Dragon Age creator Mark Darrah explained why the games were announced early and details of the AAA game development process.
Creator of the Dragon Age series and BioWareExperienced developer of Mark Darrahis an explanation of why AAA games take so long to develop and why studios announce their projects early. YouTube posted the video. According to Darrah, one of the main reasons behind announcing games early is to prevent projects from being canceled by publishers.
Why Are Games Announced Earlier Than They Should Be?
Darrah says there are a few strategic reasons why AAA games are announced early. “It could be because the publisher’s slate is a little thin and they want the public to remember that they still have some big games in their back pocket. It could be because the studio wants the game announced because they’re worried that otherwise the publisher might kill the game,” Darrah says. It’s a strategy used by publishers to show their investors and the gaming community that big projects are still in development.
Mark Darrah admits that announcing games early isn’t always the best strategy. However, this step can sometimes be necessary to ensure that projects proceed smoothly. Early announcements reduce the risk of studios and publishers canceling projects, providing assurance that games can continue development.
The Dragon Age developer also claims that active development for AAA projects doesn’t last as long as we think. Publishers can sometimes imply that a game is in development even though not even 10 people are working on it. This shows that a small core team works in the development process of games instead of a large team, and projects can remain in the idea stage for a long time.
According to Darrah, the fact that games take a long time at the idea stage can cause the active development process to be shorter than expected. We might think that a game is being developed in parallel with another game, but not much work is actually being done. This highlights the complexity of the development process for AAA games and the need for long-term planning.
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