Production schedule and milestones

Due to their ever-changing nature, game projects are incredibly difficult to plan. By now, most gamers are very familiar with the frustration of having their most anticipated game delayed and pushed back multiple times. In such situations, no one suffers more than the developer; publishers rarely pay for extended development.

Games vary in size, and teams vary in velocity. Still, the main production phase can span anywhere from several months for some of the smaller mobile games, to three or four years for big PC and console titles.

Game projects are divided into specific phases and milestones, and each milestone has a set of criteria that has to be fulfilled. If the project is being funded by a publisher, the developer will only be paid once the milestones are delivered, reviewed, and approved by the publisher.

The production process allows for better structure development, estimating its costs and increasing the chances of finishing the product on spec and on time. Unfortunately, big design pivots, unforeseen technical issues, licensing problems, and financial pressures are commonplace in our industry. Experienced producers always push for a buffer of an additional 15-25% development time on each milestone, and quite often that still isn't enough.