Risk Management for Video Game Professionals
Navigating Uncertainty in Game Development
410 Pages
January 22, 2026 by CRC Press
Author: Liam Wickham
Description
Game development is a high-stakes, high-pressure world where failure often feels inevitable, and success relies on navigating uncertainty. This book gives developers, producers and leaders the tools to manage risk proactively – before it becomes crisis.
Grounded in 30 years of cross-industry experience and enriched by real-world case studies, this book offers a comprehensive, practical framework for identifying, analysing and mitigating risk across all stages of development: from indie prototyping to AAA multi-studio pipelines. It covers operational, creative, technical and strategic risks, and maps them to game lifecycle stages with clarity and precision.
The book is built for the realities of production, and each chapter is paired with actionable templates, toolkits and conversational techniques designed to help teams spot early warning signs, make better decisions and build more resilient cultures. You can receive all of these for free if you sign up to the newsletter, or buy the book!
Whether you are leading a team through a live ops crunch, juggling dependencies across time zones or simply trying to avoid the traps that derail so many good games, this book will help you ask better questions, have the right conversations and treat risk as a creative ally. Become a Risk Management Champion!
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1 – Overview
Part I - Foundations of Risk in Game Development
Chapter 2 – What Risk Looks Like in Game Development
Chapter 3 – Foundations of Risk Management
Chapter 4 – Risk Landscape: Trends Reshaping the Games Industry
Part II - The Six Stages of Implementing Risk Management
Chapter 5 – Step One: Identify Risks
Chapter 6 – Step Two: Analyse and Assess Risks
Chapter 7 – Step Three: Mitigation Strategies
Chapter 8 – Step Four: Implement and Track Actions
Chapter 9 – Step Five: Monitor and Review Risks
Chapter 10 – Step Six: Communicate and Report Risks
Chapter 11 – Risk Registers in Practice
Chapter 12 – Fostering a Proactive Risk Culture
Chapter 13 – Implementing Crisis Management Strategies
Chapter 14 – Three Levels – Project, Program & Portfolio
Part III - Game Development Risks
Chapter 15 – Technical Risks
Chapter 16 – Design and Art Risks in Game Development
Chapter 17 – Operational Risks
Chapter 18 – Financial, Legal, Regulatory & Compliance Risks
Chapter 19 – Marketing & Audience Risks
Chapter 20 – Strategic Risks
Chapter 21 – Reputational and Public Trust Risks
Chapter 22 – Collaboration & Partnership Risks in Game Development
Chapter 23 – Communication Gaps Risks
Chapter 24 – Staffing Risks
Chapter 25 – Agile, Lean, and Kanban Risk Management
Chapter 26 – Governance Risks and Organisational Debt
Part IV - Major Risks in the Common Stages of Game Development
Chapter 27 – Concept Stage Risks in Game Development
Chapter 28 – Major Risks in the Pre-Production Stage of Game Development
Chapter 29 – Major Risks in the Production Stage of Game Development
Chapter 30 – Alpha Stage Risks in Game Development
Chapter 31 – Major Risks in the Beta Stage of Game Development
Chapter 32 – Major Risks in the Release Stage of Game Development
Chapter 33 – Major Risks in the Post-Release Stage of Game Development
Part V - Special Topics and Emerging Risk Frontiers
Chapter 34 – Live Ops & Content Pipeline Risks
Chapter 35 – Unique Risks in Mobile Game Development
Chapter 36 – The Missing Discipline: Product Management for Risk Reduction
Chapter 37 – Risk Reduction Through User Testing & Embedded QA
Chapter 38 – Player Community & Social Media Risks
Chapter 39 – Security and Data Privacy in Games
Chapter 40 – Risk Realities Across Studio Models
Part VI - Tools & Resources
Chapter 41 – Evidence-Based Tools for Risk Management in Games
Chapter 42 – Premortem Workshop Kit – Risk Management Template
Chapter 43 – Anti-Pattern Risk Deck
Chapter 44 – Prototype Kill-Gate Funnel – Risk Management Template
Chapter 45 – LiveOps Exit Tree – Risk Management Template
Chapter 46 – Technical Debt Tracker – Risk Management Template
Chapter 47 – Wrapping Up the Risk Management Journey
Do you want valuable insights and free book-based resources?
Go over to the newsletter and sign up!