Table of Contents
Key Aspects of Deltarune’s Development Cycle and Release Strategy
1. Development Team Expansion
Consider expanding your development team by hiring specific roles such as a dedicated producer. This can help streamline the development process and ensure timely episode releases. As seen in Deltarune’s case, hiring a producer can expedite the creation of future chapters by focusing solely on improving development workflow and addressing potential bottlenecks.
2. Staggered Release Schedule
Deltarune’s development includes a staggered release schedule where release years may be announced but specific dates are kept flexible. This strategy accommodates potential delays due to localization and console porting processes. Plan your episodic game releases to be flexible yet informative, maintaining user engagement with anticipations of upcoming releases.
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3. Engagement Through Pre-release Content
Utilize pre-release content to maintain audience interest. Deltarune effectively uses newsletters, trailers, and teasers to build anticipation. Create a strong narrative for upcoming episodes through well-timed multimedia content that provides insights, without giving too much away. This keeps the audience intrigued and excited.
4. Collaboration with Middleware Developers
Working closely with middleware tool developers, such as GameMaker for Deltarune, can be crucial. Collaborate with software providers to integrate specific functions or optimizations needed for your episodic content, ensuring a smoother development process. Custom functionalities might be necessary to switch between different executables or optimize performance.
5. Cross-platform Compatibility
Ensure that your game is compatible across various platforms. This requires careful planning of resources and time for localization and porting. Deltarune’s team incorporates strategies to handle cross-platform challenges, aiming for a smoother simultaneous release. Consider the unique requirements each platform demands, such as control schemes and graphical optimizations.
6. Community Interaction
Regularly update your audience through platforms like Reddit, YouTube, and newsletters to create an involved community. Deltarune maintains strong community engagement by continuously interacting with its fans. Transparency about the development process and regular updates foster a loyal fan base that feels connected to the project.
7. Content Development Overlap
While focusing on the current episode, plan and begin creating content for future episodes. This overlap in content development helps in optimizing time and resources, ensuring that each release maintains high quality. Deltarune employs this overlap by having teams work on future chapters’ elements like bullet patterns or puzzles, even as the current chapters are under development.