CASE STUDY—GAME
P
RODUCTION CYCLE
T
his appendix is a case study of the production cycle for a fictional game
called Justice Unit that is being developed by Supergame Studios and
published by Digital Fun, Inc.
A.1 INTRODUCTION
Digital Fun, Inc. recently acquired the intellectual property (IP) rights to create
games based on a popular film franchise called Justice Unit. They are willing to
approve a generous budget for the game, but want to keep costs in line where
they can. Their main goal is to get the game completed in 24 months so that it
can ship when the next movie is released. They put out a request for propos-
als (RFP) to several independent game developers and got several interesting
pitches in return. The one they are most interested in comes from Supergame
Studios.
Supergame Studios is a small but established studio that specializes in
developing games for the console and PC platforms. They have an industry rep-
utation of creating quality games on time and on budget. They are a mid-size
studio, about 60 to 80 people, depending on development needs, and they usually
have two projects in production at a time. They are licensed developers for Sony
and Microsoft.
Supergame Studios is very excited to work on Justice Unit, and created a
pitch that addressed Digital Fun’s main goals for the game. The pitch indicated
that Supergame Studios can create a multi-platform game in 24 months for
around $15 to 20 million. They will develop the game in iterative cycles so that
they have something ready to ship in 18 months, in case the movie release date
is pushed earlier. They will continue adding features to the core functionality as
Appendix A
402 THE GAME PRODUCTION HANDBOOK, 2/E
time allows. They sign a contract with Digital Fun to create a game for Justice
Unit, with the understanding that there are many unknowns about the game,
such as:
■
Genre
■
Platform
■
Localization Plans
■
Setting
■
Story
These items and many others will be defined during the pre-production phase
and presented to Digital Fun for final approval before production begins.
A.2 PRE-PRODUCTION PHASE
The main pre-production phase will take about six months, beginning in
October 2007 and ending in March 2008. During this time, the team will de-
fine the concept and requirements, and create a game plan for developing the
game so that it is ready to ship in October 2009.
There will be additional pre-production phases during the 24-month de-
velopment cycle for additional features, localizations, voiceover recordings, and
other sub-projects that occur within the game development cycle. The team also
knows that the main pre-production phase will not have a hard stop date, and
that the production will start on some parts of the game before pre-production is
completed on other parts of the game. Pre-production is covered in more detail
in Chapters 14, 15, and 16.
During the pre-production phase, the team consists of five people: a full-
time producer, full-time lead artist, full-time lead engineer, full-time lead
designer, and a full-time QA lead. They will work closely together during pre-
production and will solicit feedback on the game ideas from outside resources
as necessary.
A.2.1 Concept
The initial concept phase is scheduled to start on October 1, 2007 and end on
October 31, 2007. During this month, the team will review the original pitch
they made for the Justice Unit game and make a decision on the genre, plat-
form, and the game’s key features. In addition, they will do some research on the
competition and put together both a SWOT analysis and a competitive analysis.
Once this information has been organized and presented to management for
approval, the team will continue refining the concept.
CASE STUDY—GAME PRODUCTION CYCLE 403
The team’s goal is to refine the concept and create some prototypes be-
fore the holidays, as the office will be closed the last week in December 2007.
When they return to the office in January 2008, the prototypes and initial design
documents will be presented to management for approval. At this point, the
concept phase of the game is close to completion. Figure A.1 is an estimated
schedule for the Justice Unit concept phase. Refer to Chapter 14 for more infor-
mation about the concept phase.
Initial Concept
The initial concept for the game is based on the initial concept for the movie:
Can a group of misfits come together as the Justice Unit and save the world from
super villains? As the concept phase progress, the team will build on this initial
concept and figure out if the game should recreate the events that happen in the
movie, or if the game should present a different story experience, and maybe a
new character (either a villain or ally).
Supergame Studios will have a contact at the movie studio who will provide
them with the updated script, the casting information, and other things related
to the movie that will be needed by the development team in pre-production.
Genre
There is plenty of material to work with in Justice Unit, which makes it easier to
create different genres for the game. For example, Justice Unit could be any of
the following genres:
FIGURE A.1 Concept phase schedule estimate for Justice Unit.
Initial Concept Resources General Timeline Est. Start Est. End Tasks
Brainstorming
Producer runs sessions, team
participates. 1 week 1-Oct-07 5-Oct-07 Brainstorm initial concepts for game, including genre and platform.
Initial Concept Lead Designer 1 week 8-Oct-07 12-Oct-07
Review brainstorming notes. Define initial concept, genre, and platform.
Incorporate feedback from team.
Competitive Analysis Producer, Marketing 2 weeks 15-Oct-07 26-Oct-07
Review current and potential competition, complete SWOT analysis based
on initial concept.
Approve Initial Concept Producer runs meeting, leads attend.
2 - 3 weeks after pre-
production begins 29-Oct-07 31-Oct-07
Present intial concept, with genre and platform, for approval. Initial
competitive analysis completed. Incorporate management feedback.
Define Concept Resources General Timeline Tasks
Mission Statement
Producer runs sessions, team
participates. 1 - 2 days 1-Nov-07 2-Nov-07 Define mission statement for the game.
Game Setting Lead Designer, Lead Artist 3 - 5 days 5-Nov-07 9-Nov-07 Define game setting, including look and feel.
Game Play Mechanics Lead Designer 2 - 4 weeks 12-Nov-07 6-Dec-07
Create general overview of how major game elements will function:
challenges, rewards, learning curve, control scheme, audio elements,
multiplayer.
Story Synopsis Lead Designer, Writer 3 - 5 days 10-Dec-07 14-Dec-07
Create game's back story, character biographies, general outline of how
story unfolds in the game.
Concept Art Lead Artist, Concept Artist 3 - 5 weeks 12-Nov-07 7-Dec-07 Create concept art for game setting, characters, and objects.
Audio Elements Lead Designer, Sound Designer 2 - 4 days 17-Dec-07 21-Dec-07
Create general overview of how voiceover, sound effects, and music will
be presented in the game.
Prototyping Lead Designer, Producer 4 - 6 weeks 12-Nov-07 21-Dec-07 Prototype major game elements.
Risk Analysis
Producer runs sessions, team
participates. 2 - 3 days 19-Dec-07 21-Dec-07
Assess risks on project, determine resolution strategy, publish to the
team.
Pitch Idea Producer, Leads
2- 3 months after
approval of initial
concept 2-Jan-08 4-Jan-08
Present all major game play elements to management for approval,
incorporate their feedback.
Project Kick-off Producer
After management
approves pitch. 7-Jan-08 7-Jan-08
Meet with team to celebrate the concept approval. If working on console
title, submit game concept to console manfacturer for approval.
O
N
T
H
E
C
D
All figures in this appendix may be found on this CD.
404 THE GAME PRODUCTION HANDBOOK, 2/E
Fighting game: If Justice Unit were a two-player fighting game, it might
feature a roster of superheroes and villains from which to choose. Selling
points could include unlockable characters, combination moves, and possibly
a crossover with another licensed property, such as an existing comic book
hero.
Real-time strategy: As an RTS, the game would feature an army of super-
heroes fighting against waves of alien invaders.
Role-playing game: As a first-person RPG, the player takes on the role of a
single character, fighting evil in a superhero universe of masked villains and
crime fighters.
The team will take some time to brainstorm the various genres and do some
paper prototypes if possible. The type of genre will be influenced by the movie
storyline, and also by the game platform.
Platform
The publisher wants the game to release on multiple platforms—console, PC,
and handheld. The game will essentially be the same on these platforms in order
to reduce development time and cost, but each platform will need to feature
some unique feature or asset that is not available in the other platforms. For
example:
PC: A PC-based version of Justice Unit would feature customizability as a
primary feature because the keyboard controls allow for a high degree of
customization and interaction with the game world.
Handheld: As a handheld game, Justice Unit would be a simple UI and the
gameplay would focus on one easy to learn feature, such as jumping on plat-
forms or collecting items. This version will be the most different from the
PC and console versions, since the art assets will be lower resolution and
the engineering and design will be less complex.
Console: A console game would contain similar gameplay and assets to the
PC version, but will contain more enemies and obstacles for the player to
interact with, in order to keep the action fast-paced and exciting. The UI
will not be as complex as the PC version. The console version of Justice
Unit will also include a unique character that does not appear in the PC
version.
SWOT Analysis
Figure A.2 is a sample SWOT analysis for Justice Unit that analyzes ways to deal
with a rival game named PostMortal that will release at the same time.
CASE STUDY—GAME PRODUCTION CYCLE 405
In addition, the team creates a SWOT analysis that examines the genre
and platform they are using for the game. They want to identify any potential
problems in creating Justice Unit as a multi-platform game, and figure out some
good opportunities to market the game.
The producer schedules a series of brainstorming meetings to discuss the
various SWOT analyses. It is important to get input from everyone on the team
in order to make the SWOTs as useful as possible.
Competitive Analysis
The team will also work on a competitive analysis of games that have already
been released, and games that will be released in the future. This information
will help Supergame Studios determine how to set Justice Unit apart from the
competition. Several games will be researched for the competitive analysis.
Figure A.3 is a sample competitive analysis that discusses PostMortal, a compet-
ing game about superheroes that will be released the same time as Justice Unit.
Other games will be added to the competitive analysis as the team continues to
research the competition.
FIGURE A.2 SWOT analysis for Justice Unit.
The primary competition for Justice Unit is PostMortal, a first-person shooter set in a superhero universe.
Our Strengths How to Exploit Our Opportunities How to Exploit
Compared against rival PostMortal, Justice
Unit features a strong multiplayer experience,
including a customizable multiplayer avatar,
dozens of gameplay types, and several maps.
Emphasize these features in the marketing
plan.
Justice Unit will launch at the same time as
the sequel, which will garner additional
attention for the game.
Cross-promote game and movie - create a
separate story for the game that intersects with
some plots points in the movie.
Our Weaknesses How to Neutralize Our Threats How to Neutralize
Justice Unit features a free-roaming, nonlinear
single-player experience, which will not deliver
the same thrills as the linear, heavily scripted
PostMortal.
Downplay this feature in the marketing plan
and focus on the multiplayer features.
PostMortal is scheduled to release 2 months
before Justice Unit and this may have a
negative impact on sales - people may buy the
PostMortal superhero game instead of Justice
Unit.
Build early buzz about the player's ability to
play as their favorite character from the
Justice Unit. Sponsor a create an enemy
contest, where the winner gets to meet the
cast of the movie and get an advance copy of
the game.
SWOT ANALYSIS
INTERNAL FACTORS EXTERNAL FACTORS
FIGURE A.3 Competitive analysis for Justice Unit.
Game Developer Publisher Platforms
Est. Release
Date Game Summary Features Avg. Review
Sales
Figures
PostMortal Funtime Studios A-1 Publishing
Xbox360,
PS3 Oct-09
PostMortal is a new IP about
superheroes. It is a third-person
action-adventure game and the
player assumes the role of Avenger
Boy. Other superheroes will be in
the game, but the player only
controls a single hero throughou the
game. The game features features
traditional costumed superhereos in
a 1950's world setting. Avenger
Boy will band together with the other
heroes to battle Dr. No Good.
*Avenger Boy is main player
character.
*New IP that has no cross-over
appeal.
*Limited multiplayer modes,
although it will have a small
online co-op campaign.
*Traditional third-person action-
adventure, uniqueness is
based on settings and
characters.
*Each character has one
unique superpower they can
use against the enemy. They
will help in the game if their
assistance is requested by the
player.
n/a n/a
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