Do you want to make the next Fortnite? It wouldn’t be so easy. Find out how the game industry looks like, what are the parts of every team creating new product and stages of game development.
Big industry and a lot of competitors
To create a game that can become a hit (or at least allow you to pay back the production costs) you have to go through a long and complicated process. Anyway, we don’t want to discourage you, but at the beginning think about whether you want to enter this business at all.
There are a huge number of companies in the industry and many of them are large enterprises with large budgets. In addition, similar aspirations as you have many other startups.
On the other hand, the entire industry is worth over $152 billion, which is tempting. So – the pie is big, but there are plenty of those willing to take at least a small piece of it.
Few facts about games industry
Fortnite is not the only option. There are many other types of games that can be successful on the market.
Currently, absolute and record holders in the number of users are casual and hyper-casual mobile games. There are about 5,1 billion smartphones in the world (which means that 2,5 billion people still do not have them, but they certainly save on them). This is much more than computers and consoles and their users are real game lovers.
The global value of the mobile gaming market in 2019 is about $71 billion, which is 45% of the entire gaming market. In 2018 Developers of mobile games in China earn (about $28 billion in total) the most, followed by Japan ($14 billion) and the US ($13 billion).
The other half of the gaming market pie are PC and console games. Here, the most important market is the US market with a value of approximately $37 billion. Chinese and Japanese markets are next in line.
Among the genres of games for PC and consoles the best-selling are action games (like Double Dragon and Final Fight), sport games (FIFA series), Battle Royale games (Fortnite Battle Royale), Action-adventure games (The Legend of Zelda) and RPG (Battletech). It is worth keeping this in mind when planning your future hit game.
1 https://newzoo.com/insights/trend-reports/newzoo-global-games-market-report-2019-light-version/
2 https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2019-global-digital-overview
3 https://newzoo.com/insights/trend-reports/newzoo-global-games-market-report-2019-light-version/
4 https://www.appannie.com/en/insights/market-data/the-state-of-mobile-2019/
5 https://newzoo.com/insights/trend-reports/newzoo-global-games-market-report-2019-light-version/
How to create a development team?
If you’ve already decided what part of the gaming market you want to fight for, it’s time to choose a development team that will undertake the creation of a new game. According to Elinext, an IT company with a solid experience in app developments for gamers, the team must consist of several departments and the producer and project manager must coordinate their work.
The programming department is responsible for creating game code and tools. In a small team, developers are also responsible for debugging and beta testing.
The game design department is responsible for the game concept itself and its mechanics. Its findings are the basis for the artists department responsible for the visual layer of the game. These are both the characters’ creations, the world in which they operate, and animations. This section is extremely important because, unless the programming layer is invisible to players, they have contact with the created world throughout the game.
No less important is what players hear. It’s the responsibility of sound design department and composer. Creating sound effects for the game is tedious to design dozens or even hundreds of sounds that will accompany the game. Composing music requires its creator to flawlessly empathize with the atmosphere of the game world as well as the ability to build tension.
Another important department in the team is the writing department. It is responsible for creating the plot, dialogs and descriptive elements in the game. To do this successful writers need unique scripting and storytelling skills.
The created game must also be tested by testing and quality assurance department. Its responsibility is check every aspect of gameplay and report bugs on a regular basis. Often this function can be performed by members of other departments or even non-team members willing to cooperate.
Project Manager oversees all departments’ work. He sets the milestones for the team and watches over implementation of the plan.
No less important is the role of the Producer who deals with the business part of the project. His role is to create a marketing strategy, monitor cash flow and budget, and create financial plans.
What are the stages of game development?
Creating a game is a lengthy and complicated process that can be basically divided into 4 stages.
It all starts with a concept. It should be based on excellent research of the market and careful business assumptions. An inspiration for the idea can be, for example, movies, TV series or books. A goal of this stage is to create a conceptual plan.
The next stage is pre-production, which begins with creating a detailed game design document. Based on this, you can determine if the game is feasible and what its budget would have to be. During pre-production, developers also present the technical aspects of the future game and artists create the initial concepts.
Production requires full time job for all departments. The project manager must absolutely watch over the work discipline.
During post-production, the already developed game is tested. Testers are responsible for reporting bugs and the game is being refined. During post-production, intensive work must also be done by the marketing team to successfully launch the game.
So ready to enter the gaming industry? Have courage! Even Fortnite once existed only as an idea in someone’s mind. Then there was only blood, sweat and tears, but finally — a great victory!
