Planning: find the shape of the game
Start with the player experience, not a feature inventory. Write three or four creative pillars, identify comparable games, and state what must feel different. Build the smallest prototype that can test the riskiest assumption.
- Describe the core loop in one plain sentence.
- Choose comparable games for audience, price, and scope—not only theme.
- Set a time box for the prototype and a clear question it must answer.
- Draft the first “not in this version” list.
Pre-production: prove the difficult parts
Turn the prototype into a vertical-slice plan. Define one polished, representative segment and list the systems, content, and art needed to support it. This is the moment to expose technical and production risk while change is still affordable.
- Separate reusable systems from one-off content.
- Estimate with ranges and record the assumptions behind them.
- Decide how the team will review builds and capture decisions.
Production: build in visible increments
Break the slice into milestones that end in a playable build. Keep tasks small enough to review, test continuously, and protect time for integration. A nearly finished collection of parts is not the same as a working game.
- Prioritize complete player-facing paths over broad partial coverage.
- Keep a short risk list beside the backlog.
- Review scope at every milestone, not only when the schedule slips.
- Document outsourced work with the same care as internal work.
Validation: watch people play
Test with players who have not watched the game being made. Observe where they hesitate, misunderstand, or stop. Group feedback by player problem before deciding on solutions.
- Record what the player did, not what you think they meant.
- Fix blockers before polish.
- Retest the changed experience with fresh players.
Pitch preparation: connect promise to proof
The deck, video, build, budget, and schedule should tell the same story. State who the game is for, why the team can make it, what has already been proven, and what a partner would fund next.
- Use captured gameplay before mood footage.
- Build the budget from people, time, services, and a contingency.
- Show milestones as playable outcomes.
- Tailor the submission to each publisher's current focus.
Missing a checkpoint?
Send the question that is holding up your team. Useful gaps will be considered for the next update.