In this 2018 GDC talk, Blizzard Entertaiment's Rowan Hamilton discusses how a "playtesting first" approach helped shape the production process for the studio's multiplayer hit Overwatch.

It was an in-depth look at the way this approach influencd the data pipeline, build system, server stack and many other aspects of the Overwatch team's day-to-day workflow.

If you missed out on seeing Hamilton's talk live, make sure to take advantage of the fact that you can now watch it for free on 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.