Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

There are hybrid developer/publishers, too, where the game publisher actually
owns the developer engaged in building its own game titles. Probably the most common
arrangement, however, is where a publisher contracts out the development of its
game title to a developer.
Let’s take a look at the role breakdowns for a developer/publisher hybrid. Figure 11-1
describes one common way a developer/publisher-hybrid company might be organized.
There is considerable flexibility in these roles from company to company.
Executive Department
C H A P T E R 1 1
The president/founder might come from a pure business background or might be an
ex-game programmer. There is plenty of variation in this executive capacity. As the
chief executive, this person has ultimate responsibility to the owners/shareholders of
the company for the fiscal performance and direction of the company.
The VP of product development is responsible for guiding all aspects of game
product development. These individuals often work alongside a marketing team in
pursuing and acquiring attractive licenses to build games around. They also negotiate
development agreements with developers, and are entirely responsible for the suc
cessful delivery of profitable game titles. Generally, they tend to come from production
and business backgrounds.
The VP of creative is the creative lead on all projects. These individuals usually
have a track record of having helped guide various kinds of projects to successful
creative conclusions, meaning that the creative material they have directed has been
received well in the marketplace. Not every organizational structure has a VP of
creative, and many companies operate with a director of game design working in or
near this role.
The VP of technology or CTO is responsible for considering and directing all
technology issues for a company. These individuals normally have deep experience
in developing, crafting, and maintaining several kinds of sustainable technologies.
They also have management and team-building experience. They assist in making
company-wide directives that influence technology orientation for the company.
Should we develop for this platform or that one? What kinds of internal technologies
should we grow? These are among the questions they must help answer. They might
lead the development effort of in-house game engines, proprietary technologies, and
so forth. Any kind of company-based hard technology decision is usually deliberated
by the CTO.
The VP of marketing is focused on bringing the finished game product to the players.
They work in a number of ways, and collaborate with many other organizations to
try to make sure that game titles receive attention, publicity, and adequate advertising
support to help sell game titles. It should be obvious that if you have too many titles
shipped without significant sales, you won’t be making games much longer.
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Game Development Career Choices