Developing a game from concept to completion is no easy task, especially when the goal is to create an ambitious open world RPG. How did the team behind Horizon Zero Dawn take very early negative playtesting feedback and incorporate those lessons learned into the final product?  

In this GDC 2018 session, Guerrilla Games' Eric Boltjes discusses how Horizon Zero Dawn's game design went from a paper concept to a finished RPG, providing details on every decision that was made by the team along the way.

Designers interested in what changed throughout the 5 year development cycle of Horizon Zero Dawn can now watch the talk completely free via the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying 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 or VRDC 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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