An introduction to how game development pipelines work
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Every video game starts with an idea that requires a lot of thinking and planning before it hits the drawing board. To bring even the simplest idea to life, it takes a team of designers, developers, and artists to see it through production.
The team responsible for designing and crafting all game ideas have different skill sets and responsibilities. Game design requires different abilities that must be precisely combined to produce a fun and exciting experience.
Designers imprint their artistic vision and creativity on all elements of game production. However, artistry alone is insufficient. A team needs to have clear goals and a way to ensure all the resources are appropriately allocated to create efficiency and coordination. Project managers must provide everyone with the best tools for their jobs.
In other words, the main challenge studios face is finding the perfect balance between creativity and efficiency. There is no use in having a grand vision without having a production pipeline to make sure it sees the light of day.
This article provides an overview of a typical game development pipeline and how development tools are changing the design landscape. If you're a new studio head or producer, you should keep reading.
When talking to a video game designer or head of a studio about the process of game production, they will usually start by describing the team's composition and their different tasks.
Most studios are divided into departments with specific responsibilities and purposes to help build the final product without stepping on each other's toes.
This is what we call a production pipeline.
A pipeline can be visualized as a
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