Blood, Sweat and Post-Release Game Design

What the talk is about

Vadym Syvolap shares his experience of post-release game design in free-to-play games and distills it into seven practical principles. First, every feature needs a clear goal agreed with stakeholders, and the designer's own enthusiasm for an idea should be kept in check: generate and record ideas first, then edit them separately. Second, good design sits where player needs, business goals and technical limits overlap. He then advises fitting each feature into the game's overall system, planning monetization and live-ops during design, and thinking months and years ahead. He also warns that the obvious is not obvious: write readable documents, confirm the team understood the intent, and use prototypes and references. The result is a feature checklist, including defining the MVP. Useful for game designers, especially those supporting live games.