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							 Centralized Content Creation




            Dan Forden
Director of Central Content Groups
       Midway Games, Inc.
     Centralized Content Creation
                Agenda

• Introduction.
• Brief History.
• Benefits/Challenges.
• Keys to Success.
• Case Study: NBA Ballers – The Chosen
  One.
• Future Vision.
     Centralized Content Creation
               Introduction

• Who am I?
• What are the Central Content Groups?
• What is the philosophy?
     Centralized Content Creation
                 Introduction

• Who am I?
  – Dan Forden. Director of Central Content
    Groups. Midway Games.
  – Audio background: Pinball and Arcade Video.
  – Mortal Kombat. NFL Blitz.
  – Toasty!
        Centralized Content Creation
                        Introduction

• What are the Central Content Groups?
  –   Concept.
  –   Animation.
  –   Audio.
  –   Visual FX.
  –   3D Art.
  –   Cinematics.
  –   User Interface.
      Centralized Content Creation
                     Introduction

• What is the philosophy?
  – Using common platform. Smaller core teams.
  – Maximize artists’ time and effectiveness using a task-
    based model.
  – Reduce crunch.
  – Concentration of expertise.
  – Motion Picture Industry Model.
  – Impractical to grow disciplines within each game
    team.
      Centralized Content Creation
                  Brief History

• Cinematics needs across sports titles.
• Animation: Need for over-the-top animation for
  sports games.
• UI: Common needs, senior expertise.
• Visual FX group formed in Seattle.
• Concept group - visual direction.
• Character and Environment Groups formed out
  of Cinematics.
        Centralized Content Creation
                      Benefits

•   Efficiency.
•   Identify sharing initiatives.
•   Concentration of expertise.
•   Artists work on a variety of titles.
     Centralized Content Creation
                  Benefits

• Reduce artist crunch and burn-out.
• Training.
• Variety of skills (content creation,
  outsourcing, project management).
• Unify creative efforts across the company.
     Centralized Content Creation
               Challenges

• Human Nature: Game developers are
  passionate and territorial.
• Schedule slippage.
• All-hands directives.
• Staffing and headcount constraints.
     Centralized Content Creation
                Challenges

• Last minute requests.
• Aligning available resources with amount
  of work.
• Poor communication.
• Conflict and Chaos.
        Centralized Content Creation
                Keys to Success

•   Communication, communication...
•   Adopt service-oriented approach.
•   Engagement documents.
•   Try to work mostly on a task-based format.
•   Team makeup – senior and junior talent.
•   6-month forecasts.
     Centralized Content Creation
  Case Study – NBA Ballers: Chosen One

• Demo:
     Centralized Content Creation
  Case Study – NBA Ballers: Chosen One

• First project to adopt Central-Groups-
  focused model.
• Very lean core game team: 1 art director,
  1 environment art lead.
• Heavy reliance on outsourcing.
        Centralized Content Creation
    Case Study – NBA Ballers: Chosen One

•   Environment finishing and polishing in-engine.
•   Cinematics pre-viz, half of rendered FMVs.
•   Managed cinematics outsourcing.
•   UI art and integration of screens.
•   Audio.
•   All animation.
•   Character and C.A.P. pieces polish.
       Centralized Content Creation
                 Future Vision

•   Near Term: Finish games in progress.
•   Roll onto upcoming titles.
•   Hire artists with production savvy.
•   Technical art group?
•   Create a design group?
•   Prototype new game concepts.