From Concept to Launch: The Step-by-Step Game Development Process

Developing a game is no child’s play! Game developers can vouch that the game development landscape does not look as pretty and exciting as it seems. Months, sometimes years of planning, impending deadlines, trials, and corrections go into creating a video game loved by the targeted audience. If you are just starting as a game […]

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Developing a game is no child’s play!

Game developers can vouch that the game development landscape does not look as pretty and exciting as it seems. Months, sometimes years of planning, impending deadlines, trials, and corrections go into creating a video game loved by the targeted audience.

If you are just starting as a game developer, this blog will provide all the steps and processes constituting the game development cycle. 

Dive in to explore the madness that goes into creating games that play beautifully.

game development

It’s the IDEA that makes games successful:

The whole presence of the game revolves around that idea that makes the foundation of a mobile game development process. This idea needs to be unique and engage with the target audience well. A lot of brainstorming and analysis goes into developing the concept that sets it apart from the crowd. 

A couple of ideas need to be refined before moving on to the further development processes.

8 Stages of the Game Development Process:

Now we will take you through the several processes that go into developing successful mobile games:

  • Planning:

The development team defines the game concept, creates a vision and mission statement, identifies the target market, specifies the project scope, and creates a timeframe and budget during this first phase of planning. Proper planning is essential to guarantee that everyone in the team knows the game’s goals and can collaborate effectively to produce a quality result.

The idea of the game serves as the backbone of the whole game development process. A sure proof of the concept or idea has to be generated to see how viable and feasible it will be for the gaming studio to develop the game. Proofing a concept is required to be shared with the publisher of the game, as the publisher will approve a pitch for time, expected budget, and marketing plans.

  • Pre-Production

After the concepts have been proposed, then comes the pre-production step in the picture. In this step, the involved department brainstorms ways to give life to the various ideas laid on the table.

In this stage of the game development process, the writers, artists, marketers, project leads, and several other departments sit together and decide upon the scope of the video game. The writers decide upon the game’s narrative with the assistance of project leads.

The engineers then convey the technological constraints to the writers. Artists and designers work hand-in-hand to make the mobile game visually pleasing. Developers work closely with the engineers to decide the game mechanics.

  • Actual Production

The game’s actual development takes place in this stage. This includes making the sound effects and music, planning the levels, implementing the game mechanics, and producing the game’s assets. The team will also conduct routine game testing to find and address any bugs. The production phase of the game development process is usually the longest; therefore, having a committed crew is crucial to the project’s success.

  • Prototyping

Prototyping is not integral to the mobile game development process but has advantages. A prototype helps designers and engineers to experiment and test different aspects of the game, including its mechanics, designs, and functionality. The main point of creating prototypes is to check the feasibility and identify potential issues.

A prototype helps a game development company refine its ideas and ensure that the game’s final version meets the pre-defined standard.

  • Testing

Testing is an important phase of game development because it aids in finding and resolving any faults or problems. In this phase, the development team extensively tests the game to find bugs, glitches, or crashes and works on the feature freeze process. Additionally, the team needs to get testing input and adjust as necessary. These steps ensure the game is playable, stable, and prepared for release.

  • Pre-launch

The pre-launch stage of the game development is a stressful time for the developers. They might feel that their game may or may not be loved by the targeted audience.

Pre-launch activities include marketing strategy creation, launch strategy development, distribution channel setup, and beta testing. It creates anticipation and buzz for a compelling game launch. Developers might also exhibit their game at events or employ independent advertising, such as sponsored content or YouTube reviews, to attract targeted audiences and cultivate a fan following.

  • Launch

The team’s priorities throughout the game’s debut phase are player feedback management, game promotion, and problem-solving, including significant and minor bug fixes. Data on the game’s performance, including player engagement, retention, and monetization, can also be gathered at this stage. The team might keep releasing patches and updates after the launch. The master release signifies the game’s final version and the end of the production process.

  • Post-release

The post-release phase of the game provides continuous support and maintenance. This includes keeping an eye on user comments, fixing glitches and problems, delivering patches and updates, and overseeing the community for the game. The post-release phase is essential to keep players interested and ensure the game lasts a long time. This stage may also include creating new features, expansions, and content to keep the game exciting and engaging for players.

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Hashbyte stands out in the game development landscape by crafting extraordinary games for Android mobile platforms. With a keen eye for innovation and a commitment to delivering top-notch entertainment, Hashbyte consistently produces terrific gaming experiences. 

Our Android games seamlessly use amazing graphics, immersive gameplay, engaging narratives, and captivating players from the first tap. 

 

Tips On Ways To Come Up With New Game Ideas

Playing games brings a whole lot of fun and entertainment. These games have exciting gameplay, storyline, animation, graphics, sound, etc, and all these start with a brainstorming idea.  If you have trouble coming up with exciting game ideas, worry not. Because you are not alone, all of us have been in such a situation. To […]

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Playing games brings a whole lot of fun and entertainment. These games have exciting gameplay, storyline, animation, graphics, sound, etc, and all these start with a brainstorming idea. 

If you have trouble coming up with exciting game ideas, worry not. Because you are not alone, all of us have been in such a situation. To deliberately get amazing game ideas you have to first be creative and think out of the box. When you take a closer look at the successful games, you can easily relate to them. One can master the art of generating incredible ideas with a lot of practice. 

Don’t fall in love with your first idea, the best way to generate a good idea is to have lots of ideas

There are several methods and techniques that will help you in generating ideas, however, remember that vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity, change, and innovation. Let us discuss some of the amazing methods/ways that will help you extract the creativity hidden within yourself. 

Be An Ardent Gamer 

Games have the ability to teleport you to an entirely different world that is entertaining, challenging, and magical. Each game was built by a unique idea and playing those games will help you come up with one of your own. Also, keep in mind that you should not restrict yourself to only your favorite style of games, but explore various games. From the classics to the indie games, including some of the most popular newer titles to your gaming shelf will help you come up with new game ideas easily. 

If you haven’t played many such games, start with Mario Bros, Tetris, and Space Invaders, etc. Remember, most of the classics were created by a small team of developers or individuals. And, these classic games are of simple style but with tons of replay value and dynamic gameplay. 

Give a try on a few popular current games from different categories. Make a note of the intricate details that are responsible for the uniqueness and fun, while playing the game. You can get inspired by the gameplay mechanics, features, characters, color schemes, or even the effects. 

Discover From The World

While you think of creative ideas, make sure the creativity connects with other things. One should be a good observer so that one can connect with things. We get inspired and ideas flow from what we see around us, observing every little detail like the people, environment, and things we overlook. Anything can give you the spark, be it the rainy clouds, the tall green trees, or the way the books are arranged on the shelf, for a new gameplay concept, background, or a theme. 

Creativity Is Seeing What Everyone Else Has Seen And Thinking What No One Else Has Thought

Notice everything that is around you and find out the means of incorporating them into your game. Question yourself and encounter your creativity level. Ideas can come up from the simplest things. 

Connect With Game Community

Another way to generate game ideas and spike up your creativity, be an active participant in the game community. When you are engaged in the game scenario, ideas follow your way. Apart from playing games, you have to actively be a part of the forums, become an active participant. 

Get to know more about what the developers and players are discussing, ask questions and browse for different messages on the boards. The game community is the resource that has a bundle of information a developer needs. You can find networks, get inspired, follow guidance, and learning tips and feedback from peers and players. 

Get Down And Research

Research is an essential requirement, especially while looking for new ideas. It is important to know what is already present in the market so that you can generate unique ideas. While doing the research work, observe what type of categories are scoring more in the chart, the current trends. Hence, you might not waste time on concepts that might not shine in the market.

It is easy to start research work. All you have to do is to Google for the games that rank top on the chart, check for high-ranking games. Also, check for the games that appear from the indie developers and write them down. Make a thorough research on the games and browse for more information about the game, you can then play the game and jot out the attributes that inspire you. All researches ultimately have a qualitative grounding. 

Narrow Down Your Options

Set out certain limitations or constraints when you in the midst of generating game ideas. These limitations will help to tap down on the specific elements and gives you a wide option to focus on creativity. 

You can constrain elements like tools, time, background, theme to brainstorm the concept. For example, choose a theme and work on the ideas based on the theme, and don’t forget to set a timeframe. When you are given only a limited time period, you will easily come up with brainstorming ideas. One of the things that block our creativity is the fact called unlimited options, when you have ‘no time limit’, you tend to spend more time thinking rather than using it productively. Therefore, the constraints will keep your ideas realistic, which is extremely important. 

Check Out The Reviews And News

Another way to know the mindset of the players is to read the latest reviews and news. You have many online publications that provide an excellent source of game information that aids in creating game ideas as well. 

Indiegames.com, Polygon, Gamasutra, Touch Arcade, IGN, PGBiz, 148Apps are some of the famous online publications. Make it a habit to read the latest updates and news, also the RSS feed reader apps like Pocket or Feedly will help keep track of the latest news on games. You can even add blogs based on game development to the feed. The more connected to the game news, the better. 

Summing Up

When you are confused and have trouble coming up with brainstorming ideas, try one of the above tips. Always remember that gaming is fun, either making a game or playing a game. So, whenever you are exhausted of ideas, just be relaxed and go for a walk, it is only when your mind is free from all thoughts, you can meet everything anew. 

Play a lot of games, observe everything that happens around you, connect with people who are involved with games and game scenes, do research work, and be updated with the latest reviews and news. 

Remember, the truth is, it is not the idea, it is never the idea. It’s always what you do with it.