Intermediate to Advanced 15 lessons 15 lessons

Build a Game Development Studio - Complete Business Project

Course Overview

Build a Game Development Studio - Complete Business Project

This course helps you scale from solo developer to a small game development studio. You will define your studio vision, plan team and operations, set up legal and financial structure, and build systems for growth and long-term strategy.

What You'll Achieve

By the end of this course you will have:

A clear studio vision and business plan
A team-building and hiring strategy
Legal structure and business operations in place
Financial management and funding approach
Project management and workflow systems
A path to growth, partnerships, and long-term strategy

Learning Outcomes

Define studio vision and align it with a business plan
Plan team structure and hiring
Understand legal structure and business operations
Manage finances and funding
Design project management and QA processes
Build marketing, publishing, and client-relation systems
Plan for growth, partnerships, and exit or long-term strategy

Course Structure

This course has 15 lessons in 4 phases:

Phase 1: Studio Foundation (Lessons 1-4)

Studio vision and business plan
Team building and hiring strategy
Legal structure and business operations
Financial management and funding

Phase 2: Production Systems (Lessons 5-9)

Project management and workflow design
Quality assurance and testing processes
Marketing and community management
Publishing and distribution strategy
Client relations and contract management

Phase 3: Growth & Scaling (Lessons 10-12)

Team leadership and culture building
Business development and partnerships
Financial growth and investment strategy

Phase 4: Advanced Operations (Lessons 13-15)

International expansion and localization
Technology integration and innovation
Long-term strategy and exit planning

Getting Started

Start with Lesson 1: Studio Vision & Business Plan to define your studio and business direction.

What You'll Learn

Understand how AI can enhance game development workflows
Master prompt engineering for game design tasks
Build your first AI-assisted game prototype
Learn to iterate and improve AI-generated content

Prerequisites

Basic understanding of game development concepts
Familiarity with text-based AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.)
Willingness to experiment and iterate

Course Details

Level Intermediate to Advanced

Duration 15 lessons

Lessons 15

Updated Jan 1, 1970

Course Lessons

Follow these lessons in order to complete the course

1

Lesson 1: Studio Vision & Business Plan

35 minutes game studio business plan

Define your studio's purpose, target market, and goals. Turn that into a one-page business plan so you have a clear direction before hiring or scaling.

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2

Turn your studio vision and goals into a plan for when and how to add people - contractors, part-time roles, and first hires - so you scale without burning cash or clarity.

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3

Lesson 3: Legal Structure & Business Operations

35 minutes game studio legal structure

Choose the right legal structure for your studio and set up day-to-day operations so you can contract, hire, and sell games without running into avoidable legal or tax trouble.

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4

Lesson 4: Financial Management & Funding

40 minutes game studio financial management

Set up studio finances: budgeting, runway, cash flow, and when and how to seek funding so your studio can operate and grow without running out of cash.

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5

Lesson 5: Project Management & Workflow Design

35 minutes game studio project management

Define how your studio runs projects: planning, tools, workflows, and communication so teams ship on time and stay aligned without chaos.

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6

Define how your studio tests games before release: test plans, bug tracking, and when to involve QA so you ship with confidence.

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7

Define how your studio markets its games and manages community: channels, content, tone, and when to invest in dedicated marketing so your games get seen.

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8

Decide where and how your studio's games ship. Storefronts, platforms, release windows, and partnerships so you reach players and hit revenue goals.

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9

Lesson 9: Client Relations & Contract Management

45 minutes game studio client relations

Manage client expectations, scope, and contracts so your studio delivers on time and gets paid. Communication, change orders, and legal basics for client work.

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10

Build a healthy studio culture, define leadership principles, and create lightweight rituals that keep your team aligned without burning anyone out.

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11

Lesson 11: Business Development and Partnerships

45 minutes game-business business-development

Identify the right partners, publishers, and clients for your studio. Learn how to pitch, negotiate, and build lasting relationships without giving away your vision.

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12

Manage cash flow, plan for funding or grants, and position your studio for sustainable growth and optional exit paths.

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13

Take your games and studio into new regions and languages. Plan localization, regional storefronts, and cultural adaptation without overreaching.

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14

Adopt new tools, engines, and pipelines without derailing your team or projects. Plan R&D, evaluate tech, and integrate innovation in a sustainable way.

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15

Define where you want your studio to be in three to five years. Plan for growth, sale, succession, or a sustainable long-term path so you are not only building games but building a lasting business.

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