GDC 2014 Production track features talks on Destiny, Ryse and more

Passes for the Game Developers Conference 2014 are still selling like hotcakes, and today we're highlighting even more sessions for the Main Conference that you'll want to check out. Today we’re showcasing some of our excellent Production track talks, part of a set of 70+ in-depth lectures, including a discussion of how Bungie geared up to produce Destiny, a look back at what Crytek learned about Agile development processes while producing Ryse and Crysis 3, and more. Now in its 28th year, GDC is the world's largest and longest-running professionals-only game industry event, and will once again take place at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California during March 17-21, 2014

How Bungie leveled up production for Destiny

Bungie more than doubled its size after going independent, and in an effort to build a new universe for Destiny the studio also rebuilt its software engine from the ground up and embraced multiplatform, cross-generational console development. Bungie executive producer Mark Noseworthy will be speaking at GDC 2014 about how the studio accomplished the transition, and what it learned in the process, during a talk titled Upgrading Bungie’s Production Practices for a Brave New World. In his talk Noseworthy plans to share three concepts which have deeply influenced Bungie's production philosophy and reveal specific production practices the studio adopted in response to these challenges. Attendees can expect to learn specific techniques and processes Bungie used to help guide it through the most rapid growth period in the company's history, including how internal milestones are set for a large AAA game team, as well as the scheduling framework used to scope and track progress on Destiny.

Producing great free-to-play games with licensed IP

Gameloft producer Saul Gascon is coming to GDC 2014 to give a talk on the Production track about how Gameloft works efficiently with brand licensors to quickly create mobile games based on their various properties. In his talk, Despicable Me: Making Great Free-To-Play Games from Licensed IPs, Saul will try to shed some light on how small details, like death animations for the Despicable Me minions and subtle references to the source material, can help these games feel like an extension of a brand rather than a derivative product. He will also discuss the intricacies of working with licensors: what works, what issues are common, and how to get the most out of the collaborative process.

Production lessons learned from Ryse and Crysis 3

Agile development methods have become eminently popular since the Agile Manifesto was published back in 2001, but despite their broad appeal we still have lots to learn about the most efficient way to apply Agile project management techniques to game development. Crytek Project Manager Patrick Payne is giving an interesting talk at GDC 2014 titled Agile Lessons from Ryse and Crysis 3 that, as you might expect, will run through some of the lessons the folks at Crytek learned while using Agile techniques during development of their latest games. Payne intends to foster discussion among developers, especially managers and producers, about when and how project management techniques are best applied during game development, using examples from Crytek’s experiences developing Crysis 3 and Ryse.

More essential GDC details

Earlier GDC 2014 announcements include the news that Anita Sarkeesian has been awarded the 2014 GDCA Ambassador Award, the news that Irrational Games co-founder Ken Levine will be giving a GDC talk about Narrative Legos, and the winners of the Game Narrative poster sessions. Developers on Papa & Yo, Robotron 2084, and Threes will also be giving talks. All of the announced talks are now available in the online GDC 2014 Session Scheduler, where you can begin to build your conference week and later export it to the up-to-the-minute GDC Mobile App, coming soon. GDC 2014 itself will take place March 17-21, 2014 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California. You can register for the event by visiting the info page on the official GDC 2014 website. For more information on GDC 2014, visit the show's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS. Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech