The Importance of Failing Fast in Game Development

If your game is not enjoyable or viable, it's best to terminate it. This is the advice of industry professionals who have come together to share their expertise on reducing game development costs. In a candid discussion about bringing game ideas to life and knowing when to abandon them, the panel emphasized that despite lower barriers to entry, increased costs, competition, and challenges make game development more difficult than ever. With unprecedented job losses and studio closures, it's crucial to ensure that your team doesn't waste time or resources on projects that won't generate a return. The best time to abandon a game is as soon as possible. The panel agreed that setting a hard deadline, such as a month of prototyping time, is essential to decide whether to commit to a project or move on. If a game is not fun to play, it's time to move on to the next idea. The key to determining whether a game is working or not is to focus on one thing: fun. There are two things to look for: whether people have fun interacting with the game and whether it's fun to make. Assuming a game takes two to three years to develop, it's essential to ensure that it's fun to work on and that the time invested is worthwhile. It's also crucial to prioritize the core aspects of the game and not get lost in details that can be figured out later. Prototyping ideas is an effective way to determine what works and what doesn't. It helps identify what is and isn't within the team's skillset and comfort zone and allows for iteration and development of early concepts. Even if a game is fun to make and has purposeful features, it's essential to ensure that it's worth the time and resources invested. The top 10% of games on Steam are the ones making all the money, and the rest are not making any money. It's crucial to be sure that your ideas are good and that you're aiming for the top 10%. Making smaller bets rather than putting all eggs in one basket is a better approach. Setting realistic expectations is vital to failing fast, especially if you promise too much. Even industry veterans are not immune to failure, and making small things is often the right answer. Knowing your niche is essential, and getting the core gameplay right is critical. If you're making smaller things or have lower development costs, you don't need to appeal to the same size audience as bigger games. Nothing can guarantee success, and the only guarantee is eventual failure. However, how you take that failure and learn from it is what matters. Failing fast is not only a good idea, but it's the only idea you should stick with when running a small studio. Success is never guaranteed, and entrepreneurs take risks. Every right decision you make is not buying you success, but rather buying you a chance to succeed.