Agile practices and game QA

Before we dive into agile practices, we should revisit agile’s predecessor, waterfall. The waterfall methodology was used in software development until the early 2000s, when the transition to agile methodology started. The gaming industry heavily relied on waterfall and still does to some degree, but the need for fast-paced live ops (or, as it’s sometimes called, games as a service) couldn’t be properly met by following the rigid waterfall system. How does the waterfall methodology work in the games industry?

Figure 2.4 – Waterfall methodology

We can see that in game development, a project is handed over from one team to another when it’s considered done. This process is linear and visually looks like a cascading waterfall, hence the name. When we start working on a game using the waterfall methodology, designers first create the overall game design, then an artist develops all the required...