From Idea to Launch: The 7 Stages of Game Development

Most people who build video games will tell you that game development is never as pretty as planned.

Impending deadlines, bottlenecks in production, pressure from video game publishers, and endless work weeks are just a few of the many challenges that arise during the development cycle.

However, the brave few who experiment with game engines know the culture and its habit of testing one’s grit and determination, but the drive to produce video games that look, feel, and play beautifully keeps them going.

Many aren’t aware of this cycle of madness and its many stages, so I’m here to shed some light on the game development process.

While video game development is chaotic in nature, these structures and frameworks keep studios running efficiently and projects on track to be completed. Let's explore each of these steps in-depth in the rest of the article. 

How game engines help game development

Game engines are incredibly useful for both beginner and expert programmers. Instead of starting with a blank slate, these toolkits provide a foundation with many built-in features so developers can dive straight into creating the fun and unique aspects of their game rather than getting bogged down in coding every detail.

A game engine speeds development, leading to better games in less time. And if developers run into problems, there are communities and support networks available to lend a hand.

Game engines combine essential features like physics engines, 3D rendering tools, animation software, scripting languages, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools. 

Leading game engines offer drag-and-drop features, making game creation easier for beginners and speeding up the process for experts. They also allow games to be easily transferred to different devices like PCs, consoles, and mobile platforms without having to rebuild everything from scratch.

Overall, game engines help developers save time and effort, simplify complex tasks, and offer a wider range of functionalities than developers could create independently. This allows them to focus on the creative aspects of game design and bring their unique vision to life.

Stages of game development

Bringing a video game from a spark of an idea to a fully realized playable gaming experience is a long and exciting journey.  This process is broken down into several distinct stages, each with its own crucial role. 

Whether you're a budding game developer yourself or simply curious about how games come to be, understanding these 7 game development stages will give you valuable insight into the intricate world of game development

Stage 1: Planning

The planning stage of game development consists of two main phases:

• Game ideation
• Proofing a concept

These two phases ensure that the game development process begins on solid footing, with a clear understanding of the game's direction and feasibility.  By investing time and effort into thoughtful planning and concept validation, developers can increase the likelihood of success and minimize risks as the game project progresses.

Game ideation

It may not seem like it, but ideating a video game is one of the hardest parts of game development, as it will serve as the backbone of the entire game. It’s what sets the standard for every employee involved with building the game but also gives publishers a high-level overview of what to expect.

In the planning stage, the most basic questions will need to be answered, like:

• What type of video game are we producing?
• Will it be 2D or 3D?
• What are some of the key features it must have?
• Who are its characters?
• What gameplay mechanics to include?
• When and where does it take place?
• Who is our target audience?
• Which platform are we building this on?

Proofing a concept

A proof of concept takes all the ideas that have been generated and sees how viable they are for the gaming studio to produce.

From there, additional questions will need to be answered, like:

• What is our estimated cost to develop this game?
• Do we have the technological capabilities to build it?
• Will we require a new gaming engine?
• How big will our team need to be?
• Are we hiring external voice actors and writers?
• What is our estimated timeframe for launch?
• How are we monetizing it? (Loot boxes are probably not the best way)

For studios building a game under the umbrella of a publisher, proofing a game concept is required before moving forward with pre-production and may even require a verticle slice. because the publisher will have to approve a timeline, budget, and marketing strategy.

For independent studios without publisher oversight, there is a bit more flexibility during this phase. The downside to independent publishing is establishing a development and marketing budget, although crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and Fig come in handy. As a matter of fact, successful games like Pillars of Eternity and Shovel Knight were crowdfunded entirely.

Stage 2: Pre-production

The next stage of game development, called pre-production, brainstorms how to give life to the many ideas laid out in the planning phase. This is where writers, artists, designers, developers, engineers, project leads, and other crucial departments collaborate on the scope of the video game.

A few examples of this collaboration may look like:

• Writers meeting with the project lead to flesh out the story's narrative. Who are the main characters in this tale? What are their backstories? How does each character relate to one another? Are there loose ends we’ll need to tie up later?
• Engineers meet with writers, letting them know that under the current technological constraints, we can’t fill that environment with 100 characters, or the game will crash.
• Artists meet with designers to ensure visuals, color palettes, and art styles are consistent and aligned with what was laid out in the planning phase.
• Developers meet with engineers to flesh out all the in-game mechanics, physics engines, and how objects will render on a player’s screen.
• Project leads meeting with multiple departments to figure out the “fun factor,” which you’ll find out later, isn’t easy to pinpoint until the testing stage.

During the pre-production stage, concept artists set the mood for the game by creating sketches and visual aids, laying the groundwork for future production teams. At this stage, the team develops a game design document (GDD), acting as a reference manual to maintain visual and thematic consistency throughout development.

From here, it’s common for studios to prototype characters, environments, interfaces, control schemes, and other in-game elements to see how they look, feel, and interact with one another. 

Stage 3: Production

Most of the time, effort, and resources are spent on the game production stage. During this process:

• Character models are designed, rendered, and iterated to look exactly how they should be in the story.
• Audio engine & sound designers work tirelessly to ensure every time your character steps onto sand, gravel, or cement, it sounds authentic.
• Level designers craft environments that are dynamic, immersive, and suitable for many playstyles.
• Voice-over actors read large stacks of scripts, doing take after take to get the right emotion, timing, and tone.
• Developers write thousands of lines of source code to bring each piece of in-game content to life.
• Project leads establish milestones and sprint schedules, ensuring each department and its team members are held accountable. This is especially important if a publisher regularly checks in for status updates.

These events and many more could take years of iterating to get right, assuming only a few changes are made along the way, which is hardly the reality.

Stage 4: Testing

In video game development, it’s not uncommon for entire segments of a game – months' worth of work – to get scrapped after it's completed. These types of changes are typically brought up in the testing stage.

Every feature and mechanic in the game needs to be tested for quality assurance and control. A game that hasn’t been thoroughly tested is a game that’s not even ready for an Alpha release.

Some playtesters conduct stress tests by running into walls hundreds if not thousands of times in an attempt to “break” the game. Other testers conduct “fun factor” tests to see if the game is too hard or too easy or complete the entire game to see if it is satisfying enough. Without a “fun factor,” the game won’t sell many copies.

Here are some things a playtester may point out during this stage:

• Are there buggy areas or glitches?
• Is everything rendering on the screen?
• Can I walk through this wall or a locked environment?
• Are there features I can use to exploit the game?
• Does my character get permanently stuck in this spot?
• Is the character dialogue stale and boring?

After countless hours of testing and iterating, the game should be ready for a late Alpha or even Beta release, depending on how polished the in-game features are. This is the first time the public will get their hands on the game.

Stage 5: Pre-launch

The pre-launch stage is a stressful time for gaming studios. Questions of self-doubt may arise as you wonder how the public will react to your first functional product.

“Will they think our game is fun? Are they going to find new bugs? What sort of media coverage are we going to get from this?”

But before a formal Beta copy is released, the game will require some marketing. After all, how else will people learn about it? Publishers almost always expect a hype video with a mix of cinematics and sample gameplay to drive attention. They may also schedule a spot at one of the major gaming conventions, like E3 or PAX, for an exclusive preview of the game.

Independent studios don’t always have the luxury of hefty marketing budgets to drive attention to their games. Fortunately, crowdfunding and advertising could be just as fruitful. Sending early-access Beta copies to top online gaming personalities so they can livestream to their audiences is a common method for independent studios.

Stage 6: Launch

The months leading up to a game’s anticipated launch date are mostly spent squashing large backlogs of bugs – some old, some new, found in the testing stage.

For games with many bugs, a studio will create a hierarchy of bugs to squash. This hierarchy will include “game-crashing” bugs near the top and minor bugs near the bottom.

In addition to bug fixes, developers will typically polish the game as much as possible before it launches. Maybe that mountain range can have more depth. Perhaps the character’s leather straps can be more textured. These types of changes, though minor, can be important for making a video game more immersive.

When the game is squeaky clean, it’s time to launch and distribute.

Stage 7: Post-launch

Post-launch is one of the most exciting times for any gaming studio. Years of hard work have finally paid off, and video game sales are (hopefully) pouring in. But even now, there’s still work to be done.

It’s common for video games to launch with batches of minor bugs. The first few months during the post-launch stage are typically spent identifying and squashing these bugs. Gaming studios also rely on players to submit bug reports or speak up about bugs in online forums. This is all part of post-launch support.

Another part of post-launch is to provide regular software updates for the game. These updates range from game-balancing patches to new downloadable content (DLC) Releasing fresh content is common in today’s gaming industry because it increases the replay value and appeal of a game. New levels, storylines, and multiplayer modes are just a few DLC options a gaming studio could explore.

Game development trends 2024

Ah, the nostalgia of those pixelated Mario levels! It's incredible how far gaming has come since then, right?  Today, game development is blending art, technology, and storytelling in ways we couldn't have imagined back in the day.

From concept to creation, it's a meticulous process where every pixel and line of code matters. Here are the top trends for 2024

• Triple-A/ AAA games are visually stunning and offer long, immersive storylines. They are released on multiple platforms simultaneously and are often backed by big budgets and extensive promotional campaigns. With powerful new technology in 2024, developers will push the boundaries of graphics. 
• Mobile gaming is already massive, and it will only get bigger in 2024. Phones are getting more powerful, and new technology will allow for even more interesting mobile games, including ones you can play with friends easily.
• Extended reality (XR) gaming combines augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). AR overlays digital elements onto the real world, while VR puts you completely inside a virtual world. With new devices like Apple's Vision Pro, XR gaming is expected to be a big deal in 2024.
• Cloud gaming/Gaming-as-a-Service (GaaS) lets you play high-end games without needing a super-powerful computer. The game runs on a powerful computer somewhere else, and you just see it on your screen. This could make gaming more accessible to everyone.

Not all games are created equal

Video game development is a whirlwind of a process, even for the most seasoned gaming studios with hundreds of employees. But understanding the ebbs and flows of each stage is crucial to building a game that’s thorough and polished.

It’s also important to realize that no two games are created equal, even from the same studio. In game development, roadblocks are inevitable, deadlines will be missed, and tools will have limitations. This is the nature of the industry, and it’s why having leads and directors who can right the ship separates good studios from great ones – regardless of company size.

Discover the best gaming tools that will elevate your projects to new heights.

This article was originally published in 2019. It has been updated with new information.