Find out all the details about a typical mobile games development cycle. Read and learn what key stages it includes. At HitBerry Games, we know everything about mobile games creation and more!
Isn’t it amazing how the whole world has changed over the previous years? The extent of the changes is so enormous, that it is mind-blowing. It seems like everything gets different every single day. The world of today and the world of yesterday are not the same. And you cannot predict what it will be like tomorrow. Well, it’s really interesting to live in such a time and be a witness to the total worldwide reorganization. It is also called the digital revolution - the process that started back in the 1980s and continues till today. This has affected numerous spheres, which are now developing in a new way. Let’s face it - today everything moves online. Doesn’t it seem like we live online? It is something we’ve got used to long ago, so we no longer can imagine life without the Internet, or without a laptop and cell phone. And when we do not have access to such benefits of global digitalization, we feel completely helpless. It’s like we are disconnected from the outside world. Ok, in fact, it is so to some extent.
They say modern problems require modern solutions. This means that for everyone it is necessary to at least be aware of what is going in in the world of technology and to know what is trendy. By the way, trends change in the blink of an eye so keep up with the news not to miss anything. Once you want to climb the career ladder and succeed, you better figure out how things do around here in the new reality and play by its rules.
Gaming is a relatively new industry that is currently gaining momentum. Needless to say that it is doing it very actively. In fact, the Coronavirus pandemic gave a powerful boost to this industry's development. Video games have been popular for already a long time, but now gaming is in its prime. Why? Due to the quarantine regulations, people all over the globe had to stay at home for months. By the way, that was the breaking point when the shift to “remote” happened. So people were looking for ways how to entertain themselves without going out and also how to earn money because then a significant percentage of the population lost their jobs. And what a surprise - gaming turned out to be a solution for both problems. Yes, it is no longer about people playing games only. People watch others playing games, creating and selling, and making money. Now it is rather a huge industry that offers a lot of opportunities. There are a lot of various specialists involved.
For those who still think that mobile games creation is a piece of cake - you are wrong. It is long and complicated. Mobile games development consists of a number of stages and requires a good deal of time and effort. In addition, it never goes smoothly as planned - mobile game art service providers have to cope with numerous challenges and stumbling blocks before they are ready to deliver the final product. Often they go back and redo something again and again until it is perfect. It is such a laborious process that cannot be underestimated. In our blog, we open up a bit behind the scenes of mobile games development, so you can find out what it is like inside and out. There are many pitfalls, really, but believe us - it is so exciting and absorbing. Let’s dig deeper together!
In this post, we are going to present an outline of a typical mobile games creation process. It includes 7 basic stages, which are equally important. Sticking to this scheme ensures a well-organized development process and high-quality results. The steps to making a hit game are multi-component. And the process does not start right with development - there is much preliminary work.
7 key stages of the mobile games development cycle are as follows:
Planning
Before the main work starts it is necessary to prepare the ground. The planning stage is where the roots will grow from. It requires reasoning the initial idea out. Here several basic questions are to be answered. Like what the team is going to create in general, why, for whom, and what is the main objective. This list goes on and on. During the planning phase, the concept of the future game arises.
Pre-production
The next step is pre-production, which involves brainstorming to define how to implement the idea. However, some people neglect this stage, thinking they will sort everything out directly in the working process, we strongly recommend not skipping this phase. This is when the skeleton of a game is formed and the direction for the team is set.
During pre-production, the budget is discussed. By the way, a limited budget does not always mean low quality. It is possible to create a mobile game that is good but still affordable in case the limitations are discussed at the very beginning. The following details are specified:
The game type (do not confuse it with the genre)
Mechanics
Plot
Characters
Monetization, because the project is created to make a profit
All these small details together make up a massive amount of work. When it is done, there goes the main stage.
Production
There comes the active part, namely designing and development processes. It is fair to call production the most challenging part of the entire mobile games development cycle. This phase is the longest. Production in its turn consists of numerous sub-levels such as prototyping, coming up with the concept of visual content, level design development, sound design, and coding. This is a joint work of all the mobile app development studio members. Programmers, artists, sound engineers, and designers cooperate in order to build the game from scratch. They put everything together to make the idea a reality. At this stage teamwork and cooperation are especially important. At HitBerry Games we maintain the connection between all the specialists involved in a project. A transparent communication scheme is a key to success. We have regular meetings, share feedback, and give each other suggestions. A good final product is our common goal.
Quality Assurance
Testing is an integral part of mobile games creation. Once the game is launched no significant changes can be made. And if a user downloads a game full of bugs, they will delete it without hesitation since there is plenty of choices in the store. And such a game will turn out a complete failure regardless of further fixes and re-launches. Let us give you a piece of advice - do not rush. We know you cannot wait till the game starts to pay off. But it is better to spend a bit more time than present a bad product and thus waste all the time and effort.
Pre-launch
This part is important in terms of marketing. Prepare a well-structured promotional campaign. Of course, the extent depends on the project, but at least minimal pre-launch activities are a must-have. You need to inform customers about the game coming soon - it is a so-called warming-up.
Launch
The promotional campaign is over and finally, the game is released. This is the moment the mobile app development studio and the client have been waiting for. After the launch you watch the users’ reaction and, we are sure of that, enjoy the successful results.
Post-launch
Even when the game is released, the working process does not stop. You still can implement some minor edits, make necessary fixes, and add more features. Why is it needed? To make users stay. If you keep upgrading the game regularly, users are more likely to come back to it again and again, so that will allow the project to stay afloat.
Well, this is rather a brief outline of a typical mobile games development cycle. Now you can see that it is not as simple as it first seems. It’s complex but so exciting!
Our team of professionals has a vast experience in game development. We are not afraid of challenges. Do you have a cool idea and look for someone to bring it to life? - Contact us! Do you want to create a game but struggle with making up a concept? - No problems! We will be happy to cooperate and help you! HitBerry Games has strong skills and relevant experience in mobile games creation including NFT games, Branded games, and many more. We ensure a smooth and transparent process, on-time delivery, and high-quality results.
Do not waste time and drop us a line right now! Let’s discuss your project and create a mobile game together!