Had a chat with a friend who works at a game studio last night

He told me most console ports are rushed out in under 6 months with almost no optimization budget, and that PC versions usually get the real work after launch. Has anyone else heard similar stuff from inside the industry or is this just his studio?

2 comments

2 Comments

emma_mitchell6d ago

That actually lines up with what a buddy of mine who works at a different studio said last year. He mentioned that most publishers just want the game out on all platforms at the same time, so the PC version gets like zero polish before release. It makes sense why so many ports launch with stuttering and memory leaks now, they basically treat PC as an afterthought until the console sales start to dip. The real optimization patches usually show up 6 to 12 months later once the player complaints pile up on forums and Steam reviews.

taylor.susan6d ago

Oh gosh, yeah you're mostly right but I gotta push back on one thing. The timing thing is actually a little different from what I've heard and seen. Most of the time these publishers push the PC version out the door at the same time as consoles because they're scared of pirates or whatever, but the real optimization patches rarely show up 6 to 12 months later. Usually it's more like 2 to 3 months tops before they throw a bandaid fix out there, then they just abandon it. I've seen so many games where the devs promise a big patch and then ghost everyone.