Opinion: Why words matter when we prioritize ‘core teams’ in game development
By Image via Fuse Games/Secret Mode
A recent social media dustup in the game development community has given the industry reason to scrutinize the phrase “core team.” Said dustup occurred after Gamesindustry.biz published an in-depth story breaking down the “distributed development” model that Fuse Games employed in the making of Star Wars: Galactic Racer. Said model divides the development team into three categories centered around a “core team.”
It’s a useful framework for describing a complex method for creating games that require hundreds of developers to bring across the finish line—so why did a number of developers express frustration over a Bluesky post from the outlet (disclaimer—I was among those voicing such a reaction) that stated “Star Wars: Galactic Racer was made by a core team of 75 people”?
It’s a valid question—one that takes on more weight when you realize how many studios are establishing development practices similar to Fuse’s distributed development model. The answer comes down to how you interpret the phrase “was made by,” as a similar sentence appears in the story itself.
Related:Fuse Games CEO breaks down codev framework for Star Wars: Galactic Racer
The statement is factually true as Fuse Games’ core team often consisted of fewer than 75 people during development. But is is also not true, as the game was truly made by roughly 1,100 people who appear in the game’s credits. One could interpret the phrase as a neutral descriptor of the “core team”—but one could also interpret it as obscuring the work of the hundreds of developers who helped bring us the viral delight that is Biddy Blas.
It’s intended to be the former. GI.biz features editor Lewis Packwood confirmed as much to me in an email exchange this week, where he pointed out the phrase “core” is a word Webster used to refer to the team at Fuse Games. “Both his comments and the article made clear that Galactic Racer was the work of many different people in different places,
