Lessons learned from the waterfall model
The dominant methodology in game development these days, especially with games as a service (GaaS) (live ops), is agile. That doesn’t mean waterfall is no longer used – it’s still heavily used in more traditional game development. But, there are many elements of waterfall that are still actively used even if modern game teams are overwhelmingly adopting agile development.
One of the most commonly used waterfall features is the usage of milestones. Game development milestones are deeply embedded in the ways of working, and they are used as quick indicators of the readiness of the game. Not all studios use exactly the same milestones, but these are the ones that are most commonly still in use:
Figure 9.1 – Milestones in game development
Milestones are used predominantly in game development prior to live ops. Once the game is live and the team is working on updates and features, milestones...
