Games development is a complex process, and thus it takes a lot of effort to create a masterpiece. Every Game Development Companyclaims to offer imperative results, remember not all of them can offer the game production processes with a proper workflow and management.
Therefore, it is important to know about the entire stages of game creation, enabling you to organise and optimise your workflow.
So here, learn about game development stages and how to find a reliable partner for custom game development.
Stages of Game Development
A game development process typically consists of 5 main stages: pre-production, production, quality assurance, launch, and post-production maintenance.
Stage 1. Pre-production
The game development process should always start with proper planning, often ignored by many companies. It is vital to obtain thorough information about the requirements for new products, such as technical aspects, specific features, etc. Managers and product owners define the goals and business of the project and create the roadmap out the core concept behind it.
This phase includes analysis of market, competitor and target audience, choosing a platform, resource allocation, strategies and risk calculation. Following the conclusion of requirement gathering, a thorough Game Design Document is produced to continue with the production stage.
Stage 2. Production
This is the major and most-labor intensive phase of video game production divided further into several internal stages.
Prototyping
Prototyping is the early stage of creation wherein playtests of the primary mechanics is made to utilise in the game. To create a massive product, artisans and significant funding are needed.
Visual content creation
The visual content is about everything a game is packed with — characters, props, environment, and game assets. This phase greatly affects the amount of time needed to create a game and is largely dependent on whether a 2D or 3D format is required.
A 2d and 3d Game Development Company though put both formats in the same pipeline, but 2D visuals require less complex technology and time for flat visual content sketching, colouring, and animation. 3D games development, on the other hand, puts a lot of challenges and typically require going through stages that include polygonal modelling (creating a basic model using polygonal figures), sculpting, texturing, rigging, and animation.
This means the process is considerably faster and more straightforward in 2D games (although, it also relies on the detailing of the material) (however, it also depends on the detailing of the content). In addition to specialised knowledge and skills, 3D games employ cutting-edge software and technologies.
Game level design development
This is the crucial stage where the development of the logic of the game levels takes place, which differs for each genre. For example, increasing the difficulty levels on completing a linear quest.
In this level design stage, designers also develop game mechanics, game economy design, plot and handy details such as hints labelling new mechanics and leading a player through a game, along with building transitions between levels.
Five Main Stages of Game Development
Games development is a complex process, and thus it takes a lot of effort to create a masterpiece. Every Game Development Company claims to offer imperative results, remember not all of them can offer the game production processes with a proper workflow and management.
Therefore, it is important to know about the entire stages of game creation, enabling you to organize and optimize your workflow.
So here, learn about game development stages and how to find a reliable partner for custom game development.
Stages of Game Development
A game development process typically consists of 5 main stages: pre-production, production, quality assurance, launch, and post-production maintenance.
Stage 1. Pre-production
The game development process should always start with proper planning, often ignored by many companies. It is essential to gather complete information about the requirements for upcoming products, such as technical aspects, specific features, etc. Managers and product owners define the goals and business of the project and create the roadmap out the core concept behind it.
This phase includes analysis of market, competitor and target audience, choosing a platform, resource allocation, strategies and risk calculation. Once requirement gathering completes, a comprehensive Game Design Document is created to proceed further with the production stage.
Stage 2. Production
This is the major and most-labor intensive phase of video game production divided further into several internal stages.
Prototyping
Prototyping is the initial stage of production wherein playtests of the main mechanics is built to use in the game. It requires artisans and huge investment to come up with a colossal product.
Visual content creation
The visual content is about everything a game is packed with — characters, props, environment, and game assets. This stage has a great impact on the time spent on creating a game and depends largely on the required format of the game, either 2D or 3D.
A 2d and 3d Game Development Company though put both formats in the same pipeline, but 2D visuals require less complex technology and time for flat visual content sketching, coloring, and animation. 3D games development, on the other hand, puts a lot of challenges and typically require going through stages that include polygonal modeling (creating a basic model using polygonal figures), sculpting, texturing, rigging, and animation.
This means the process is relatively faster and more straightforward in 2D games (however, it also depends on the detailing of the content). 3D games use advanced software and tools in addition to specialized skills and knowledge.
Game level design development
This is the crucial stage where the development of the logic of the game levels takes place, which differs for each genre. For example, increasing the difficulty levels on completing a linear quest.
In this level design stage, designers also develop game mechanics, game economy design, plot and handy details such as hints labelling new mechanics and leading a player through a game, along with building transitions between levels.
Audio design and voice acting
A compelling game design must incorporate engaging audio. Sound designers produce soundtracks and audio effects for various play scenarios at this stage. It has unique sound effects to indicate danger, success, failure, etc.
Based on the concept of the game, some natural sounds are also added, like character steps, explosion, water or wind sound, etc. If the characters need voices, voice actors record dialogue, monologues, and individual lines to be incorporated into the software.
Coding
Once all the elements in a game are ready, developers write numerous lines of code to combine all the content together, for which they often use game engines. The difficulty in this stage is in developing a game like a puzzle, not including mutually exclusive mechanics and running without errors and failures. Developers strive to consider all possible technical factors and create a positive user experience.
Stage 3. Quality assurance
After the production job finishes, and the game comes in its full shape, it needs to be tested to ensure it is bug-free and will function without error. No matter how complicated a game is, quality assurance testing is a necessary step in the process of effective game creation. Even a small issue can have a detrimental effect on the user experience and overall enjoyment of the game. Alpha and Beta testing, as well as functional and non-functional testing, are frequently carried out by mobile game development studios.
Functional game testing types:
- Interoperability testing
- Regression testing
- Localization testing
- Smoke testing
- User acceptance testing
- Security access control testing
Non-functional game testing types:
- Load testing
- Performance testing
- Stability testing
- Stress testing
- Volume testing
- Usability testing
- Installation testing
- Configuration testing
- Compliance testing
- Disaster recovery testing
Alpha Testing: This is the final testing stage of a finalized game that is carried out when functionality, performance, compatibility, and other features are tested, and all the bugs are fixed.
Beta Testing: At times, Alpha testing is followed by Beta testing that does not include any technical or software tool. It is done by simulating players to find issues that end users may face while playing the game.
Stage 4. Launch
The most awaited step of game development is the launch. A game is "launched" when it is made available for purchase or download in stores. The procedure must be followed precisely, keeping in mind the crucial terms conditions of the specific app store.
Also, certain issues persist even after the game is ready. As a result, the game's development team keeps making changes to it even after it has launched.
Stage 5. Post-production
The tale of a game's creation doesn't end with the game's release; instead, it requires ongoing testing for bugs and enhancements that will enhance the user experience. Professionals monitor the stability and performance and release updates on a regular basis. To keep players interested, a game production business typically updates the gameplay's material or adds some fun new features and mechanics.
Get a Flawless Game Development Services
Now that we are aware of the work required to produce a game, you must comprehend that not all businesses can deliver successful results. Leading Unity and 2D and 3D game development company WebMobril Technologies provides beautiful and stress-free game development services. Our team of experts completes each step of game development with the maximum accuracy and expertise in the field.
If you have a notion for a game in any genre, WebMobril Technologies can efficiently put it into action.
