• Automate build processes and asset validation to reduce manual QA effort.


• Develop onboarding pipelines that make it easy to scale up quickly — without chaos.


We treat pipeline maturity as a product in itself. Because if we can make it easier for our partners to get our work into their game, we’re not just delivering assets—we’re delivering velocity.


and reviews? Who approves what, and when? How do we escalate blockers? Crucially: this can’t be a one-off kickoff call. It needs to be a


continuous conversation. The best co-dev relationships re-align frequently as the project evolves. Because it will evolve. Scopes shift. Features pivot. When both sides are already in sync, those shifts become manageable, not maddening.


COMMUNICATION ISN’T JUST A PROCESS, IT’S A CULTURE Every co-dev project will hit turbulence. It’s a universal truth. Features change mid-sprint. Milestones slip. Teams hit unexpected


roadblocks. That’s game development. But the difference between a project that bends and one that breaks comes down to one thing: communication. I’m not talking about over-communicating or sending endless


Slack messages. I’m talking about building a communication culture that values: • Fast, honest updates – not sugar-coated, not delayed, just clear status signals. • Transparent escalation – knowing how and when to raise a flag when something’s stuck. • Mutual respect across disciplines – artists, engineers, designers — everyone needs to feel heard and valued, no matter which side of the partnership they’re on. When communication breaks down, small problems snowball into


big ones. But when it’s strong, teams can navigate even the hairiest production moments with calm and clarity. We’ve seen it time and time again.


YOUR PIPELINE IS YOUR PRODUCT One of the most overlooked aspects of successful co- dev is pipeline integration. It’s not the sexiest topic, but it’s often the difference between accelerating a project or dragging it down. A co-dev partner who constantly needs manual


handoffs, custom formatting, or workaround solutions quickly becomes a bottleneck. The more friction you create, the less value you bring. Great partners remove friction. They:


• Mirror the client’s source control, ticketing systems, and naming conventions.


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LONG-TERM SUCCESS COMES FROM CULTURAL FIT, NOT JUST CAPABILITY It’s tempting to think co-dev is about finding the right skill set. Yes, having the right talent is critical. But what keeps a partnership going over multiple projects, multiple game cycles, and multiple challenges? Culture. Studios stick with partners that:


• Understand and respect their production rhythms. • Don’t panic when scopes change — because they always will. • Bring solutions during crunch, not more stress. We’ve had clients tell us, “You made our lives easier during the hardest month of the project.” That, to me, is the highest compliment a co-dev partner can receive. Not that we delivered a great batch of characters or environments (though we do). But that we showed up in the way that counted: with adaptability, empathy, and zero ego.


CO-DEV IS A CRAFT, NOT A COMMODITY As the games industry continues to embrace co-development, we all — studios and service providers — have a responsibility to raise the bar. That means moving beyond the old outsourcing models and toward something richer. Something more collaborative. The best co-dev work doesn’t feel outsourced. It feels embedded.


You can’t tell who’s internal and who’s external. You just see one team, building one game, with one shared vision. At the end of the day, the most valuable currency in co-dev isn’t


budget or bandwidth. It’s trust. Knowing your partner will deliver — not just once, but over the arc of an entire project. That’s what makes a great co-dev partner, and that’s the standard we aim to meet, every time we hit build.


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