E82: The Art & Science of Game Prototyping with Leif Johansen
Release Date: 02/11/2025
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Ready to take your game development career to the next level? Join the Game Dev Leadership Accelerator: In this special Q&A episode for Episode 100, we're answering your most pressing questions from the Game Production Community Discord! Join Ben Carcich as he dives into critical topics that every game development leader faces, from navigating project pivots to building a healthy team culture. We'll explore: ✅ When to scale your team up (or down) ✅ How to prepare for meetings and ensure they are actually valuable ✅ Why "safe" project pivots don't exist and what to do instead ✅ The...
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info_outlineWhat if everything you thought about prototyping was wrong? Many teams rush to validate an idea too soon, but what if the real secret to success is building a studio that learns better? In this episode, Leif Johansen breaks down the myths of prototyping and how studios can create a structured approach to experimenting with game ideas.
Key Takeaways:
- Stop Searching for the “Perfect Prototype” – The best teams prioritize many small, fast failures over one high-stakes prototype.
- Prototyping Is a Science and an Art – The most successful studios create intentional experiments that map out their design space before committing to a vision.
- Build a Learning Machine, Not Just a Game – A strong studio isn’t just about good ideas—it’s about a team that knows how to test and refine them.
- Innovation Comes from Small Fixes, Not Big Ideas – World of Warcraft and Apex Legends didn’t just win by reinventing the wheel; they won by refining existing formulas with micro-improvements.
- Hiring Too Fast Can Kill Your Game – Too many studios hire for downstream roles (art, animation) before locking in core mechanics, creating inefficiencies and wasted resources.
👉 Connect with Leif Johansen
- Leif Johansen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leif-johansen-52139141
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