Production Milestones

Set Production Milestones

• Milestones are production goals that mark a significant accomplishment in development, typically completion of features and/or content.
• Breakdown your games production schedule into Milestones
• Set deadlines to complete each Milestone. Typically set to every 1 or 2 months.

Minor Production Milestones

• Implementation Features
• Bugfixes
• Additional Polish
• Balance Changes

Major Pre-Production Milestones

Proof of Concept (Prototype)

• Built through rapid prototyping to validate the game's design.
• Contains the core game mechanics and game loop.
• It's fun on gameplay alone.
• Majority of the visual and audio assets are placeholder.

Vertical Slice (Pre-Alpha)

• A Demo that showcases the core gameplay experience.
• Some or all assets present are finalized.
• Useful for Pitching to Investors.

Major Production Milestones

Code Complete (Alpha)

• All of the programming that makes up the game has been completed and fully implemented.
• Programmers will pivot to fixing bugs and implementing game content.

Content Complete (Beta)

• All the art and audio assets have been created and implemented into the game.
• Artists will fix or polish any issues with assets that exist in the game.
• Programmers will focus on fixing bugs and polishing game content.

Gold Master / Minimum Viable Product (Final)

• A finished product that contains the minimum amount of content that was planned to be released to market.
• All features and content are complete and all critical bugs have been fixed.

Post-Launch Updates / Downloadable Content (Sustainment)

• Expansions, Content Updates, Hotfixes, Patches,
• Patches typically include bug fixes and balance changes.
• Content updates and Expansions, typically include new levels, characters, and gameplay experiences.

Resources