The Game Industry Robin Burke GAM 224
Dec 27, 2015
1. MADDEN NFL 06 PS22. POKEMON EMERALD GBA3. GRAN TURISMO 4 PS24. MADDEN NFL 06 XBX5. NCAA FOOTBALL 06 PS26. STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II PS27. MVP BASEBALL 2005 PS28. STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH PS29. NBA LIVE 06 PS210. LEGO STAR WARS PS2
The Game Industry
Statistics (2004) US Retail sales: 9.9 billion Software sales: 7.3 billion Add MMO subscriptions: 1 billion 248 million units sold
Halo 2 $125 million opening weekend best film ever
• $114 million (Spiderman 2)
Industry structure
Hardware Suppliers
Publishers
Developers
Distributors
Retail Outlets
Tool VendorsSupport Services
Consumers
Publisher
MoneyFund game developmentFund marketing campaigns
ConnectionsConvince distributors / retails to carry
and display the gameManage licensingManage intellectual property
Hardware suppliers
Hardware Supply console hardware to consumers Supply peripherals / add-ons such as video
cards for PCs Supply hardware and development tools to
developers Quality control
Approve games for release on console platforms
Tool Vendors
Produce specialize software used in game production 3-D modeling
Maya 3DS max
Sound editing Motion capture Middleware
AI engine Physics engine Graphics engine etc.
Support services
Motion capture labs Motion capture actors Sound studios Voice actors Contract art / animation Musicians Composers Technical writing PC configuration testing Localization / translation etc.
Developers
Create art assets 3-D models textures animations
Create audio / video assets cut-scenes sound effects speech
Develop game code graphics engine game AI user interface
Distributors / Retailers
DistributorsMaintain inventoryMarket games to retailersDeliver games to retailersMonitor sales and market activity
RetailersSell to consumers
Process
Pre-production Concept development Game Design Art Production Plan Technical Design Prototype
Development Planning Asset development Code development Play testing Quality assurance
Post-production Manufacturing Packaging Marketing Advertising
Concept Development
Players Designer Tech lead Concept artist Producer
Brainstorming activity to generate new game design often based on existing IP or licenses
• movie characters and situations• sequel to existing game
more rarely, original IP and designs• almost always from someone with a proven record
Tasks Concept art Game concept Budget Competitive analysis
Get a publisher interested Or publisher may contact developer for this
Game Design
Players Designer Tech lead Concept artist Art director
Nitty-gritty details of every bit of the game every level every character every gameplay element
Task convince the publisher that you can actually produce the
game provide framework for art production plan and technical
design
Technical Design
Players Tech team
Software development plan Middleware licensing Staffing Tasks, milestones and deliverables Budget
Task Understand the technical challenges of
production Plan and budget for the effort
Art Production Plan
Similar to technical design but on the art sidewhat are all the art assets?how will they be produced?Budget / staffing / etc.
Prototype
Establish the "look and feel" of the gameespecially its core mechanic
TaskConvince publisher to fund
development• Will it be fun and distinctive?• Are the technical aims feasible?
Development
Hard work Programming Creation of art assets Integration Tuning Testing
Organized by milestones part of production plan developer only gets paid when milestones are achieved E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) often an important
milestone• major marketing opportunity• aiming for Christmas sales
Post-Production
Master disks shipped to hardware supplierAcceptance testing for quality control
Manufacturing, printing, packaging Marketing Distribution Retail
Realities
Game development is complex
• different skills• different technologies
dynamic• changing technical environment• changing competitive landscape
uncertain• design is iterative• hard to predict successful game mechanics
Retail Issues
Game stores are small200-300 titles in stock
• compare to record stores!
space is a premium Retail wants to shelve profitable items
games have a limited period to prove themselves
• a couple of weeks
Risk
Sales are increasinglarger population
of gamers But it is harder and
harder to make money on a game
Risk II
To balance risk publishers need to place lots of bets so that big wins balance the losers
Publishers need to be big really big
• Nintendo• EA• Sony• Microsoft
it isn't clear that Midway is going to make it As the bar is raised
higher definition art more technically complex development the stakes at the table are raised
Risk III
Publishers cannot gamble they are in business to make money
Their $10 million must go where the return is acceptable and predictable sequel-itis licensed IP well-known genres
Because there are existing fans there are channels to market to those
audiences
Risk IV
Control of IP Control of IP is a hedge against risk
• IP can turn into a franchise• with lucrative spin-offs
Publisher owns the game concept, characters, and (usually) code base
• Bioware made KOTOR but• LucasArts owned the IP, so• Obsidian made KOTOR II
Result Developers lose control of their creations
Genres
A game genre a set of formal rule characteristics that give
rise to a core mechanic (or collection thereof) with
durable appeal Examples
social card game real-time strategy first-person shooter action adventure
Genre life-cycle
A genre has a life-cycle Coinage
• A designer creates a game that exemplifies the mechanic Popularization
• The mechanic is refined and a really popular game breaks out Maturity
• A group of the gaming population focuses on this mechanic and becomes a market force
• Product differentiation occurs above the mechanic: narrative elements, licenses.
Decline• Market consolidates around the winners of the "Maturity" phase. • Less devoted fans move on to other genres.• Well-defined market attracts marketing attention but little innovation.
Niche• Genre addicts form the sole audience.• Technical innovations in the mechanic are of primary interest.• Innovation decreases.
Examples
2-D arcade shooter Spacewar Space Invaders Defender, Centipede, Galaga Defender II, Galaxian
Text-based adventure Adventure Zork Planetfall, A Mind Forever Voyaging King's Quest
Death to the games industry? Costikiyan's claim Loss of innovation in the mainstream game industry
Budget pressures and risks Genre maturation
Problem where will innovation come from? no avenue for independent developers to reach a
mass audience nothing like
• independent film industry• independent record labels
Wideload Games
Stubbs the Zombie Alex Seropian & Co.
founders of Bungiedevelopers of Halo
Problemhow to develop a modern console
game with a limited budget
Staffing
Few people for concept and design (~5) More for prototype development (~10) A lot for full-scale production (~20-70) Problem
How to keep 70 people busy during next design phase?
Typical answer Try to have a portfolio of projects coming
and going• some small-scale
Burn-rate risk
Very risky for the developerA project that doesn't materialize
• means 50 people with nothing to do
A project that runs late for technical reasons
• means 30 artists with nothing to do• while programmer work day and night• while nobody gets paid
Wideload II
Insight people x time = money fewer people means more time for the same money
Solution license existing engine (Halo) small core team (11) augmented by contract work (65 peak)
• concept and game art• animation• motion capture• sound
Wideload III
Result Schedule slip could be absorbed
• contractors weren't paid while technical fixes made
Focus could be on game play• not on meeting targets
Some difficulties in managing distributed team
• but they did it If technical innovation was required
new game engine much more difficult
The Future
Next-gen gameshigher budgetsmore complex technologyincreased customer expectations
All mean greater riskwhich means less innovation?