THE ROLE OF A PRODUCER IN THE GAMES INDUSTRY

Presentation by Kane Wright

A PRODUCER’S JOB

A Producer on a Video Game has the responsibility of overseeing development between all of the different departments. “Producers basically manage the relationship with the artist. They find the talent, work out product deals, get contracts signed, manage them, and bring them to their conclusion. The producers do most of the things that a product manager does. They don't do the marketing, which in some cases product managers do. They don't make decisions about packaging and merchandising, but they do get involved ... they're a little like book editors, a little bit like film producers, and a lot like product managers.” - Trip Hawkins, Electronic Arts (1983)

Back in the 80’s and early 90’s, it wasn’t a job that was commonly credited, but in today’s more evolved industry, it’s not uncommon for a title to have multiple producers.

It’s a basic requirement to have a keen eye for a range of details; making sure the project is on time, and not over-budget, etc.

JOB REQUIREMENTSA producer usually needs the following skills (based on a job listing for Blizzard Entertainment)

• Partner with the directors, art directors, and CG supervisors to deliver high quality creative content while maintaining an execution focus.

• Drive the production and delivery process for assigned Cinematics.

• Responsible for setting budgets, tracking actuals, and implementing solutions for financial accountability to those budgets.

• Able to “smell smoke” for significant project risk and be able to drive solutions across the team to head off challenges before they occur.

• Build strong relationships with game teams.

• Create weekly and special reports for senior management.

It’s a field that usually warrants a lot of prior experience, meaning a more feasible option would be to work your way up the job ladder by showing that you are adept

DELIVERING A SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT

Before a title usually leaves the development house, there’d be a large amount of market research to help the game reach the right audience and age-ranges.

Third Party companies such as Newzoo observe market trends, consumer insights and other analytics, and this information allows the dev team to adjust their product in the way that would best meet these targets.

Another common form of market research within the games industry is playtesting. Publishers or Development Houses will bring in a ranged group of people, allow them to play a build of the game, and take notes based on their experiences with the title. This is helpful from a testing standpoint as well.

FAMOUS PRODUCERS

• Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid)

• Shigeru Miyamoto (Super Mario, Legend of Zelda)

• Neil Druckmann (The Last of Us)

• Warren Spector (Deus Ex)

• Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy, The Last Story)

• Sam & Dan Houser (Grand Theft Auto)

• Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszinski (Unreal Tournament, Gears of War)

BENEFITS OF A PRODUCTION ROLE

A newcomer to the field could earn £19,000 a year.

When a producer has years of experience, this figure rises to around £25,000 or £35,000.

A lead designer earns a substantially larger sum between £35,000 and 55,000.

There is no formal promotion route for a production role, meaning that it is possible to make your way up from a QA or Junior position.