3 stages of game development
Creating computer games

3 stages of game development

Garrett Anthony

Video game development is usually divided into 3 stages: pre-production, production and post-production.

  1. Pre-production
    This is where every project begins. Essentially, pre-production defines what the game is about, why you should make it, and what it takes to make it. You may have a great idea for a type of game, a story you want to bring to life, or you may want to create one that uses a certain type of technology (like VR, a new controller or console). In the pre-production phase, you should have answers to questions such as:

What is the game about?
Who is our target audience/users/audience?
Are there analogs in this market? What is the competition?
What platform will the project be created on?
How will it be monetized? Will it be sold on the platform or will it be sold for free with in-game purchases?
How long will it take to develop?
What staff and resources will it require?
What is the estimated budget?

This phase can take anywhere from a week to a year, depending on the type of project, available resources and finances, and usually takes up to 20% of the total production time.

  1. Production
    Production is the longest phase of the pipeline. It takes anywhere from 1 to 4 years, and that’s when the game really starts to take shape. The story is refined, resources (characters, creatures, objects, and environments) are created, game rules are established, levels and worlds are created, code is written, and more!

Almost everything in video games is a conscious decision. This includes all characters, environments, object, as well as appearance, colors, sounds, difficulty level, rules, and scoring system. However, initial ideas don’t always translate that well, so the game is constantly being tested and refined as the work progresses.

  1. Post-production
    Once production and release is complete, the game development process continues, and some team members are relegated to maintenance (fixing bugs, creating patches) or creating bonus or downloadable content (DLC). Others may move on to a sequel or the next project.

There can be a debriefing to discuss what worked and what didn’t work and to determine what could have been done better next time. All project documents, assets, and code are finalized, collected, and stored in case they are needed in the future.