GAME PRODUCTION

Set the stage. Understand the course, your final project, and how emerging tech is reshaping modern game production.

• Instructor intro
• Course objectives & flow
• Final project overview
• Emerging trends & technologies
• Q&A

Understand the producer’s role as the bridge between vision and delivery, balancing stakeholder expectations with the realities of live-service production.

• Game producer role
• Key responsibilities & skills 
• Game dev lifecycle overview
• SaaS impact: Delivery trains
• Managing expectations

Learn to lead high-performing teams — combine technical expertise with communication, conflict resolution, and cross-team alignment.

• Effective team management & collaboration strategies
• Game dev team: Roles & responsibilities 
• Hard vs. soft skills
• Roleplay scenarios: Practical exercises

Navigate the full development pipeline. Factor in technical constraints, player data, and cultural differences that shape production decisions.

• Game development stages
• Evaluating data & player feedback 
• Technical Design Requirements (TDR)
• Cultural differences: East vs. West
• Case Study: Freefall 3050AD
• Example documents: Documentation templates 

Define a clear product vision, aligning features, technology, and scope into a realistic, production-ready plan.

• Comprehensive scope statement
• Key game features, target platforms, engines
• Emerging tech integration
• Outlining deliverables & success criteria

Assignment #1: The Product Vision Brief
Define the USP, target platform, and a high-level Feature List for a concept.

Build financially viable game concepts. It’s all about budgets, monetisation strategies, and shifting market demands.

• Financial modeling for game production
• Workshop: Estimating & costing a game dev project
• Production’s role in pitching
• Product owners & shifting priorities
• Monetisation strategies: Deciding on IAP vs. set price titles 

Create roadmaps that hold up, aligning long-term milestones with the day-to-day realities of development.

• Where to start
• Project plan: Timelines & iterations
• The "on the ground" balance
• Workshop: Scope sanity check

Assignment #2: The High-Level Estimate
Create a rough budget and a 12-month milestone roadmap for your concept.

Run production with clarity. Apply agile methods, track progress effectively, and eliminate bottlenecks before they escalate.

• Importance of milestones & methodologies 
• Tracking progress & managing deliverables
• Demo: Project tracking through JIRA
• Addressing the production bottlenecks
• Day-to-day practicality: How it works in practice
• Communication styles

Assignment #3: The Backlog Sprint
Build a JIRA board (or mock-up) with 10 prioritised User Stories for your "Vertical Slice."

Anticipate what can go wrong and put systems in place to manage technical risks, legal challenges, and team burnout.

• Importance of risk management 
• Risk identification, analysis, prioritisation
• Effective risk mitigation strategies
• Case Study: Emerging risks associated with UGC in online multiplayer games
• Team morale as risk: Soft skill mitigations

Integrate QA early and effectively, improving workflows, communication, and overall product quality across teams.

• Managing team communications
• Reporting
• QA processes & methodologies
• Production’s role with retrospectives & process improvement
• QA integration
• Workshop: Visual retros

Assignment #4: The Risk Log & QA Brief
Create a risk matrix and a testing plan for a major feature.

Leverage AI and new technologies to streamline production without compromising creativity or player experience.

• AI-assisted pipelines: Pros & cons
• The "Play Anywhere" Shift: Cloud & handheld
• XR/VR/AR
• Demo: AI for linear tasks

Plan beyond launch. Manage updates, evaluate performance, and make strategic decisions that sustain long-term success.

• Release plan & release activities
• Post-release maintenance & updates
• Workshop: Evaluating the success of a game project
• Quarterly SaaS planning
• The power of "no" 

Turn your experience into opportunity. Build a portfolio and narrative that positions you for top production roles.

• Career pathways
• What does a great GP profile entail?
• Guest Speaker: Addressing common interview questions
• The portfolio bridge

Assignment #5: The Final Production Portfolio
Compile your Vision Brief, Roadmap, and Risk Log into a professional "Production Plan" ready for an interview.