Choose the phase that feels most fragile right now
First Concept
Strong opinions move faster than evidence. Core thesis, audience, and positioning can harden before risk is surfaced and options are compared clearly.
Prototype / Vertical Slice
A slice can look impressive and still miss the real question: should you scale this direction. Teams often ship artifacts instead of decisive learning.
Full Production
Decision volume spikes, assumptions fragment across teams, and rework creeps in quietly. By the time drift is obvious, it is expensive.
Pre-Launch
Store page, trailers, wishlists, platform asks, and creative tests all collide. Late calls can override months of signal if tradeoffs are not explicit.
Launch and the First 30 Days
Telemetry, reviews, support load, sentiment shifts, and hotfix pressure hit at once. Fast response without clear ownership creates noise, not control.
Live Ops / Ongoing Updates
Cadence pressure pushes teams into reactive patching. Lessons get lost between releases, and player trust erodes one unresolved loop at a time.