Experience of releasing on consoles

What the talk is about

Serhii Melnyk shares the experience of bringing Fishing Planet to consoles: the PlayStation 4 version was already out, and the Xbox port was in its final stage. His main point is that the schedule was underestimated several times over: a quick port turned into a year of work, because of no prior experience, Sony and Microsoft certification test cases, paperwork, and constant correspondence with platform holders. Technically the hardest parts were gamepad controls in a complex interface, weak console CPUs (many draw calls, the need to move logic into separate threads), and limited memory that forced lower-quality textures. He advises getting age ratings early, setting up internal and external testing, and attending the platforms' closed conferences. He also covers the pros and cons of free-to-play on consoles. Useful for teams planning a console release.