OUR PROCESS
GREAT GAMES,
CREATED TOGETHER
​
A seasoned partner in game development, Hothead Games has built a reputation over almost 20 years, as a highly creative, professional, collaborative and trustworthy development partner. Our unique step-by-step, disciplined approach is battle tested and proven to drive success from concept to launch.
OUR PROCESS
Hothead Games prioritizes a client-first approach. We are committed to open communication and early in our process over-communicate with stakeholders to ensure we are aligned on vision and strategy. Our deep experience has taught us how to effectively navigate challenges, in order to lay the groundwork for success even before production begins.
PRE-PITCH
We start our process with a discovery call. Our creative team and senior production leaders spend time getting to know with your team. We want to understand your goals, aspirations, positioning, target demographic and insights. This lays the foundation for our first draft, reflecting either your game vision or our combined game vision.
FOUNDATIONAL PITCH
In the Foundational Pitch we present our initial take aways; inspiration, player motivation, market competitors, unique game differentiators, and a high level summary of the game design. We then invite your feedback. This collaborative stage involves all key decision-makers, helping us refine and iterate until we perfect our common vision.
FINAL PITCH
Finally, we transition into the full pitch, which is a comprehensive, in-depth presentation showcasing the complete scope of the project, including game loops, pillars, retention models, and more. This ideation loop ensures every aspect of the game is incorporated.
Once we are aligned on the game vision, and both parties are ready to sign off, we move forward.
ESTABLISH
COMMUNICATION
1
This stage is critical to our process and is customized for every project. We work with all stakeholders through email, Slack, or daily video calls to create an empowering environment for collaboration across all steps.
PRE-PRODUCTION
2
This stage lays the foundation for the game design, art direction, technical direction and project plan. We create design briefs, style guides, technical architecture, content pipelines, and a detailed version of the pitch, iterating on every detail.
PROTOTYPING
3
Here, we build the game's core experience in Prototype V1 and enhance it with a light meta in Prototype V2, which includes the meta framework, initial monetization approach, and progression.
VERTICAL SLICE
4
We develop a comprehensive gameplay prototype for a narrow section of the game. It includes the game's: art direction, game mechanics and meta. It is designed to provide our clients with a near final quality playable slice of the game. By over communicating, we minimize iteration and often all party's mutually agree to move to the full production stage of the product. Getting approval of the vertical slice is critical before moving forward, as it's normally the last opportunity to experiment before locking down the game's direction.
PRODUCTION
5
Once the vertical slice is approved, we enter full production where we build the complete game experience.
KPI SCALING
6
With decades of development experience, more than a decade of publishing experience, and multiple successful titles, we know what it takes to hit the KPIs you need to scale your game for a successful launch.
DELIVERY
7
We often use a multi-facete approach to delivery, which includes Alpha and Beta versions. We also leverage our expertise to help you overcome the technical barriers of standing up a final product in the stores.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Trust Hothead Games, one of the industries most trusted developers, to bring your gaming vision to life. Together, we'll captivate global players and redefine the gaming world.
