Last year Rocket League became a breakout hit for developer Psyonix, but the game was not an overnight success -- it emerged from a long process of feature cuts and failed prototypes.
At GDC 2016, Psyonix design director Corey Davis stepped up to the stage to share examples of how the Rocket League team avoided screwing up what evolved into a simple, but deep, experience by maintaining focus and exercising design restraint.
His talk was notable because it showcased how the team came to focus on its single 'car soccer' game mode, expanded a niche hardcore game into a widely popular sequel, and made other small but critical decisions along the way using principles fellow developers can apply to their own work.
If you missed seeing it live, good news: you can now watch Davis' entire Rocket League talk for free via the official GDC YouTube channel.
About the GDC Vault
In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.
Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.
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