Alexey Savchenko is a name well-known in the Russian gaming community, and not just there. For some time, he officially held the position of Evangelist for the Unreal game engine, and even now, many still refer to Alexey by that title. Open in communication, always ready to help—a remarkable colleague. When he announced that he was planning to release a book about the gaming business, I had no doubt that it would be worth purchasing and reading.
Although Alexey is now primarily involved in working with business partners, he has had a long journey and knows game development from many different angles, including as the owner of his own studio. In his book Game as a Business, he set out to describe all aspects of the gaming industry and project development—”from dream to release,” as the subtitle states.
Alexey structured the book along this very path, beginning with “I have a dream… I want to make games.” From there, he meticulously yet accessibly explains what awaits an aspiring game developer on the road to creating their dream game and, ideally, achieving fame and fortune.
It is evident that the author has a deep understanding of the subject, and the book is both accessible to industry newcomers and engaging for professionals. Despite my many years in the gaming industry, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
One of the most valuable aspects is how Alexey begins his advice by helping newcomers understand what lies behind their dream. Does the aspiring developer truly want to create their own game? Are they ready for the challenges this path entails? This guide is specifically for people who have decided to start their own business and are willing to risk their time, money, family relationships, and ambitions. Because if all you want is to make games, then joining an established studio is also an excellent path to consider.
However, this does not mean that the book is only worth reading for future studio owners. Rather, Alexey consistently highlights the challenges and risks that someone in the future studio will inevitably have to address. And for that, he deserves immense credit. While everyone knows about phenomenally successful projects, many people are either unaware of or fail to think about the millions of failed ones. In his book, Alexey does not create illusions but instead tries to use his advice to help readers avoid at least the most well-known pitfalls.
The entire first section of the book, Preparatory Work, is dedicated not so much to production questions as to the decisions about what kind of game you want to make, which gaming platforms you aim to target, how you plan to distribute the game, and whether you want to become an indie developer or build a larger studio with many employees. It also makes you immediately consider legal issues, planning the early phases of development (long before actual development begins), selecting tools, understanding the core roles in a game development team, and acknowledging that your life will change dramatically because so much will now depend entirely on you.
In the second section, the author provides a detailed explanation of all stages and features of game production, dedicating over a hundred pages to this topic. He begins by describing how to organize the workspace for production and lays out the basic processes that need to be established from the outset to prevent future problems. He then goes into detail about the key stages of a typical game project (from prototype to release candidate). Having spent many years focusing on various production processes in this industry, I found this section incredibly valuable. It is a guide that can easily be shared with beginners and used as a handy reference even by those well-versed in these processes. Although I did not always agree with certain details, I understand that it is impossible to describe a single production process that applies universally to all cases and projects. Alexey has tried to create a highly generalized approach, for which he deserves significant praise.
In the next section, Alexey devotes much attention to finding partners and working with them at trade shows and conferences. This part is an absolute goldmine of information for newcomers. I often paused on specific passages to mentally agree, “Yes, that is absolutely true.” From planning meetings to scheduling your day and selecting hotels and meeting venues, the advice is practical and actionable—just follow what the author describes, and you’ll make far fewer mistakes, guaranteed.
In the final section, Alexey ties all his advice together and outlines an ideal scenario for game development and partnership collaboration.
The result is an excellent guide to the video game industry for those who wish to create. It can also be incredibly useful for those who have been part of this fantastic community for some time but are only beginning to transition into management roles. The book helps such readers gain a broader perspective on all development processes and establish more deliberate and constructive interactions with colleagues from other departments.
It is difficult to say why I did not give this book a perfect score. After finishing it, I allowed myself a few days to reflect on what I had read, savor its aftertaste, and decide on a rating. Something small still felt missing, so I settled on 4.5. Nevertheless, the book is an absolute must-read and comes highly recommended.
My rating: 4.5/5
[…] few weeks ago, I wrote about Alexey Savchenko’s book Game as Business, which provides an excellent description of the gaming industry from the perspective of production […]
[…] but if you want to understand how to make a game from start to finish, Alexey Savchenko’s book Game as a Business, which I wrote about last year, will be far more […]