
266 THE GAME PRODUCTION HANDBOOK, 2/E
Initial Schedule
An initial schedule is created in pre-production and communicated to the devel-
opment team in order to plan for key dates. Start the scheduling process by listing
all the major exit criteria for each area of the game: production, approvals, art,
engineering, design, audio, localization, QA, external vendors, and marketing.
More exit criteria can be added as development progresses.
After these criteria are determined, fill in estimated dates. Figure 16.2 is an
example of an initial production schedule. Major exit criteria are listed for each
phase of the game, and eventually deadlines are assigned ...