Game Basics Game Release and Publishing
Hello, today I will explain the understanding
Of game release and publishing
This involves understanding the overall concepts
And processes of game development, release, and service
I will provide detailed explanations on the various fields and roles
In game development, as well as the stages of development
Game Development and Publishing
Understanding the fields and roles
In game development is essential for those
Involved in game service and publishing
So, this knowledge is highly beneficial
If you are preparing to develop or service a game
I will provide a detailed explanation
About the fields and roles within game development
There is the planning phase
Planning involves defining the game concept scenario, content
Balance, as well as organizing and structuring these elements
Depending on the situation, there may be separate scriptwriters
Or dedicated teams for scenario development
Graphics involve creating game backgrounds
Character illustrations (concept art), animations, and effects
It is also one of the areas
Where the most resources are invested depending on the scale of the game
Roles are also becoming increasingly specialized
And there's the UI/UX field
Which focuses on designing interfaces and experiences
That have a direct impact on user experience
This area requires both planning and design elements
And its importance has been significantly increasing recently
With a trend toward further sophistication
And then there's the client side field
Which is responsible for implementing the results
From planning or graphics into the actual game build
And then there's the server side
Which involves implementing the servers
That deliver and mediate the game build to users
This involves handling real time
Or periodically updated content and services
For example, it involves continuously updating
And relaying services such as chat, rankings, and products
To the client through the server
Lastly, there's the sound and miscellaneous category
Which involves background music, sound effects, and development QA
Including checking the basic functionality of builds
In small-scale development, different roles
Often combine these responsibilities
Now, let me explain the stages of game development
If we look at the stages of game development sequentially
They can be defined as concept, prototype alpha build
Beta build, and final release build
Let's take a closer look at the details of each stage
First, the concept stage
This is the stage where you conceptualize
And finalize the game genre, platform, world
And setting, graphic style (2D, 3D, or pixel art)
Core gameplay, and unique features
At this stage, producers or directors typically outline
The game's vision and overall framework
During this stage, they conduct market research
Assess the development team's capabilities
And benchmark against
How other games In the genre
Are being developed
Once the concept is finalized
The development moves on to the prototype stage
This is where a build featuring the core elements of the conceptualized game is created
This build typically includes one or two main characters
The overall graphic concept and style
And basic gameplay mechanics such as combat and play elements
The prototype build is usually designed
To be short, often lasting around 5 minutes
A video recorded from the development engine
Can also serve as a substitute for the prototype build
What's crucial at this stage is
To effectively showcase and highlight
The game's initial impression
And key attractions through the prototype build
Depending on the results
the prototype build may advance to be built
Or the concept might be revised
The outcome of the prototype build will determine
The next steps in the development process
Next is the alpha build
This build includes the core gameplay
And major content elements in their initial form
While not perfect, it allows for experiencing
The overall flow of the game and a complete gameplay cycle
This allows assessing the game's key differentiators
The appeal of each content element, their structure, volume, and integration
It should be polished enough to serve as a sales build
Once the alpha build is completed, the development
Moves into the mass production stage
This stage is represented by the beta build
Once the core and structure of the game are well established in the alpha build
The development moves into full scale production
This involves intensive content development and creating a beta build
Where most of the key game features are implemented
A beta build can also be considered one
That is ready for beta testing with users
Next is the polishing stage
Although the polishing stage is
Placed after the beta build
It is an ongoing and crucial phase
Even after the build is considered complete
This stage involves refining and enhancing the detailed elements
That impact the user experience
The polishing stage determines the completeness of the game
Refining initial onboarding, removing user drop off factors
balancing, optimization, stability checks, security assessments
And reviewing endgame and recurring content
Are done During the polishing stage
Depending on the needs, additional testing may be conducted
And server load testing might be performed
Based on the game genre
Since a game is irreversible once it's released
It's crucial to take all precautions during the polishing stage
After that, there comes the final release build
The final release build can be considered the completed build
The final release build is the completed version of the game where all content is implemented
Including business model items
After completing the final release build
It’s essential to continuously analyze the relationship between BM and content consumption
And perform final balancing and polishing
Finally, there is the update build
After the initial release and stabilization period
You need to start preparing update builds
For content and BM items that can be updated
At the time of the release, you should have
Update builds ready to deploy within 2 to 4 weeks
Recently, for mobile games, update cycles tend to be quick
Typically occurring every 2 weeks
Typically, minor updates and major updates
Are alternated on a 2-week cycle
While this may not be universally applicable
it's worth noting that
recent trends show
a high frequency of updates
To address rapid content consumption and user needs
The game release stage progresses through FGT CBT OBT
Soft launch, and finally, the official launch
We will take a closer look at these stages in detail
During explaining the release phase discussion
Before diving into the details of the release phase
Let's first explore the concept and role of game publishing
Game publishing refers to
The process of delivering a completed game to users
The game developer can either
Handle the publishing internally by establishing their own business
And service organization or use a specialized publisher
To manage the publishing services
The primary roles of a publisher include
Performing product management functions and overseeing
Business and marketing, operations and CS, QA and infrastructure
Let me provide details on each of these areas
First, let's discuss Product Management
It involves establishing milestones for the entire service
And managing them in collaboration with the development team
They also provide feedback on development builds
Offer market research, and benchmarking examples
They design and provide the business model
In short, they provide development support
And schedule management to assist the development team
Next, let's talk about business and marketing
They develop business plans, manage revenue and expenses for the project handle profit and loss
And establish and execute testing plans according to the release stage
They also plan and execute marketing activities
Both before and after the launch
Finally, through data analyzation
They analyze data to evaluate
Test results and live user content metrics
The business and marketing aspect is a core role of the publisher
Supporting sophisticated business and marketing activities
That small scale developers might find
Challenging to handle on their own
Next, let's discuss operations and customer support
This involves creating user agreements, managing overall customer interactions
Conducting necessary checks for live services, issuing notices, and handling rewards
It's about providing customer support and service
They also manage abnormal users
Or bots through monitoring
Publishers may handle these services with in house staff
Or outsource them to specialized operations agencies
Next is the Quality Assurance area
QA serves as the final checkpoint before a build goes live
QA involves performing technical aspect and
And fun testing on the build to ensure the game is enjoyable for users
QA may also be passed on to external contractors as needed
Lastly, let's discuss the infrastructure
This involves providing server environments
And databases for live services
Typically, this involves using database
And server systems from providers like Google or Amazon
For large publishers, they may also provide
Their own login systems or data analysis platforms
In some ways, this aspect could be quite critical
Let's look into the requirements and aspects to consider when signing a publishing agreement
With a professional game publisher
From both the developer's and publisher's perspectives
These can be considered as key checkpoints
When entering into a game publishing agreement
The first checkpoint is the game build
For Developer's perspective, it’s important to prepare a build that is
At least at the alpha version, capable of demonstrating the core gameplay
If preparing a build is challenging
A gameplay video recorded directly from the development engine
As mentioned earlier, can also be used
The publisher will receive the test build
And conduct objective evaluations
And provide feedback based on their internal assessment criteria
Next, a company profile is needed
A company profile should include the developer’s vision
Key team member profiles, and a brief overview of financial information
Providing detailed profiles of the development team is crucial for building trust
So having comprehensive information about the team members is highly beneficial
The publisher will need to review the backgrounds
Of the key development team members
They need to assess whether the development team is
Capable of effectively creating the game they aim to produce
Additionally, understanding the financial information is also crucial
After the contract, the publisher must continuously assess if the developer can continue developing
This involves a thorough review of following factors
Such as the developer’s capital, liabilities
Monthly expenses and projected profit
And loss based on revenue goals
Next is the game overview document
Although a build is provided
An alpha version may not
Encompass every aspect of the game
A game overview document is needed
To detail the game's vision and the major features that will be developed
Which may not be fully captured in the sales build
It’s also beneficial to include the overall development timeline and the developer's revenue goals
In the document
The publisher should assess the game overview document
To determine if the key content features are competitive
Given the market conditions
And if the development schedule and team capacity
Suggest that the planning is feasible
Investments can be broadly categorized into
Financial Investment and Strategic Investment
The financial Investment involves
Investing in the developer from a financial perspective
Strategic Investment, SI
Occurs when a publisher invests
While also considering the publishing aspects
If the developer has not received FI
The publisher may provide
Additional funding as part of a SI to cover initial capital needs
Therefore, when entering into a contract with a publisher
It is important to mutually agree on
Whether the arrangement will involve only publishing
Or if it will also include investment opportunities
Now, let's discuss the key terms
Contract conditions, and revenue structures
Used in publishing agreements
This can be considered one of the most important
And sensitive aspects for both developers and publishers
First, let's discuss some key terms
Starting with LF which stands for License Fee
It refers to the one time payment
Made by the publisher to the developer in exchange
For securing the rights to service the game
You can think of it as a form of royalty payment
LF is often paid when the project has
High appeal or when the development team is
Exceptionally strong
However, LF is not a mandatory condition in all cases
Whether LF is included or not can depend on
The project's status and appeal
Next is MG
Which stands for Minimum Guarantee
It refers to the money paid in advance
Which is contracted minimum revenue From the publisher
The amount that is offset against the developer's revenue share
From future sales
In most cases, this amount is provided as an advance
Either in the form of a LF or MG
To secure development funding
However, LF or MG is not always a mandatory requirement
However, for smaller developers
Securing initial development funding is often necessary
So it is quite common to use MG or similar arrangements
To provide the development capital
Next is RS, which stands for Revenue Share
This aspect could be the most crucial part
It refers to the percentage of profits distributed
Between the developer and the publisher based on the net revenue
Which is the total sales minus expenses
Platform fees, payment processing fees, server usage costs, and marketing expenses are
Included in the Expenses
This expense which is the gross revenue minus these expenses
Is then divided between the developer and the publisher
According to the mutually agreed-upon revenue share percentage
Now, I will discuss MG
Earlier, when we mentioned MG, we referred to Minimum Guarantee
However, the MG we are discussing now stands for Marketing Guarantee
It refers to the agreement on the marketing expenses that the publisher will cover
This refers to the publisher committing
To a specific amount for marketing expenses at the launch
Agreeing to spend at least this amount on marketing
In the case of MG it is a cost borne solely by the publisher
And is excluded from the expenses considered for revenue sharing
Finally, let's discuss the Running Guarantee
It involves adjusting the revenue share percentage based on sales performance
Or providing additional incentives
It has a strong incentive component for the developer
It means that, once specific sales targets are exceeded
The revenue share percentage can be adjusted
To be more favorable to the developer
Or a one time additional incentive may be provided
Game Distribution and Launch
Next is the game distribution and revenue structure
Broadly speaking, the developer and publisher enter into a contract
The publisher, through contracts with distribution platforms
Ultimately supplies the game to the consumer
In this context, distribution platforms for mobile games
Include well known ones like Google Play Store and Apple App Store
For PC games, there are
Steam, Valve, and Epic Games Store
And for consoles, there are platforms such as PlayStation
Xbox, and Nintendo
When consumers download or purchase the game
From these distribution platforms
The platforms will deduct their fees
And then transfer the remaining revenue to the publisher
The publisher, in turn, divides this revenue
According to the agreed upon
Revenue share percentage with the developer
In this distribution model, the revenue structure for the developer
and publisher involves total sales
Here, total sales refer to the total amount paid by consumers
From this amount, VAT needs to be deducted
From this amount, platform fees are deducted
For mobile platforms, such as Google and Apple
The platform fees typically account for 30%
After deducting these platform fees from the total sales the remaining amount is the net revenue
For mobile games, approximately 70% of the total sales
Will be the net revenue available for profit sharing
From this net revenue, after deducting the costs
According to the revenue share percentage
The remaining amount constitutes the developer's profit
For the publisher, after subtracting the revenue share costs
Additional expenses such as marketing
Translation, and advances, the final amount left is
Finally the publisher's profit
To make it clearer, let's use an example
Suppose the RS is agreed upon as 50/50
Here's how the calculation would work based on this revenue structure
To estimate the actual revenue for the developer
Let’s do a rough calculation
If we assume the total sales is 100%
And the platform fee is 30%
Then the net revenue remaining would be 70%
Applying a 50% revenue share ratio to the net revenue
The developer would receive
Approximately 35% of the total 100% sales
Similarly, the publisher would also receive approximately 35%
However, in revenue sharing, depending on the publishing contract terms
There may be cases where the developer bears some of the costs
Such as server and marketing expenses
In such cases, the developer's actual revenue share
Relative to the total sales, typically ranges from 25% to 30%
Therefore, if the total sales amount to 100 million won
The actual revenue for the developer would be
Approximately between 25 million won and 30 million won
This is why it is crucial to carefully review and establish
A financial plan based on the current development funds
Considering both the costs required for the official launch
And the potential expenses related to future sales revenue
This aspect is crucial for the developer to ensure
Ongoing growth and sustainability
Similarly, as mentioned earlier
From the publisher's perspective
It is essential to ensure that the developer maintains
A viable financial state to continue development
Therefore, it is imperative for both parties to review
These financial aspects thoroughly during contract negotiations
Finally, let's review the overall game launch process
That we discussed earlier
In the upcoming lecture, we will delve into the game launch process in detail
Including the development, business, marketing
And promotional activities required at each stage
Therefore, it would be beneficial
To keep the information
We've covered so far in mind
The first stage is the internal review/FGT Phase
Before the beta build, internal build tests are conducted
Regularly whenever content units are completed
If necessary, a Focus Group Test or internal testing may be conducted
To evaluate the game's first impression
Initial gameplay experience, or specific content
Since these are small-scale tests
They are conducted with specific, clearly defined objectives
As mentioned earlier, during the development phase
Alpha and beta builds are tested regularly
Next is CBT, once the beta build is completed
A closed beta test is conducted with a targeted group of customers
For example, Google supports testing tracks
Such as CBT and OBT
You can use Google Play's closed testing track
To conduct these tests
During Closed Beta Testing
The primary goals are to assess the fundamental gameplay and market viability
Closed Beta Testing can only be conducted
Once the beta build or higher is ready
Next is OBT, which stands for Open Beta Testing
In Open Beta Testing a large scale test is conducted with a finalized build
Excluding any business model elements, before the official launch
Similarly, you can use Google Play's open testing track
To conduct this testing
Before the official launch, a generous testing period is needed
For final polishing, stress testing, and monitoring content usage
During intermediate stages
It is advisable for testing to be at least two weeks long or longer
OBT requires a finalized build
excluding any business model elements
Next is Soft Launch
This involves releasing a commercial build that includes all features
Including the business model, in select countries
Typically, this involves launching in 2 tier markets
Which are secondary target countries, with a small advertising budget
During a soft launch, the entire system is tested and validated in advance
Including in-game currency, content balancing, and security issues
As mentioned earlier, once a game is officially launched
It cannot be undone
Therefore, it is important to first
Validate the commercial build
Including the BM, through a soft launch in a select few small markets
Soft launches typically
Last around 4 weeks or more
This period allows you to identify and address critical issues
Before a large influx of customers occurs
Once all polishing is complete through the soft launch
You can proceed with the official launch
Releasing the commercial build with added content
In major target markets such as South Korea or the United States
Accompanied by large scale advertising would be an offical launch
Thus far, we have reviewed the concepts and understanding of game development and publishing
Game distribution and revenue structure, and the launch process
Let me summarize a few key points
To keep in mind from this lecture before we wrap up
A fundamental understanding of the basic concepts and roles
In game development, publishing, and distribution
Within the overall game ecosystem is essential
This knowledge will help foster mutual respect and a collaborative attitude
Keep in mind that a mutual understanding between
Parties often leads to better outcomes
Be sure to recognize the overall flow of development and launch stages
And carry out activities that are appropriate for each stage
In the context of the overall flow, you should review past shortcomings
Make accurate assessments of the current situation
And identify the needs for the future at each stage
Understand the game's revenue and distribution structure thoroughly
And focus on actual profitability
Rather than vague revenue expectations
Especially for smaller-scale projects
It is crucial to establish a realistic financial plan
And manage it thoroughly
To create an environment conducive
To sustainable development and service
Today, we have covered the topics of game launch and publishing
Thank you
Game development and publishing Fields and Roles in Game Development
Game Design: Game concepts and scenarios, content planning, and balance design Graphics: Game backgrounds and character illustrations (concept art), animations, and effects
UI/UX: Implementation of interfaces and experiences that directly impact user interaction and experience
Client: Implementing the game build based on the results produced from design and graphics
Server: Implementing and managing the server that provides and mediates the game build to users
Sound/Other: Background music, sound effects, and development QA
The role of game publishing Product Management: Establishing, coordinating, and managing overall service milestones
Development build content feedback, market and benchmarking examples, BM design and provision
Business/Marketing Team: Developing business plans and analyzing data
Operations/CS Team: Creating terms of service, handling overall customer interactions, performing checks required for live service, managing notices, rewards, and monitoring
QA Team: Technical QA and Fun QA for the upcoming build
Infrastructure Team: Providing server environments and databases for live services
Game Distribution and Release
Game Distribution Structure: The structure involves developers either going through a publisher or independently distributing and servicing the game through various distribution platforms
Revenue Structure: Total revenue minus platform fees (30% for mobile) equals net revenue (70% of total revenue for mobile)
Net Revenue minus Revenue Share Costs (including expenses) equals Developer Profit
Net Revenue minus Revenue Share Costs (including expenses) minus Marketing, Translation, L.F equals Publisher Profit
Game Release Process
Internal Review/FGT: Conducting internal build tests whenever content units are completed, up until the beta build
CBT: Conducting a closed beta test with the target audience once the beta build is completed
OBT: Conducting large scale testing with the final build, excluding the BM, before the official release
Soft Launch: Launching the commercial build, which includes all features and the BM, in select countries
Official Launch: Releasing the commercial build with additional content in the main target markets (e.g., South Korea, the USA) with large scale advertising