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Bravo Laura! Pure unadulterated wisdom.

one of the better videos on game production and a crystal clear overview of what it’s like for AA/AAA alike. hope your channel continues to grow, it’s nice to have additional voices beyond the same usual set of guys (no offense to them, love Cain, Faliszek, and Sawyer) or endless speculation channels not backed by real world experience. thank you! keep it up. i’ll be citing this to my production mentees

I heard somewhere that studios that flop don’t get shut down just because they produced a bad game. But rather they only get shut down when investors don’t see future potential. IE: Rocksteady, despite producing Suicide Squad, can rest easy as long as their next project is a traditional Batman game. Thoughts?

Too many chiefs and not enough Indians. Having a manager to tell a developer to speed up doesn’t work. Have smaller teams with more developers and less people who don’t even know how to program. One director , one editor and a fairly small group of developers and artists. Cut all the other business people out until the game is ready for non programmers.

It's always funny to me when people talk about new videogames crush, while it's the most in-demand entertament sphere, and where's demand there would be offers. Some specific tems will fail, but overall? Stuff will adjust and continue, gaming in a better position then any other industry. I been asked a question "why indie games are more accepted by gamers then indie-movies for movie-watchers?". And i think the answer is - games are not as limited. Like - you can't make a fantasy/sci-fi adventure movie with giant demons on indie budget. But you can do anything in gaming - solo-dev can create games on any topic in any setting. Sure it would lack AAA fidelity but genre will still be there. I can play Environmental Station Alpha or Fear & Hunger made by solo devs having a dark sci-fi/fantasy adventures that appeal to me, while indie movies can't really be a 30h series about space exploration made by one person. Gaming is the most flexible medium out there.

I just recently played first 3 Gears of War -games for the first time and Gears 2 became one my favorite games of all time

I find this video quite hopeful. Thank you for sharing.

After all these years I always thought something was off about that video but just accepted it. It was awesome to finally see your take on what really happened here, thank you for sharing that and helping ship one of the greatest shooters of all time! Sorry they did that to you and Peter Moore.

Amazing how this keeps happening with Microsoft owned studios. Redfall devs prayed that MS people would walk into their offices and cancel the game. i343 spun into the mud for a decade until they removed O'Connor and Bonnie Ross and put Pierre in charge. And now that Perfect Dark debacle... It's like a bunch of conmen pretending to be producers selling snake oil to the people up the ladder that don't even know what they own.

Nobody understands what videogames really are.

Question for you, Laura! As a project manager for 8 years at a large tech company, I really want to pivot into project management in the game industry, but was wondering how I could break in without the game industry experience? How do I build that experience? I was wondering if you had any advice.

Hey Laura, no questions here, I just wanna give you praise for answering them. Both the video and your responses are incredibly insightful!

clickbait

Stumbled upon your channel today (no doubt the CZcams algorithm recommending it after watching many Tim Cain videos) and have been completely hooked, binge watched a bunch of your videos. It's incredibly fascinating to get a behind the scenes look into game development, thank you for taking the time to make these!

Great video! As you may have found out since your publish of this video, this project was doomed from the jump. Arkane Austin was a studio that made renowned games. When their parent company, Bethesda, ran into trouble during the 2010s, management shoved a multiplayer game down the throat of a team who makes immersive single player games. I believe Bloomberg reported 70% of the existing staff jumped ship prior to release. While all of your points are relevant and valid, the question here ultimately is about communication. Did Microsoft HQ know that their new subsidiary Bethesda had a tortured product that should’ve been cancelled well in advance? Undoubtedly they should’ve, but something went wrong in the communication pipeline. And as many others ask: why do people at Xbox who fail again and again keep their executive positions, or fail up as it were? Sarah Bond has been promoted multiple times and hasn’t been successful at shipping products. Matt Booty is the same way. Why did it take Microsoft a year, as of last month I believe, to close Arkane Austin?

I sincerely think making games is harder than rocket science

Late to your wonderful video and insight into what we as fans felt was happening. I was just a teenager enjoying the amazing products that you contributed to, and it was so special back then. I’ll never forget playing Horde mode in Gears 2 with all of my friends one summer. My only disagreement with this only comes toward the end. I see what you’re at least implying in regard to Phil’s turnaround of the work culture, however the business and product execution has been challenged to say the least. Not to mention upending the industry. But there wasn’t another choice after what Mattrick did. From the outside looking in, it seems that Microsoft is now micromanaging the Xbox division; acquiring one of the worlds biggest publishers put a target on their back. Anyways we’ll see what happens next, great job!

When you said the culture changed in 2007. Cause 2007 was one of the best years for gamers ever. Which tells me it takes a long time to make a game and can take a long time for that culture shift to have major impacts. Right now feels like the worst of times and the best of times for games. It’s really weird out there right now.

Holy shit this channel is so good. You've earned a sub.

Not at all what I expected when I clicked on the video. I am pleasantly surprised. You have gained a new Subscriber. Lots of wisdom and sad truths in this video. I could write a loooong post about putting your job on the line because you are actually doing your job.... Maybe some other time. :)

It’s so refreshing to see someone with personal experience explain this issue instead of the rage bait CZcamsrs who pursue all the negative subjects just for clout.

Yet another great video about the industry we love. As someone already mentioned in the comments it's criminally underrated. As always, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I genuinely like the absence of background music. I like just hearing someone talk and focusing on that.

Where did you generate those scenes of the man writing with a marker on the glass screen?

Actually it seems like a lot of your recorded voice audio has bad quality. It's not unbearable constantly, but it sounds like its blown out often.

The game is still not available for sale in those countries that couldn't create and link psn though.

Where do you get all of your stock footage from?

Your recorded/voice audio is bad in this video.

New to this channel. Cool to see an insider making videos! I love industry insight. Sad to hear that you got screwed by this. I remember the series and thought cutting the Lancer was crazy. Glad to hear no one was quite that nuts. You said you were unsure the negative impact extent, but did you ever consider litigation?

Hi Laura, I’m a studio lead for a small indie studio of about 7 other developers. None of us have made a game before but each has his or her own skills in art/programming/music/narrative etc. I’m incredibly passionate about creating a game and had actually been working on one for the past two years. Long story short, some financial instability and overwhelming personal life, as well as realizing that the game’s scope is much too large, how do I move forward from here? I’m completely ready to honestly address the problem, as it’s been building terribly in my head for quite a while now. Your video was the push I needed to do something for myself and my team.

So well made Laura, really good examples and how you’ve broken down the key issues impacting these studios, hope the channel gets the growth it deserves

7:13 Culture of production what I'm lacking right now, thanks!

Got to call BS on Fortnite... Save the world failed... PUBG was struggling with your engine and wouldn't receive help from you while you scrambled and pushed out a BR... and got lucky there was no testing testing testing in this case.

Really love the insight into management. I've been trying to build up my skills and am looking for ways to build experience in leadership roles (software developer). Your videos provide some very great insight into this field, thank you. Also, I hope Perfect Dark continues to move forward at a steady pace now that we've seen something. I honestly had started to write it off, thinking it was dead and maybe going to be a "back to the drawing board" scenario like with Metroid Prime 4.

This is odd... I swear I've seen one of your videos on gaming prior to this one, but when I look at your list of vids nothing looks familiar.

Just subscribed! This was a great history lesson and very informative. Thank you Laura!

This video reminds me of that great documentary, “PsychOdyssey” by Double Fine (I don't know if you've seen it, probably yes because in fact I think you appear!). In the documentary you could see how in the early days of the company, they acted almost as a cooperative in terms of coordination and work management. Each one knew what role they had to play and they didn't have an internal rivalry in order to obtain a position superior to the rest. The culture was also evident in the video. During the production of Psychonauts 2, we see how Tim changes his role in the team to dedicate himself to other things (giving example) and we see how Zak being in charge, things go wrong within the team and a paradigm shift occurs. The workers continued to contribute their ideas, but we observe how Zak ignores the feedback from his team and prioritizes production and design, causing the artists to suffer a great deal of rejection towards him and the direction the project is taking. It's a perfect example of what you're talking about in this video. The person leading the team may receive valuable data from the team, but if that person is unable to interpret that data or knowingly ignores it, how can a project of this caliber succeed? Anyway, I've seen that several of the recurring concepts in your video could be seen in the documentary and it was interesting to mention it. Once again, great video and I look forward to the next one :)

Based on this, I can pinpoint a few problems: - Massive bloat: Diablo IV having 9000 people "work" on it is absolutely absurd. Sounds like a money laundering scheme. - Incompetent leadership: As you said; "Yes Men". This explains the current status of the Xbox brand. - Poor management: Time limits for any project (large, or tiny) is important. Even I wouldn't have progressed much in my art if I hadn't set time limits.

Studios fail because of companies like Sweet Baby Inc pushing their social agendas. DEI has no place in games, female characters should be feminine and male characters should be masculine. There should be no censorship in games, and games that are made to represent an existing IP, should remain true to that IP. DEI is killing the AAA gaming industry, and with these DEI games coming up, I will not be buying them and urge gamers to boycott these games as every financial failure and more studios closing down and more developers losing their jobs the quicker these studios and publishers will reject DEI and focus on making games for the gamers and not for some social forced diversity ideology.

I miss 4G all the time

You would know much more than I would, Laura, but as a former Microsoft fan, it seems to me that at about 2010 and beyond, Microsoft began to slowly regress. It was never a perfect company of course, but it seems like at least in the past, stuff got done and the right decisions were generally being made. Nevertheless, slowly, for whatever reason, Microsoft regressed, and then the problems with Microsoft began to spread to its subsidiary parts such as the games division.

LAURA FRYER STUDIES Hey Laura, I really enjoy studying your videos because I believe there's veryyy valuable knowledge in them. Here are my notes related to this video. Thank you for sharing with us! CULTURE OF PRODUCTION: The term "culture of production" in the context of game development refers to a systematic and structured approach where a game studio establishes clear plans, processes, and ownership throughout a project. This culture emphasizes the importance of detailed documentation and communication to ensure everyone on the team understands their roles, responsibilities, and the current status of the project. It involves the regular collection and incorporation of feedback to iterate on game design, making adjustments based on actual play experiences. This proactive management style helps prevent misunderstandings and misalignments that can derail development, particularly in larger teams. By fostering a culture of production, studios can better manage complex projects, reduce bottlenecks, and increase the likelihood of delivering a successful game. Such a culture is crucial in today's gaming industry, where the scale of projects often demands rigorous oversight and precise coordination. LEADERS WITH COURAGE: "Leaders with Courage" refers to individuals who possess the determination and strength to make tough decisions and act in challenging situations, especially when such actions are necessary for success or improvement. These leaders are characterized by their readiness to confront problems, innovate, and make substantial changes, even at the risk of personal or professional setbacks. They are willing to acknowledge their limitations, seek assistance, and adapt their strategies to navigate complex environments effectively. This type of leadership is crucial in industries like game development, where constant innovation, rapid decision-making, and resilience are needed to drive projects to success amidst high risks and intense competition. SKIP LEVEL: A "skip level" meeting refers to a meeting where higher-level managers meet directly with employees who are one or more levels below them in the organizational hierarchy, essentially "skipping" over the employee's direct supervisor. The purpose of these meetings can be to gather unfiltered feedback, build relationships, and gain a broader understanding of the organization from different perspectives. Such meetings can help senior managers understand the challenges and ideas from employees who might not typically have direct access to higher management. It also allows employees to feel heard and valued by more senior leadership. These meetings can be particularly useful for identifying issues that might not be visible at higher levels of the organization or which might be filtered out in regular reporting lines. LEADING BY EXAMPLE: "Leading by example" refers to the practice where leaders actively embody the behaviors, values, and work ethics they wish to see in their team members. This approach encourages leaders to demonstrate integrity, hard work, and commitment firsthand, thereby setting a clear standard for others to follow. By actively participating in the same challenges and processes as their team, leaders not only gain firsthand insights into daily operations and potential issues but also inspire trust and respect from their team. This method fosters a positive work culture, where the leader's actions directly influence and motivate others to embody similar values and behaviors, ultimately leading to a more cohesive and productive environment. "HOW THINGS WORK?" AND "HOW THINGS FIT IN?": Understanding "how things work" and "how things fit in" presents a profound challenge in large organizations and projects, notably in game development studios. When team members lack clear insights into the operational dynamics and their role within the larger system, it can lead to confusion, inefficiency, and a diminished capacity to influence outcomes effectively. This disconnect can be particularly detrimental in environments where interdisciplinary collaboration and rapid adaptation are crucial, such as in the development of complex video games. Without a firm grasp on these aspects, team members may feel disconnected from the decision-making process and unclear about the impact of their contributions, ultimately undermining team cohesion and project success. The consequences are often serious, manifesting as delayed projects, suboptimal products, or even the collapse of entire initiatives, all of which are exacerbated in high-stakes industries like gaming where innovation and timely delivery are paramount. PRODUCTION ROLES: "Production roles" in the gaming industry refer to positions such as producers, project managers, or team leads responsible for managing the game development process. These roles are crucial because they organize and track the progress of game creation, ensuring that all elements of the team-from design to technology-are synchronized and meet deadlines. They also handle feedback management, making sure that any issues with game mechanics or design are addressed promptly. By maintaining a clear, structured workflow and fostering communication among different departments, production roles help mitigate risks associated with game development, such as scope creep, mismanaged resources, or miscommunication, which can lead to delays or project failure. Their ability to maintain an organized and efficient production pipeline directly influences the quality and timely delivery of the final product, making them essential for any successful gaming studio. RECIPROCATION: Reciprocation is a psychological principle where people feel compelled to return a favor or gesture when something nice is done for them. This principle can significantly influence behavior and decisions, often without conscious awareness. In the context of game development and feedback, the video discusses how the experience surrounding feedback sessions, like mock reviews, can affect the impartiality of the feedback received. For example, when game publishers or developers invite reviewers to a well-crafted, enjoyable experience (such as providing great dinners, tours of the studio, one-on-one time with designers, or even giving away swag), these gestures can make the reviewers feel special and indebted. Consequently, they might feel an obligation to reciprocate the kindness shown to them, which can lead to more favorable reviews or feedback than the game might objectively deserve. This biased feedback is problematic because it does not accurately reflect the quality or potential reception of the game by the broader audience. Instead of honest critiques that could help improve the game, the developers might receive overly positive feedback influenced by the reviewers' desire to reciprocate the positive treatment they received. This can lead to a misalignment between the perceived quality of the game during development versus its reception in the market upon release, contributing to potential failures. CONTINUOUS PLAY: The term "continuous play" in a game development context refers to the practice of regularly testing and playing a game throughout its development cycle. This method is crucial for game studios as it allows developers to iteratively assess the gameplay, mechanics, and overall experience, making adjustments based on real-time feedback. Continuous play serves several purposes: it helps identify and fix bugs early, refines gameplay to enhance player engagement, and ensures the game meets the developers' vision and player expectations. This approach is particularly vital in maintaining a game’s quality and playability, providing a framework for consistent improvement and ensuring that the game evolves effectively with each iteration. Implementing continuous play can significantly influence a game's success, helping studios avoid common pitfalls associated with rushed releases or untested features. CONCLUSION: The insights by Laura Fryers discuss the complex challenges facing game development studios, particularly those producing AAA titles. The struggles and failures of well-known studios serve as a stark reminder of the necessity for a robust "culture of production," where clear plans, ownership, and regular feedback loops are established and maintained to guide development. This culture is supported by "leaders with courage" who are willing to make tough decisions and foster a transparent environment where issues can be addressed promptly. Such leaders practice "leading by example" and ensure "continuous play" to iteratively refine the game based on actual user experiences, thus avoiding the disconnection between the game development and its reception by the market.

why studios fail? becuse ppl like you are no longer part of them. :-)

Very insightful and well articulated, thank you for this.

Really eye opening, thought provoking and Inspirational! Admirable content ! Thank you for you insight, sharing and work!

This video is amazing and insightful, it can be applied to many other industries as well, thanks a lot for making it!

...OR you have a great studio that repeatedly produces awesome games that get rave reviews and do well financially and you shut it down anyway. That was Tango Gameworks. In cases like this the failure of leadership is not at the studio itself, but the parent company and developers pay the price.

Did you ever get that build of that Vegas game?

Really enjoy it when I see you’ve posted a new video, cause from you I know it’s going to be the real deal!!:))

Strongly disagree. Its the greedy shareholders the reason why this industry is like it is. These devs have very little to do with it, as Tango Gameworks is a prime example, thier stuff is always great full stop.