Programme overview
Introduction:
Game production management, covering studio producing, live ops and monetisation, is a 5-day course for teams that run game production, studio operations, live game revenue and studio investment, ending with a Game Production and Live Ops Plan for a case studio. Many studios miss milestones, overspend on unscoped features and launch free-to-play titles without a tuned virtual economy, retention targets or a clear publisher deal. Nominees already produce, fund or oversee game projects and build milestone plans, economy sheets and KPI models during the course. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this game production management course.
Course Objectives:
- Map a game project from concept and pre-production through vertical slice, alpha, beta and gold master with milestone acceptance criteria
- Scope features with a MoSCoW backlog and build a burn-rate budget and staffing plan for a studio team
- Run playtesting rounds and translate player feedback into prioritised changes before content lock
- Design free-to-play monetisation and a virtual economy with sources, sinks and store offers that respect player trust
- Operate a live ops calendar and track DAU, cohort retention, ARPDAU and payer conversion to steer content updates
- Evaluate platform submission requirements and publisher, co-development and IP licensing terms within a Game Production and Live Ops Plan
Target Audience:
- Managers responsible for producing game titles, schedules and milestone deliveries
- Studio leaders responsible for team structure, hiring plans and studio operating costs
- Managers responsible for live game operations, events calendars and player community health
- Managers responsible for game monetisation, store offers and virtual economy balance
- Business development and investment managers responsible for funding, acquiring or publishing game studios
Course Outline:
Day 1: Game Industry Value Chain and Studio Current-State Assessment
- Game Industry Value Chain From Developer to Platform Holder
- Premium, Free-to-Play and Subscription Business Model Comparison
- Executive, Internal, External and Line Producer Role Mapping
- Studio Org Chart With Discipline Leads and Strike Teams
- Studio Maturity Assessment Using a Production Health Scorecard
Day 2: Game Development Lifecycle, Milestones and Production Frameworks
- Concept Document and Pitch Deck for Greenlight Review
- First Playable and Vertical Slice Acceptance Criteria Definition
- Alpha, Beta, Release Candidate and Gold Master Gate Checklists
- Scrum Sprints and Kanban Boards for Art and Content Pipelines
- Production Roadmap With Feature Lock and Content Lock Dates
Day 3: Scoping, Budgets, Playtesting and Free-to-Play Economy Design
- MoSCoW Feature Backlog and Scope Cut Decision Log
- Burn-Rate Budget and Headcount Plan per Production Phase
- Playtest Protocol With Observation Sheets and Player Surveys
- Virtual Economy Source and Sink Spreadsheet Balancing
- Store Offers, Battle Pass and Season Pass Design Principles
Day 4: Live Operations, KPIs, Platform Submission and Publisher Deals
- Live Ops Calendar With Events, Patches and Content Drops
- DAU, MAU and Stickiness Ratio Dashboard Interpretation
- D1, D7 and D30 Cohort Retention and ARPDAU Analysis
- Platform Certification Checklists and Age Rating Submission Files
- Publisher Advance, Recoupment and Royalty Deal Term Review
Day 5: Modelling Build of a Game Production and Live Ops Plan
- Case Studio Brief Review of Title, Team and Funding
- Case Milestone Schedule and Burn-Rate Budget Model Build
- Case Economy Sheet and Monetisation Offer Plan Build
- Case KPI Targets, Live Ops Calendar and IP Licensing Options
- Game Production and Live Ops Plan Investor Panel Completion
Skills You Will Gain:
- Milestone Gate Planning
- Feature Scope Prioritisation
- Production Budget Modelling
- Playtest Facilitation
- Virtual Economy Balancing
- Retention Cohort Analysis
- Live Ops Calendar Management
- Publisher Deal Evaluation
Why Attend This Course:
- Deliver a Game Production and Live Ops Plan, with milestone schedule, budget, economy sheet and KPI targets, to the studio head or investment committee approving the next title
- Decide which features to cut, which monetisation model fits a title and whether to self-publish or sign with a publisher
- Avoid missed gold master dates, runaway burn rates, inflated virtual currencies and live games that lose players after the first week
- Equip producers and live ops staff with the gate checklists, economy spreadsheet and retention dashboard template used in the course
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant hands the studio head, executive producer or investment committee a Game Production and Live Ops Plan setting out the milestone gates, burn-rate budget, economy design, KPI targets and publishing route for a title. Leaders use it to greenlight production, release funding by milestone and choose between self-publishing and a publisher deal. After the first milestone review or the first month of live operation, the unit should compare actual burn, retention cohorts, ARPDAU and payer conversion with the plan and adjust scope or the live ops calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before the game production management course?
Participants should already produce, fund or oversee game projects or work beside game teams. No coding or engine skill is needed. A laptop with a spreadsheet application is used for the milestone schedule, burn-rate budget, economy sheet and retention exercises.
How does game production management differ from a game engine programming or esports course?
It covers the producer and studio side: milestones, scope, budgets, playtesting, monetisation, live operations and publisher deals. Engine programming courses teach scripting and builds, and esports courses teach tournaments and sponsorship; this course touches those only where a production decision depends on them.
Why do live ops teams in game production management track DAU, retention and ARPDAU together?
Each shows a different part of game health. DAU shows reach, cohort retention shows whether players return after day one, seven and thirty, and ARPDAU shows revenue per active player. Read together, they show whether to change content, onboarding or store offers.
What do participants take back from the game production management course?
Participants take back a Game Production and Live Ops Plan for a case studio, with milestone gate checklists, a burn-rate budget, a virtual economy sheet, KPI targets, a live ops calendar and a publisher deal review they can adapt to their own titles.