Ask a Game Dev

I really should have said this first - my DMs are always open for anyone who needs help getting through job loss. I will do design reviews, code reviews, resume reviews, cover letter reviews, or offer general coping-with-job-loss advice to any who need it askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/178450231…

There's this video going around that talks about the staff cost for GTA6, thanks to a few documents that are required in the UK (even for companies held in the US). My only response is... This isn't news. You can do the math yourself using a $15,000 per employee month model. Furthermore, Take-Two is a publicly traded company. You can literally review their financials. While obviously their books include the entire company, you can make a few educated guesses based on Rockstar having about 6,000 employees. Why are people surprised that it costs billions of dollars, over the years, for staffing of that size? In fact, at industry modeling rates, it costs about $1B a year to run Rockstar. This isn't news, folks. This has been known for a long time. Take-Two has been burning cash for years funding GTA6, and they rake in billions. How are people surprised by what is literally right in front of us every quarter?

What are some other "good enough is acceptable" features in AAA game design? (Spoiler: There's quite a few - voice acting, photo mode, crossplay, mini-games, etc.) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/812527384…

Why aren't studios experimenting with more interesting UI? (Spoiler: AAA games need to find the line between enough information and overload. Also, UI doesn't sell games) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/812256231…

How do you remake an old game if the original devs and assets aren't available any more? (Spoiler: We can reverse engineer it as long as we recognize what the original game makes us feel) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/812074328…

Is a vertical slice more of a piece pulled from the final game or a completely separate thing? (Spoiler: It's more the former, it should be a representative experience of the end product) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/811983928…

What happens to the documentation and assets for sunset/cancelled games? Is it lost forever? (Spoiler: It's archived and mostly lost unless somebody buys it) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/811893189…

Have you ever felt like a game you worked on was going to hit it big? Have you been surprised by a better reception than expected for a game you worked on? (Spoiler: I have) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/811621427…

If I wanted to make a "spiritual successor" to a game, how to do it without legal trouble? (Spoiler: Characters, places, and story elements are copyrighted, not game mechanics. Keep the game mechanics, make up new characters, places, and story elements) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/811440392…

What are the other devs doing while the game engine is being built? (Spoiler: Usually they're deciding rules for how the game will look and play - mostly concept art and prototyping) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/811259280…

What are the easiest and hardest games to prototype? (Spoiler: Hardest tend to be real time animation-heavy systems. Easiest tend to be turn-based systems) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/810987982…

What is your advice for an undergrad interested in game dev? (Spoiler: If you're interested in game dev, do some game dev) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/810896591…

I'm thinking about building a turn based battle system. Should I build a prototype? Is it harder than prototyping a platformer? (Spoiler: Yes, it's easier in many ways than a platformer) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/810715440…

I'm afraid of wasting years of my life making a game and it turning out not fun. How do I deal with this fear? (Spoiler: Build a prototype first. If it isn't fun as a prototype, it won't be fun when finished) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/810624861…

Does having to work under NDA on new consoles make things hard? (Spoiler: Nah, we already work under NDA all the time so one more doesn't make much difference) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/810356974…

Following yesterday's post, what do the executives and managers do when a studio is closed? (Spoiler: Managers get it just like the rank and file. Executives have to shut the whole thing down.) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/810267389…

What does it feel like to be at a studio that you know is doomed and closure is impending? (Spoiler: I've seen a number of different approaches) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/810175664…

Aside from performance, why would developers use smaller textures? (Spoiler: Not everything needs to be super high fidelity, like small projectiles. Also, install size is a thing) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/809994384…

Random art pro tip If you ever want great hand refs and pose refs for mages and sorcerers, look up stage magicians but especially music conductors They use both a baton and their hands to express music

What does it take for a new lifestyle game to pull players away from established communities? (Spoiler: It's very difficult. We must provide more of what the players at the right timing) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/809722634…

How feasible is it for a game like 2XKO to keep going if they just had such a big layoff? Will they still be able to make new content in the long run? (Spoiler: It really depends on how many players keep playing + spending regularly) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/809632285…