Game development is more than the hardware, software and great ideas.
It takes a great team too.
We previously reviewed solo developed titles, so now it’s time to take a closer look at
the key roles that make up a successful development team.
These roles can be filled by a single person or by many.
Regardless of how many individuals there are on your specific development team - you may
want to consider having these roles for your future projects.
We are Ask Gamedev and these are the 6 roles that you need to build your indie game development
team.
Welcome back!
We make videos on how to elevate your games and inspire others.
An initial note before we start our list - these roles are obviously not necessary for all
projects.
The perfect team makeup is always specific to the software you are trying to build, and
there are lots of examples of teams that have been successful with or without these roles.
That said, these are roles that are typical on most game development projects - and specifically
on larger development projects.
The first role on our list is the lead engineer, or perhaps better known as the lead programmer
and coder.
Whether you’re building a game from scratch or using one of the many game engines available,
the lead engineer architects the foundation of the game and links content to code to form
a smooth canvas of gameplay.
Engineers write the freshly authored game code that defines the game logic, as well
as how the audio, art, animation, and audio assets, will be introduced to the users.
They typically have a huge part in initial project planning, including definition of
what tech will be used off the shelf vs created from scratch.
Many teams have multiple programmers to handle different game elements - like gameplay, networking,
or rendering...but its the lead engineer who has a general understanding of all of those
disciplines to allow for a holistic viewpoint on how everything will come together.
Lead engineers will often own the build - and act as gatekeeper for all check-ins to the
main line.
They will supervise integrations to make sure the game is playable at all times , and oversee
performance targets for load times, memory management and framerate speed.
The importance of the lead engineer role is underscored by the fact that many solo developed
titles were created by individuals who were primarily engineers.
It’s a skillset that is critical in many development projects.
Learning how to code games is a complex topic that is beyond the scope of a single video
- but if you want to learn about game engines that DON’T require coding, we recently made
a video on that - click the card above to check it out!
Next up, we have the game designer.
While everyone on the team may assist with the overall game design, having a designated
designer can help keep the title true to its theme..
The designer's key role is to develop and maintain the game vision.
This includes the specifics of what the game is from a moment-to-moment .The game designer
informs all other development disciplines on what they have to build.
Along with defining the basic game design, a designer may also own lots of different
development areas like narrative or story definition, help and tutorial onboarding,
difficulty tuning or balancing, controls design, or level structure.
The list of areas that a designer typically influences is broad, and a strong individual
in this role can be invaluable.
We’ve previously made a video series on how to design a video game - click the card
above to check that out.
The third role on our list is none other than the audio designer.
Having great audio is a fantastic way to immerse players into the atmosphere of a title..
An audio designers main role is to ensure that every sound, from auditory acknowledgment
within the user interface, to the subtle footstep variations of a character's movement, are
on in timing and make sense for the theme of the game.
Audio designers make this sound magic happen through their tools and instruments.
FMOD, Wwise, and audacity, are three examples of audio programs available for music and
sound creation and editing.
Even with today’s popular option of buying sound effects and music assets through online
marketplace - a good audio designer can still provide value by purchasing sounds that work
great together.
Additionally, assets may need editing after purchase, to ensure that their sounds align
with other assets… and the sound designer can drive that process.
For a video on where to find great audio assets for your game - check this video out.
Next we have the artist - who is typically skilled in 2D or 3D art...
Or both!
A team artist will typically work closely with the team designer, animator, and marketing
and PR teammates.
They often use art tools to create memorable characters, environments, screens and overlays,
and marketing graphics.
An artist's key responsibility is to bring the finalized game design to visual life.
By creating graphical elements that adhere to an artistic style, the artist aims to immerse
players in rich worlds of interesting characters and extraordinary environments..
Common 2D tools that artists may use include Adobe’s Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
These tools provide the artist the ability to create rasters and vectors.
Tools for 3D works typically include Maya, 3D Studio Max, Houdini, and Blender - with
the output will often be models and textures.
Next on our list is the animator.
The animator works closely with the artists to bring not just the games characters to
life, but the environments and user interface as well.
Virtually all games include some sort of movement or animation, and this is all thanks to an
team animator's dedication.
Animation work can be 2D or 3D in nature, and can be created through key-frame or motion-capture.
Whichever way it is done, the animator takes game elements and makes them feel alive.
Typical animator tasks including building rigs and animation sets, with the final assets
timed to specific frame lengths.
Animators commonly use programs like Maya or 3D studio Max.
In some cases, the team artist and animator roles are filled by the same artist, however,
in larger teams, these roles are typically delegated to separate individuals so as to
allow specialization in each role to help optimize production.
So you’ve got design, code, art, animation, and audio.
Now you need someone to set a course and steer the ship.
Typically residing over the development team is the project manager.
This individual's main responsibility is to define the work that needs to be done and
create a development plan, that works with resources of the team.
The project manager assesses and mitigates risks, and sets realistic milestones for the
team to accomplish.
During development, the project manager is responsible for keeping the team on track
for each milestone.
It takes a lot of foresight, elite problem solving skills, and quick thinking to manage
the development of a game, as a number of things can happen to stall progress.
As the manager of the team, the project manager typically defines what work gets done when
and how dependencies are a managed.
For larger teams, a project manager typically reports out to financiers and external stakeholders
on the progress of the team, and how the team plans to work going forward.
A good project manager handles external questions in a way that allows the team to focus on
building great games.
If you want to learn about how to improve your project management skills by building
a professional quality development plan - check this video out.
These next indie dev team roles are probably not needed all throughout development, but
can be equally as important as any of those on the development floor when they are called
upon.
Firstly, let’s talk PR.
A public relations person’s main role as part of the indie development team is to architect
the studio’s communications and successfully market the studio brand.
This aids in not only becoming well known to potential gamers and influencers, but also
in gaining access to publishers and financiers..
Good PR will help a studio get noticed.
Alongside those in PR are the marketers.
Sometimes fulfilled by the same individuals, those that handle the marketing of an indie
title serve the important role of finding the game’s target audience, building them
into a community, and getting them excited about the game’s development..
While additional funding can be gained from good marketing via crowdfunding campaigns,
the end goal of a marketing team member is to ensure the released title earns the studio
revenue.
In the mobile gaming space, marketers will often manager user acquisition - which is
especially critical for commercial success.
If you want to learn more about marketing your indie game - check out the video we created
on that topic here:
And lastly, quality assurance, including beta testers, assist the engineers in finding bugs
and glitches during development.
These individuals ensure the game make sense and is accessible, and also if it meets platform
certification requirements.
Without good quality control, a buggy, or even broken game, can be released.
Now that we’ve delved deeper into the various roles associated with a development team,
let's take a look at three dynamically different structures for some recently notable indie
titles.
First up we have the creators of Astroneer.
An upcoming outer-space sandbox adventure title developed by System Era Softwork using
the Unreal game engine.
The developing team of Astroneer was founded in 2014 by four co-founders.
Based in Seattle Washington, System Era Softworks has grown their talent team into a pool of
18 individuals, composed of 4 engineers, 3 artists, and 2 heads on quality assurance.
Other team roles including an animator, an audio artist, a producer,a communications
manager, and the studio general manager.
Astroneer was announced in October of 2015 and then released into early access in December
of 2016.
The next team on our list are the creators Cuphead.
A run and gun indie title developed and published by StudioMDHR, Cuphead was first announced
in 2014, and later released for Windows and Xbox One in September 2017.
StudioMDHR was founded by Canadian brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer with Cuphead being
their first completed title.
Development began in 2010 using the Unity game engine in the brother's homes in Oakville,
Ontario.
Rather than having a traditional office setting studio with the development team all in one
place, StudioMDHR successfully collaborated remotely with their full team of 17 individuals,
The team includes producers, animators, programmers.
artists, & painters, inkers, letterers, and more.
The talent spans across North America when it comes to the development of this stunning
1930’s cartoon-inspired title.
Before we show you our last development team example, let’s review this week’s Ask
Gamedev community member Game of the Week.
Its Cargo Breach, which was developed and published by No. 28 Games.
Cargo Breach is a VR arcade shooter that took 9 months of development with the end result
featuring AAA graphics along with a dark and eerie setting.
Players will need muscle memory as they quickly alternate between weapons for the perfect
elimination of enemies.
At the start of the game, players will find themselves in an escape style room where exploration
rewards players with the addition of story depth.
Cargo Breach is a title that successfully maintains a pickup and play value.
You can find this VR shooter gem on Steam.
The final team on our list of development team examples are the creators of Dead Cells,
a roguelike-Metroidvania title developed and published by Motion Twin.
Following a year in early access, Dead Cells was released for Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo
Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in August 2018.
Motion Twin is unique in that it consists of a team of 7 co-owners, that’s right,
there are 7 individuals each taking home the same salary and each having an equal say in
the development of their titles.
With 4 developers, 2 artists and one communications expert, this team has managed to successfully
develop and release 19 different titles, proving that their model works!
Thanks for watching!
For more Ask Gamedev, check out this video on epic solo devs here, or this video on the
most wanted team roles in game development!