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Understanding the Game Industry Structure and Processes: Insights from Madden NFL to Star Wars

This paper explores the intricate structure and processes of the game industry, detailing the roles of publishers, developers, tool vendors, and consumer markets. It examines the evolution of game development costs, from $200K in 1992 to $10-15M for next-generation titles. Key statistics on US retail sales and top-selling games showcase the industry's growth. The paper discusses pre-production, concept development, and crucial elements in marketing and distribution, providing a comprehensive overview for industry professionals and enthusiasts alike.

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Understanding the Game Industry Structure and Processes: Insights from Madden NFL to Star Wars

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  1. The Game Industry Robin Burke GAM 224

  2. 1. MADDEN NFL 06 PS22. POKEMON EMERALD GBA3. GRAN TURISMO 4 PS24. MADDEN NFL 06 XBX5. NCAA FOOTBALL 06 PS26. STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II PS27. MVP BASEBALL 2005 PS28. STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH PS29. NBA LIVE 06 PS210. LEGO STAR WARS PS2

  3. Outline • Admin • Play papers • The Game Industry • Structure • Process • Problems

  4. Admin • Play papers • Done grading • Distribution • AAAAAA------ • BBBBBB+++++++- • CCCC++++- • FF

  5. The Game Industry • Statistics (2004) • US Retail sales: 9.9 billion • Software sales: 7.3 billion • Add MMO subscriptions: 1 billion • 248 million units sold • Halo 2 • $125 million opening weekend • best film ever • $114 million (Spiderman 2)

  6. Growth

  7. Costs • Premium game title • 1992 • $200K • 2001 • $1-2M • 2004 • $5-7M • next generation • $10-15M

  8. Industry structure Hardware Suppliers Support Services Tool Vendors Developers Publishers Distributors Consumers Retail Outlets

  9. Publisher • Money • Fund game development • Fund marketing campaigns • Connections • Convince distributors / retails to carry and display the game • Manage licensing • Manage intellectual property

  10. Hardware suppliers • Hardware • Supply console hardware to consumers • Supply peripherals / add-ons such as video cards for PCs • Supply hardware and development tools to developers • Quality control • Approve games for release on console platforms

  11. Tool Vendors • Produce specialize software used in game production • 3-D modeling • Maya • 3DS max • Sound editing • Motion capture • Middleware • AI engine • Physics engine • Graphics engine • etc.

  12. Support services • Motion capture labs • Motion capture actors • Sound studios • Voice actors • Contract art / animation • Musicians • Composers • Technical writing • PC configuration testing • Localization / translation • etc.

  13. Developers • Create art assets • 3-D models • textures • animations • Create audio / video assets • cut-scenes • sound effects • speech • Develop game code • graphics engine • game AI • user interface

  14. Distributors / Retailers • Distributors • Maintain inventory • Market games to retailers • Deliver games to retailers • Monitor sales and market activity • Retailers • Sell to consumers

  15. Process • Pre-production • Concept development • Game Design • Art Production Plan • Technical Design • Prototype • Development • Planning • Asset development • Code development • Play testing • Quality assurance • Post-production • Manufacturing • Packaging • Marketing • Advertising

  16. Concept Development • Players • Designer • Tech lead • Concept artist • Producer • Brainstorming activity to generate new game design • often based on existing IP or licenses • movie characters and situations • sequel to existing game • more rarely, original IP and designs • almost always from someone with a proven record • Tasks • Concept art • Game concept • Budget • Competitive analysis • Get a publisher interested • Or publisher may contact developer for this

  17. Game Design • Players • Designer • Tech lead • Concept artist • Art director • Nitty-gritty details of every bit of the game • every level • every character • every gameplay element • Task • convince the publisher that you can actually produce the game • provide framework for art production plan and technical design

  18. Technical Design • Players • Tech team • Software development plan • Middleware licensing • Staffing • Tasks, milestones and deliverables • Budget • Task • Understand the technical challenges of production • Plan and budget for the effort

  19. Art Production Plan • Similar to technical design but on the art side • what are all the art assets? • how will they be produced? • Budget / staffing / etc.

  20. Prototype • Establish the "look and feel" of the game • especially its core mechanic • Task • Convince publisher to fund development • Will it be fun and distinctive? • Are the technical aims feasible?

  21. Development • Hard work • Programming • Creation of art assets • Integration • Tuning • Testing • Organized by milestones • part of production plan • developer only gets paid when milestones are achieved • E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) often an important milestone • major marketing opportunity • aiming for Christmas sales

  22. Post-Production • Master disks shipped to hardware supplier • Acceptance testing for quality control • Manufacturing, printing, packaging • Marketing • Distribution • Retail

  23. Realities • Game development is • complex • different skills • different technologies • dynamic • changing technical environment • changing competitive landscape • uncertain • design is iterative • hard to predict successful game mechanics

  24. Problems • The last mile: retail issues • Risk vs reward • Lost innovation

  25. Retail Issues • Game stores are small • 200-300 titles in stock • compare to record stores! • space is a premium • Retail wants to shelve profitable items • games have a limited period to prove themselves • a couple of weeks

  26. Risk • Sales are increasing • larger population of gamers • But it is harder and harder to make money on a game

  27. Risk II • To balance risk • publishers need to place lots of bets • so that big wins balance the losers • Publishers need to be big • really big • Nintendo • EA • Sony • Microsoft • it isn't clear that Midway is going to make it • As the bar is raised • higher definition art • more technically complex development • the stakes at the table are raised

  28. Risk III • Publishers cannot gamble • they are in business to make money • Their $10 million must go where the return is acceptable and predictable • sequel-itis • licensed IP • well-known genres • Because • there are existing fans • there are channels to market to those audiences

  29. Risk IV • Control of IP • Control of IP is a hedge against risk • IP can turn into a franchise • with lucrative spin-offs • Publisher owns the game concept, characters, and (usually) code base • Bioware made KOTOR but • LucasArts owned the IP, so • Obsidian made KOTOR II • Result • Developers lose control of their creations

  30. Genres • A game genre • a set of formal rule characteristics that give rise to • a core mechanic (or collection thereof) with durable appeal • Examples • social card game • real-time strategy • first-person shooter • action adventure

  31. Genre life-cycle • A genre has a life-cycle • Coinage • A designer creates a game that exemplifies the mechanic • Popularization • The mechanic is refined and a really popular game breaks out • Maturity • A group of the gaming population focuses on this mechanic and becomes a market force • Product differentiation occurs above the mechanic: narrative elements, licenses. • Decline • Market consolidates around the winners of the "Maturity" phase. • Less devoted fans move on to other genres. • Well-defined market attracts marketing attention but little innovation. • Niche • Genre addicts form the sole audience. • Technical innovations in the mechanic are of primary interest. • Innovation decreases.

  32. Examples • 2-D arcade shooter • Spacewar • Space Invaders • Defender, Centipede, Galaga • Defender II, Galaxian • Text-based adventure • Adventure • Zork • Planetfall, A Mind Forever Voyaging • King's Quest

  33. Death to the games industry? • Costikiyan's claim • Loss of innovation in the mainstream game industry • Budget pressures and risks • Genre maturation • Problem • where will innovation come from? • no avenue for independent developers to reach a mass audience • nothing like • independent film industry • independent record labels

  34. Wideload Games • Stubbs the Zombie • Alex Seropian & Co. • founders of Bungie • developers of Halo • Problem • how to develop a modern console game with a limited budget

  35. Staffing • Few people for concept and design (~5) • More for prototype development (~10) • A lot for full-scale production (~20-70) • Problem • How to keep 70 people busy during next design phase? • Typical answer • Try to have a portfolio of projects coming and going • some small-scale

  36. Burn-rate risk • Very risky for the developer • A project that doesn't materialize • means 50 people with nothing to do • A project that runs late for technical reasons • means 30 artists with nothing to do • while programmer work day and night • while nobody gets paid

  37. Wideload II • Insight • people x time = money • fewer people means more time for the same money • Solution • license existing engine (Halo) • small core team (11) • augmented by contract work (65 peak) • concept and game art • animation • motion capture • sound

  38. Wideload III • Result • Schedule slip could be absorbed • contractors weren't paid while technical fixes made • Focus could be on game play • not on meeting targets • Some difficulties in managing distributed team • but they did it • If technical innovation was required • new game engine • much more difficult

  39. The Future • Next-gen games • higher budgets • more complex technology • increased customer expectations • All mean greater risk • which means less innovation?

  40. Monday • Culture paper • Grand Theft Auto III • There is no quiz 3

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