What Departments Does a Gaming Developer Company Need?

The video game industry has become a monstrous beast. Fast-moving, highly competitive, and more technical than ever before, gaming developers must constantly evolve to keep up with growing consumer demands.

In the US alone, 205.1 million people play video games every week as part of their routine. This contributes to a worldwide gaming market that generates almost $455 billion in revenue.

Behind these statistics, mobile game revenues accounted for 49% of the global market, followed by console games (28%) and PC games (23%).

Whether you get your kicks from playing Call of Duty on your games console, Minecraft on your mobile device, or your favorite casino slots online, thousands of hours go into creating the bestselling titles we all know and love. But who are the people behind these global gaming success stories?

Whether it’s Indie start-ups or billion-dollar companies, the process of game development can take years. This requires a high level of creative and technical wizardry to ensure the game is functional and engaging.

Each department at a gaming developer company plays a pivotal role, using its own expertise to create a marketable game.

Let’s discover the departments that work together to develop our favorite games and why their roles are so important.

Game design

One of the most fun teams to be a part of. Game designers are in control of developing the game’s concept, including gameplay mechanics, rules, the story, characters, and so on. Alongside the artists, they are in charge of everything you see as a player, so the pressure is on them to ensure the game is appealing. A game designer must be creative and have a deep understanding of design programs.

Production

Employees working in production plan the projects and resources to ensure everything runs without any hiccups – on schedule and within budget. The big challenge for them is achieving this without it impacting game quality. For this reason, they need to have a solid understanding of both the artistic and financial sides of game development.

Programming

Without the programming department, everything falls apart. Put simply, they code the game to make it playable, using all the assets created by the other departments. From rendering graphics to multiplayer interactions, they cover the lot. Therefore, it’s one of the most sought-after roles in the business, and specialists are in place for servers, engines, AI, and more.

Artists

Another fun and exciting department, artists create all the visuals for the game. This is a broad term to describe employees who work in 3D & 2D modeling, user interface, animation, audio, and so on. They work hard with designers to bring ideas to life, so they must be creative with a keen eye for detail.

Quality Assurance

The unsung heroes of gameplay, Quality Assurance (QA) teams are all about ensuring the game runs smoothly and is free of bugs. They identify any issues and report back with feedback for fixes and improvements. Therefore, QA professionals need to be strong communicators and analyzers.

Marketing and publishing

Responsible for brand awareness and promotion, marketers bring the game to the public. This department features a variety of teams, including social media, PR, advertising, and events, to name a few. It’s all about engaging with potential players of the game and showcasing why it’s the best thing since sliced bread. They need to be digitally-savvy, creative, and good communicators.

Human Resources and recruitment

Without a Human Resources (HR) team, you can forget about building a successful gaming developer company. Talent and skill shortages are commonplace in the gaming industry, so it’s down to HR to find the best candidates for each department. They also focus on professional development and workplace culture, so motivation and job satisfaction are always high.

IT and operations

Last, but by no means least, you have the employees who work in IT. They are essential for company operations to run smoothly. They help to manage servers, data, and online tools, and also handle cybersecurity. Techy and excellent at problem-solving.

So, there you have it. The bottom line is that hiring skilled people is essential for all these departments to perform successfully and collaborate effectively. Everyone must share a unified vision and implement agile workflows to eliminate departmental silos.

To achieve this, gaming developer companies need to be honest and transparent when building departments and executing their strategies.

After all, the most crucial factor in determining the success of a game developer is not in one department; it’s the collective effort of all of the teams we have listed here. The very best developers will blend the technological know-how, creativity, and passion of each department to create a game that captivates millions of people all around the world.

I don’t know about you, but I’m now ready to put all of this newfound knowledge into action. Who’s ready to start a game development company with me? Anyone?