What is an MVP? Starting Game Production

by Ernest Cheung
Game Producer, Tiny Colony

Welcome to part 2 of our 4-part series on game development! If you are just tuning in for the first time, make sure you read part 1 here! Today we will focus on what we consider the key elements of game production and some of the critical roles required for a successful game. Having produced games both for EA and a number of indie projects, I can tell you there isn’t one recipe for success!

Production

Production can be a long process that extends past the launch of your game via patches, content updates, bug fixes, etc. Every asset needs to be created, animated, coded, balanced, and then play-tested. Each of these steps should already be scoped out with estimates at a high level if you have a good Game Design document, Art Bible, and Tech Stack.

Game Development Life Cycle & Milestones

Judging by my decade-long experience in the game industry, these milestone terms are somewhat loose and can have more than one meaning. Some steps maybe added or removed, depending on how you and your team envision the process.

Concept Prototype

The Prototype is an initial attempt at a rough sketch of the game without any art assets or details. This build is meant to visualize and test the core concept of your game before fully committing to the full backlog of tasks needed to complete the game. Some people may consider this step part of Pre-Production as many of the insights gained from creating the first prototype will likely have you refining your Game Design Document, Art Bible, and even Tech Stack. This step DOES NOT have to be a program running on a computer. In my experience, prototypes can be completely played on a whiteboard or with pen and paper, using a human to act as the computer when automating processes/dealing with transactions or unknowns.

Pre-production

This was covered in our last article! Click here to read it.

Pre-alpha

The Pre-alpha build is where you begin adding assets into the game. This build is mostly incomplete, and features may still change. Code can be refactored starting at this point if needed. Some companies will follow this step with one called “first playable”. I’ve decided to omit this step as there is some overlap with our MVP definition.

MVP

MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product. This build should include the minimum needed to receive initial feedback from your play-testing community.

Vertical Slice

A Vertical Slice represents a fully playable “slice” of the game that represents the final in-game quality.

So when does it make sense to make an MVP, and when does it make sense to make a Vertical Slice?

It really depends on your objective. Are you a company that is already funded and more concerned about refining and creating a fun game? If so, an MVP is probably the best route to go. However, if you are looking to get investors or, perhaps, senior leadership to buy-in/invest in a new project, creating a Vertical Slice may make more sense.

Alpha

The core game should be completed at this stage, but may still be missing most of the content. It should be playable from start to finish (bugs are okay). All functionality should be working as intended.

Beta

At this point all of the assets should be completed and the focus should now be on improving the game experience rather than adding completely new features of functions.

Release Candidate

The game is ready for submissions and can be sent to a publisher or directly submitted to 1st party candidates for review. This build should be ready to show the public.

Key Roles in Game Development

These are the key roles needed for a successful game development experience. Employees at smaller studios may find themselves wearing multiple hats at once.

Producer

That’s me! A producer is responsible for ensuring the development timeline is accurate and on-track from a high level. They are also typically responsible for the management of the budget and resourcing of the team. A senior producer will often be working closely with the marketing, advertising, and PR side of the business as well.

Development Manager

Working in conjunction with the producer, the Development Manager, or Project Manager, is responsible for ensuring that the day-to-day operations of development are unblocked and that the team is aligned on their immediate goals. This role is often the gateway between leadership and the development team.

Lead Developer

Responsible for completion of the initial Tech Stack during pre-production and the management of their direct reports. The Lead Developer should be able to delegate tasks in the backlog to their team (with the assistance of the Development Manager if needed) and is ultimately responsible for the completion of development assigned to the team.

Supporting Developers

Support the lead developer in the creation of the game, and set up any existing technologies to integrate into the project.

Game Designer

The Creative authority on the game. Often acts as the bridge between creatives and developers. Responsible for creating immersive stories, characters, quests, and other features that may improve the overall experience and interactions between the various game elements.

Level Designer

Responsible for creating exciting and engaging levels. Depending on the type of game you are designing, this role may be combined with the Game Designer role.

QA Testers

Responsible for creating bug reports and continuously testing all aspects of the game. Work closely with developers to develop test plans and checklists that verify not only in-game mechanics, but also back-end services.

Audio Engineer

Responsible for all the sound effects as well as the music required for the game. The Audio Engineer should work closely with the Game Designer to determine the proper mood and tempo of the tracks needed for the game.

Lead Artist

Responsible for leading the art team and creation of the Art Bible and overall art style and design. The Lead Artist should be able to manage and delegate art tasks to their team with the support of the Project Manager.

Animators

Brings objects and characters to life by adding locomotion/rotation and any necessary movements. This may often require in-depth research of real life physics/objects to replicate in-game.

Supporting Artists

Comprises of all the remaining artists (concept, FX, 3D, etc)

Conclusion

Similarly to the first article, much of what I’ve written above can be further expanded on. But we hope you now get a better idea of how complex the game design can be. Add Blockchain and Web3 technologies into the mix, and you can see how it can become extremely messy! As usual, we are grateful for your support!

Part 3 of this series will be focusing on the difference between Tiny Colony’s approach of User Driven Development and Traditional Game Development.

About Tiny Colony

Tiny Colony is an expansive pixelated metaverse and construction and management simulation game designed for the Solana blockchain. Players can earn in-game currency by building and running an effective ant colony, battling with other colonies and wagering in community events.

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