Ask a Game Dev

How does it feel when your game launches? (Spoiler: I really enjoy looking at the feedback and taking notes on what I can improve) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8316443...

Why didn't Bioware go independent like Double Fine or Compulsion Games? (Spoiler: In order to go independent, you need enough runway and a way to earn enough) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8312812...

So about Bioware shutting down... (Spoilers: There's only ever been one studio that survived three sequential flops and it still shut down within a year) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8311904...

A Gamer's Primer to Resume Preparation, 2026 Edition (Spoiler: Let's reduce our unforced errors) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8310997...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevThoughts on how viable vibe coding is? In the right hands, I think that vibe coding can be a very powerful tool. For an experienced software engineer, vibe coding can be a force multiplier. However,.....

How viable is vibe coding? (Spoiler: It's a tool like many. It needs expertise to use) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8310092...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevAny advise for someone who has existential fears of being replaced by AI in general? Touch some grass. Calm down. Take a walk. It's ok. AI is a lot like Google search, except it only pulls the first....

Any thoughts on someone with existential fear about being replaced by AI? (Spoiler' Touch some grass and then build expertise) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8306469...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAbout AI and Tech DemosIt occurred to me recently while writing my post about AI decompiling that a lot of folks out there actually lack significant context when it comes to looking at AI generated "games" and thinking that...

About AI and Tech Demos (Spoiler: Look at these AI generated "games" critically, especially at what *isn't* there) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8304656...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevThoughts on AI decompiling older games? If an AI can figure out how to do a byte for byte copy of games that humans have struggled to reverse engineer, how does this fair for humans keeping...

AI has been used to decompile games! Will this have a big effect on the future of programming? (Spoiler: There really is no substitute for real expertise) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8303750...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevAre spinning rust drives still a common enough issue that games need to be optimized for disk seek time? I would have thought virtually every gaming device these days used an SSD. You would think so,....

I thought everybody already upgraded to SSDs already. Are people still using spinning hard disks? (Spoiler: Yes) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8299221...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevHave you seen posts about how large the install sizes are for recent games? What is causing the growing install sizes? There's two big reasons for this. The first is that high quality assets -...

What's causing large game install sizes? (Spoiler: high quality assets are big and sometimes we duplicate assets to improve seek times) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8298314...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevWhen a studio gets bought by a new publisher, where does the rubber meet the road? Like what level of seniority/leadership now deals day to day with the new boss? How much does anyone's roles actually...

What happens at the ground level when a studio gets acquired by a publisher/bigger company? (Spoiler: There's usually two sets of changes - a one-time reorganization after the acquisition happens, and then the day-to-day changes) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8296501...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevFollow-up. Before the RAMmageddon, were devs thinking the “average mid tier” gamer on PC would have a higher performance today than is in reality? Have developers had to adjust sharply downward in...

So... if you change your target spec because of hardware prices, how do you actually lower the requirements? (Spoiler: We make things run more performantly as we need. This is optimization) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8293798...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevI've noticed a trend in a lot of modern games that there seems to be a lower attention to certain types of mechanical detail, and was wondering if there is any spesific reason for this. Clearest...

Why do so many modern games have fewer small polish details like animations for different situations? (Spoiler: The scope for small polish tasks is much larger now) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8292878...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevWhat are your thoughts on the more expensive price point of GTAVI? Do you think more studios will be pushing for that as well, and do you think the work involved nowadays allows it to make sense? I.....

Thoughts on the GTA Price increase? (Spoiler: If it works, we'll see others try. If it continues to work, it will continue to happen) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8291082...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevAfter playing the new hotness (fortunes weave) I ended up wondering about what teams have to do during a significant shift in scope. During development, they ended up droping the route number from 8.....

What exactly happens when a big content cut happens, like in Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave when they cut the number of routes down to four from eight? (Spoiler: It depends on how we do things, but we figure it out what we can with tech and tools) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8290160...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevTell us a story, Dev... :c Sure. I'll tell you about a very important lesson I learned years ago. Once upon a time, I was working on a mature (read: years-old) MMOG - one that had a solid audience and...

Tell us a story, Dev :c (Spoiler: Ok) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8287442...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevIs the RAMageddon materially effecting game dev at the moment? Are current specs going to be targeted for longer? And I know future consoles are under broad NDAs, but hypothetically do you see their.....

Is the ridiculous price of RAM affecting game development? (Spoiler: Very yes) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8286537...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevHow common is hot reloading in AAA engines? Very. Most AAA engines support it in some way, primarily because it saves a lot of dev time if we don't have to restart the game in order to see changes...

How common is hot reloading in AAA engines? (Spoiler: Quite common) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8285630...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevFollow-up on the abondonware issue. You are working on some long running live service game that still is popular and generating revenue, so the company wants to keep it running. However, some software...

21 Sept

How do you deal with live service games that depend on old abandonware? (Spoiler: You usually continue to service the old software as best you can) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8283819...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevAre game programmers allowed to request certain features from engine programmers, or is that strictly up to higher-ups? We typically won't request others to do work without reason. If the gameplay...

17 Sept

Can the gameplay team request features from the engine programmers? (Spoiler: Sure if it's needed and the tech leadership approves) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8280196...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevOn the topic of Wolverine, do you think the handholding issue could be because they are expecting a lot of less experienced players to play it do to the IP? Like they are expecting people who mostly.....

16 Sept

Do you think the Wolverine target audience is the more casual moviegoing Marvel fans instead of more hardcore gamers? (Spoiler: Not if the game is a PS5 exclusive) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8279288...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevAny thoughts on the Wolverine handholding controversy? I understand that Sony probably has some data to determine when players are likely to get lost or drop the game, but when does it become too...

15 Sept

Thoughts on the hand holding Wolverine features? (Spoiler: I think it's dissonance due to the target audience and marketing) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8278382...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevI understand how they deffer from the players perspective, but from a developer perspective whats the difference between an open and closed beta? Are there different feedback uses/desire or different....

14 Sept

What's the difference between a closed beta and an open beta? (Spoiler: We're measuring and looking at different things) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8277524...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevI see the Ocarina of Time remake and immediately think about Unreal Engine. It's clear that Nintendo put a lot of effort into their own engine, but the fact that it looks so similar makes it feel...

11 Sept

What's the deal with the Unreal Engine "look" in so many games? (Spoiler: We've had very widespread "look" eras for games for a long time) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8274759...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevIn Chess, and in many games, there is a first move advantage, where the player who goes first is more likely to win. Some games, like Price is Right, have a last move advantage. Why don’t more RPGs...

10 Sept

Are there more turn-based games like Pokemon where both players go simultaneously? (Spoiler: Yes, we call them 'WEGO' games instead of 'IGOUGO') askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8273860...

8 Sept

How do you design coop challenges? (Spoiler: Divvy up needed tools/information between players so they need each other to complete challenges) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8272041...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevCould you go more in depth with the pre-production phase? What usually occurs during this period, and is it just an amalgamation of separate prototypes, or more organized than that? Is this where...

7 Sept

What actually happens during preproduction? (Spoiler: It's where we go from the game idea to the vertical slice) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8271135...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevYou've mentioned that for live service games, the team has content they're working on for the next 2-3 patches/months. So suppose the game launched and the next 2 patches that were in the pipeline...

4 Sept

You've mentioned how live service game devs work 2+ patches in the future. If there's significant negative feedback from a content update, how does that affect development? (Spoiler: We usually can't modify the next update, but after that is fair game) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8268416...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevI read somewhere that the studio behind Star Wars: Zero Company furloughed part of their staff because they ran out of money. They are hoping that with the money from sales they can get the people...

3 Sept

Bit Reactor (Star Wars: Zero Company dev) furloughed part of their staff because they ran out of money. Does this happen often? (Spoiler: In studios that want to survive when their burn rate is too high, yes) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8267511...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevWhat would you define as “table stake” features? "Table stakes" are features players expect any game in the genre to ship with, despite generally being unmemorable or uninteresting. That's what makes....

1 Sept

What are "table stake" features? (Spoiler: Features that players expect, but don't actually like) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8265701...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevI have noticed a number of mid to indie devs love to make souls-like games. As a game dev, can you explain what is the appeal of the genre for someone who makes and sells games? I am not a fan of...

31 Aug

Why do indie devs love to make Soulslike games so much? (Spoiler: I think there's a number of strong factors that make it easier for indie devs to choose the Soulslike formula) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8264794...

28 Aug

Other games have voting systems, why don't they have nice communities too? (Spoiler: Dawngate risked a lot more by tying major incentives to their karma system, most games do not) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8262076...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevIf that moba you cited came out in 2014 and it’s system was so good at making the community act better, why don’t more games use it’s system or systems like it? Unfortunately, Dawngate's other...

27 Aug

If Dawngate's systems were so good, why don't more games use its systems? (Spoiler: Dawngate didn't ever make it out of beta or get a big audience, most people don't know about it) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8261168...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevPiggybacking on the latest ask. I've seen videos arguing that some MOBAs such as league of legends foster toxic player bases unwillingly through the level design itself; it's easy to lose a game when....

26 Aug

I've seen some videos arguing that MOBAs foster toxic communities through the design. Is this unavoidable? (Spoiler: No) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8260266...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevIs there any way to prevent/reduce the risk of a game ending up with a bad community? ("git gud" bros, speedrunners, discourse junkies, e.t.c.) The answer here is that the community leaders/moderation...

25 Aug

How do you prevent/reduce the risk of a game getting a bad community? (Spoiler: Establish norms early, and enforce them rigorously) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8259357...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevHow do you make a game feel good?For example, what kinds of design decisions go into making the player feels as though he/she has full control of the character's movement, and make that movement...

20 Aug

Repost: How do you make player movement feel good? (Spoiler: The game/character needs to respond visibly to player input within a certain window) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/1558124...

19 Aug

Repost: Why devs don't respond to feedback in a timely manner, even though we ask for it (Spoiler: We're often working several months ahead of what's currently released) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/6921240...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game Dev’s Frequently Asked QuestionsHey Dev! I’ve got a question for you! Sure thing. It’s what I’m here for. What kind of question is it? I have a question about working in the game industry. How do I get a job in the game...

18 Aug

Ask a Game Dev's Frequently Asked Questions (Busy this week, expect reposts) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/1503142...

14 Aug

What are some reasons other than paying for staff to shut down an old service like Pokemon Bank? (Spoiler: It could also be tool obsolescence or legal compliance issues) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8249391...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevI watched a video where huge portions for the data of Team Fortress 2 and Fallout New Vegas data was deleted. Despite being reduced to tiny file sizes, the games kept running (even if they were...

13 Aug

I saw a video where data from Team Fortress 2 and Fallout New Vegas were running while their game data was being deleted. How can games run when so much of their data is gone? (Spoiler: Games don't use all of the data all of the time) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8248487...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevThoughts on EA being acquired by Saudi Arabia, particularly after Ubisoft was also recently purchased by them? The Saudis don't own a stake in Ubisoft. The biggest stakeholders in Ubisoft is the...

6 Aug

Thoughts on the Saudi buyout? (Spoiler: I have two takes - one charitable, one more realistic) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8242144...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevIm genuinely confused about something. If EA selling themselves would put them 20 billion in debt, then why would they ever do that? For that matter, why would being bought cause them to go into debt?...

4 Aug

I'm confused - why would EA want to take on $20 billion in new debt? (Spoiler: EA is under new ownership and the new owners are betting on EA doing well in the future) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8240331...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevDo game developers list any hard rules for design to avoid glitches or technical issues? For example, if the trigger to activate a save point is 12 units around the point, any wall that the save point...

3 Aug

Do devs establish hard rules to avoid bugs or tech issues? (Spoilers: Yes. We call them metrics and use them to establish a lot of gameplay rules) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8239426...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevThoughts on EA's CEO getting a pay raise even as EA is doing massive layoffs, including at DICE after Battlefield 6 outsold last year's Call of Duty? From the outside looking in, the situation looks.....

31 July

Thoughts on EA CEO Andrew Wilson getting his big payout following big layoffs? (Spoiler: These are bad optics but mostly unrelated. The big issue is the impending buyout) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8236708...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevWhat country that game developers generally try to cater to has the harshest game related regulations? China is, by far, the harshest regulated gaming market by far. The CCP has a bunch of...

29 July

What country do game devs try to cater to that has the harshest localization regulations? (Spoiler: It's China) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8234897...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevYou might have been asked this already, but any thoughts on the Sony Playstation discontinuing physical discs news? I feel it's kind of a dilemma since Sony might have justified business reasons, but....

27 July

Thoughts on the Sony physical disc situation? (Spoiler: I think it's a symptom, but not the real disease) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8233084...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevI've been working in the industry for 10 years, I decided to quit to work on a game idea I am passionate about a year ago. When I told the company I work for they asked me to pitch the game to them,....

23 July

I've been working in games for 10 years. I pitched a game and got the green light, but now it's been shelved by my employer. My game is the only thing I want to work on. What to do? (Spoiler: See who owns the IP, then proceed accordingly) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8229462...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevWhy don’t games slightly over estimate their budgets so they have extra “flight time” (per your older metaphors) to make up for inevitable bumps in the road? Like, if they estimate a game will cost 90...

20 July

Why don't games slightly overestimate their budgets to avoid these problems? (Spoiler: We do. It's not a cure-all) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8226743...

askagamedev.tumblr.comAsk a Game DevIf you work at an outsource/co-dev studio and a project you're working on while under NDA is cancelled, what is the general practice for your resume/portfolio when looking for new work as you're not.....

16 July

How do you describe work experience on a resume for a game that got cancelled but is still under NDA? (Spoiler: You focus on what you did and you remove all specifics) askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/8223118...