Problems with Huge AAA Gaming Projects - Former Ubisoft Dev Speaks

[JEMC]

DonFerrari said:

JEMC said:

DonFerrari said:

How reducing the team to 1/3 and extending the time by 3 times would solve the time constraints if they will have the same manpower in the end? Or you suggest to have everyone in the same location to streamline the control? Have you though that they hire other teams because of expertise not manpower for common tasks? This is why I said you can't give a solution without really knowing the problem. If it was as simple as just guessing they would have solved it already. And they won't give it a rest if it keep profiting.

Reducing the team and adding more time would could speed up the game development as some of the troubles described in the OP would get inmensly reduced, like the time used to make decisions and specially the communication one (it's a lot easier to discuss what's going on when it's only one or two studios, even more when they are in the same country and/or timezone).

And yes, of course they could ask the help of other studios for expertise, but when that happens game after game it's proof of how badly organized is the studio in charge. After so many AC games, Montreal should have the necessary talent to take care of most if not all the important aspects. C'mon, that studio also works on Far Cry, Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six and now WatchDogs. They are the studio the others should ask for help, not the other way around.

If you reduce the resources by the same amount you enlarge time how can you say it will speed up? (you even said, put all in one location). Teams with a single culture can help communication though.

And nope, Ferrari have decades of making very desirable cars but still count on Pininfarina expertise. You don't need to do everything in house.

I've said reduce the amount of studios to obe or two, never only one. And yes, things could speed up because some of the decisions would be made earlier, wasting less time in the production of the game.

Besides, we have all worked with other people and have realized that, sometimes, sharing the same work with someone else (in this case would be two studios doing the same work) can make everything more difficult.

Also your Pininfarina example doesn't work. First because Pininfarina isn't part of Ferrari, unlike the other Ubisoft studios, but also because they don't work exclusively for Ferrari. In any case, Mahindra bought them last year, so I doubt we'll see more Ferraris designed by them .