a checklist I like to check off before I start final testing: Get the physical prototype ready.
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James Bendon’s 5-year journey to create Dinkum “To be honest, I really like working alone”
PreMortem.Games
MAY 29, 2024
After releasing the game to the public, the solo dev got a severe case of post-game release depression. I’ve since spoken with and read about this feeling from other devs who have experienced it after release. I think products from solo devs often feel a bit different. I should have been happy, but I wasn’t,” he says.
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Talking Without Words
Brand Game Development
JULY 21, 2017
Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. We’re doing rapid prototyping. While James and I have this back and forth going, I’m continuing to grow my game dev Discord and the newsletter. Just here for Highways & Byways updates?
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What’s the point of board game reviews?
Brand Game Development
MAY 1, 2017
Drama aside, it truly is difficult at first because you have to identify reviewers, send prototypes, make sure your game is ready enough, cross your fingers, and hope they like it. You can keep a dev diary. appeared first on Brandon the Game Dev. Oh, the pain of sending your precious brainchild to someone to publicly judge!
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Bankrolling Your Board Game’s Development
Brand Game Development
AUGUST 28, 2017
I can get them to pay for my prototyping and art!” Prototypes / Testing Costs: Of course, at some point before you run your game by reviewers, you’ll need to get a sample of it to make sure it feels good physically. prototyping for my own purposes and for reviewers was around $500. The Limits of Crowdfunding.
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How to Tell When Play-Testing Feedback is Useful or Not
Brand Game Development
SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. Don’t believe a dev who says “I’ve never wanted to flip the table because of some useless play-testing feedback.” Just here for Highway s & Byways updates? Click here.
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Why I still use Unity
Radiator Blog
APRIL 18, 2022
There's been some game dev twittering about Unity vs. Unreal lately. This is important during the second half of a game dev cycle, when game making becomes a terrible slog -- when your game randomly crashes on Nintendo Switch for some reason and you have to figure out why but you're already so so tired.
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Godot Showcase - Museum of All Things
Mircosoft Game Dev
FEBRUARY 25, 2025
I have prototypes of the game going back a few years, but I started really working on this iteration in November 2024. Ive gotten more comfortable with the features and workflow now, so Godot was the first tool I reached for when I started prototyping my museum! Its also my first real 3D game. The museum can be visited in VR.
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Two engineers build the physics-driven engineering parody The Enjenir
PreMortem.Games
OCTOBER 9, 2023
What originally started out as a treehouse building simulator prototype, slowly evolved as the duo gradually added different mechanics. “It As the scope of the game evolved naturally over time, the dev duo assessed each feature addition to the game very carefully. “We And it resulted in The Enjenir.” Do we know how to implement it?
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