Failing Forward: Powerful Insights from GDC 2024

Written by James Christie, Principal Developer as part of our coverage at GDC 2024:

“Every time I’m wrong, the game gets better.” — Doug Sheahan, Insomniac Games

This powerful quote from Doug Sheahan of Insomniac Games encapsulates the essence of his GDC talk on developing the movement system for their latest project: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. As the newest entry in a series renowned for its fast-paced, intuitive gameplay, Spider-Man 2's success hinged on the quality of its movement mechanics. This is no accident, as any game wanting players to experience swinging from webs between bouts of parkour lives and dies on how well players can move. If it doesn’t feel comfortable or intuitive, you’ll never be able to ask players to engage in heroics because well…Spider-Man is much less intimidating when he arrives at the bank robbery by firmly planting his face in the pavement.?

Playtesting: The Ultimate Reality Check

When Insomniac’s designers first implemented new features like the wingsuit and slingshot, they focused on translating realistic physics into balanced, enjoyable gameplay. However, initial playtests revealed that many aspects of the movement system felt unnatural and lacked intuitiveness.?

Failure: The Best Teacher

Instead of doubling down on their ideas, Insomniac listened to their players. By embracing a willingness to be wrong and learn from player feedback, the development team transformed a clunky, frustrating experience into one that sparks delight. They iterated, tweaked, and polished until the movement felt as natural as breathing.?

“We’ve seen the magic that happens when studios embrace the fail-fast mentality and put players at the heart of their development process.”

One of the best examples of this is found in how players move quickly through the air. The game detects obstacles in front of the player and changes the sensitivity level, helping guide the player to open gaps. If you’ve ever wondered why it’s so easy to fly through the city without grazing every obstacle, that’s a small part of why.?

The Superpower of Collaboration

Insomniac’s story is a testament to the power of collaboration and iteration in game development. The key to success isn’t having all the answers upfront. It’s about being open to feedback, having a willingness to fail early and often, and being relentless in the pursuit of user satisfaction. It’s turning failure encountered during development into improvements that become a fundamental aspect of the experience.?

A consistent theme throughout all complex software — a lot of development is exploration. At 8th Light, curiosity and exploration are philosophies we live by. We’ve seen the magic that happens when studios embrace the fail-fast mentality and put players at the heart of their development process. With experience in implementing DevOps solutions for big names like Riot Games and Hypixel Studios, we’ve seen firsthand the power of letting players and users lead your business to impactful outcomes.?

If you’re interested in creating something truly spectacular, let’s talk. If you’d like evidence of our expertise, check out our gaming deck. Together, we can make sure your next gaming venture soars above the rest — no Spider-Sense required.