"All it does is burn out and demoralize the developers": Obsidian's Josh Sawyer on "what's infuriating" about unrealistic dates for games that simply aren't ready

Games"All it does is burn out and demoralize the developers": Obsidian’s Josh Sawyer on “what’s infuriating” about unrealistic dates for games that simply aren’t readyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. Games"All it does is burn out and demoralize the developers": Obsidian’s Josh Sawyer on “what’s infuriating” about unrealistic dates for games that simply aren’t readyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Bethesda) RPG veteran Josh Sawyer - you may know him from titles like Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, and most recently Pentiment - has some thoughts about how unrealistic launch windows for in-development games can “burn out and demoralize” the developers working on them. “After a long time being a game dev, I have developed a useful skill: while I can’t tell you when a game is going to be done, I can tell you when it won’t be done with close to 100% accuracy,” Sawyer says in atweet. He followed up with a substantial thread explaining some of the clear internal indicators that a game is not going to make its target date. Assuming that the goal of the publisher is not to make shovelware, i.e. they are not trying to just get anything out the door regardless of quality, there are a few clear indicators that a game is not going to ship at a stated date. https://t.co/qVimo8lYhGJuly 26, 2024 Assuming that the goal of the publisher is not to make shovelware, i.e. they are not trying to just get anything out the door regardless of quality, there are a few clear indicators that a game is not going to ship at a stated date. https://t.co/qVimo8lYhGJuly 26, 2024 “The biggest one is that data shows the trajectory of content completion lands so far past the date that even cutting remaining content will require more work than available time,” Sawyer explains. “Cutting content does save development time, but there are also costs to cutting. It’s not ‘free.'” There are other indicators, too, like when content is being built before gameplay features have reached their most basic, shippable forms - or ‘minimum viable product,’ in software development terms. “If you don’t know how gameplay works, your content can’t be designed for it. This means that content will eventually be reworked or cut,” Sawyer says. “If a gameplay feature is at MVP, it’s much simpler to revise content as the feature is revised. If the feature simply doesn’t exist in the game, obviously that’s not possible.” The most reliable way to know when a game is on target to ship is when a project has “a) predictable and reliable content creation b) all significant gameplay features at MVP c) all pipelines up and running,” Sawyer says. “What’s infuriating about silly exec and production dates is that anyone with a decent amount of experience knows that if a, b, and c are not there, they can’t reliable predict an end point, but they will try to do so with confidence and mash schedules to make it happen. All it does is burn out and demoralize the developers and (justifiably) erode confidence in management.” Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more How many of the biggestvideo game release dateson the horizon will be delayed? 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“The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy 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Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”