SEGA pries open the GDC Vault to share three of their presentations

We all might enjoy video games, but I’m pretty sure none of us knows what goes into making these wonderful experiences. Those who wish to learn more can attend things like GDC (Game Developers Conference) where developers from all around the world gather and share knowledge.

However as a laymen, you might be looking in from the outside unless you have the cash to sign up for a membership. Thankfully SEGA had the courtesy of letting us in as they have revealed that three of the lectures involving their teams from this year’s conference will be made available to watch for free with no login required.

The three lectures are:

Developing ‘Metaphor: ReFantazio’ and the Potential of RPG Command Battle Systems
How has the genre of command battle RPGs, often ridiculed as old-fashioned, been updated into the latest titles? This presentation from Kenichi Goto (Lead Battle Planner, ATLUS) will cover the twists and turns, decisions made to realize the director’s vision into the optimal game system, and the methods of test play conducted to gather data for balance adjustments more reliably and cost-effectively, using the latest work “Metaphor: ReFantazio” as an example.

From ‘Persona’ to ‘Metaphor: ReFantazio’: Creating a Visual Identity for a New Series
This session will introduce the process of realizing the UI style of “Metaphor: ReFantazio.” Koji Ise (Lead Interface Designer, ATLUS) will explain his approach to the art style, convey the importance of UI design to gameplay, explore some of the problems encountered during development, and explain how the team tried to differentiate Metaphor from Persona.

The Secret to Narrative-Driven and Short-Term Development in ‘Like a Dragon’
Ryosuke Horii (Chief Director and Producer, SEGA) and Eiji Hamatsu (Design Manager, 1st Business Unit, SEGA) explain how the Ryu Ga Gotoku series has been able to continuously develop narrative-driven games in a short period of time.

So if you’ve ever wanted some insights on game development, I’m sure each of these talks will certainly be enlightening. I would even recommend you watch these soon as we do not know if these will be permanently free or just for a brief time frame.