This is the audio version of my popular Risk Management YouTube video.

In 2025 I launched a comprehensive Udemy course on the topic and you can find it here:

https://www.udemy.com/course/risk-management-in-video-game-development/?referralCode=D6412142A30B4794B550

This is a general chat around risk management for those involved in making video games. This is an introduction to the topic and is aimed at game producers.

Topics covered include:

• Why should you take risks and issues more seriously when making a game?
• What does risk management in the gaming world look like?What are risks and issues anyway?
• Why Risk and Issue logs are so useful
• How to tie in to Leadership meetings to really make this all useful
• Complexity of game making affecting risks/issues
• Example of how plans change, dependencies arise, etc and how your log can track this and assist in planning
• Producer accountability
• Continuous improvement of you and your team(s)
• Conversations, collaboration and transparency that arise for a positive approach to risk management
• Following through and taking action: how this leads to gaining trust, faith and momentum

Part 2 goes into more detail on actual risk and issue examples.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d9CSoy_z3w

Part 3 is a walkthrough of generating a Risk and Issue Log that you can download and use/abuse at your leisure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PljB6IBZW2w&t=421s

I mentioned some other articles on risk management for gaming. Here they are:
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131309/risk_management_with_development_.php
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/191523/managing_risk_in_video_game_.php

ABOUT GAME PRODUCTION ACADEMY
Our Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.

COURSES
Udemy is hosting my 5 star Risk Management course:
https://www.udemy.com/course/risk-management-in-video-game-development/?referralCode=D6412142A30B4794B550

This is free to students and those who have lost their jobs in the games industry - just reach out to me directly for the coupons you need.

Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please sign up to the newsletter too.
http://www.game-production.com

YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@game-production-academy

Part 2 goes into more detail on actual risk and issue examples. I have based the categories on the only current academic research I could find on the topic. You can read that in full.

In 2025 I launched a comprehensive Udemy course on the topic and you can find it here:

https://www.udemy.com/course/risk-management-in-video-game-development/?referralCode=D6412142A30B4794B550

Topics covered in Part 2 include:

• High level risks
• Staffing risks
• Schedule & Budget Risks
• Inadequate specs (I decided to skip talking about Design specs here as that deserves its own section some other time)
• Fun Factor
• Change management
• Expectations of third parties such as publishers
• Summary

Part 1, a more general introduction around risk management in the game industry, can be found here.

Part 3 is a walkthrough of generating a Risk and Issue Log that you can download and use/abuse at your leisure.

ABOUT GAME PRODUCTION ACADEMY
Our Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.

COURSES
Udemy is hosting my 5 star Risk Management course:
https://www.udemy.com/course/risk-management-in-video-game-development/?referralCode=D6412142A30B4794B550

This is free to students and those who have lost their jobs in the games industry - just reach out to me directly for the coupons you need.

Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please sign up to the newsletter too.
http://www.game-production.com

YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@game-production-academy

This is the podcast version of my YouTube walkthrough.

In 2025 I launched a comprehensive Udemy course on the topic and you can find it here:

https://www.udemy.com/course/risk-management-in-video-game-development/?referralCode=D6412142A30B4794B550

Part 3 is a walkthrough of generating a Risk and Issue Log that you can download and use/abuse at your leisure.

Here's the links to those files as promised:
Excel
Google Sheets

Part 1, a more general introduction around risk management in the game industry, can be found here.

Part 2 goes into more detail on actual risk and issue examples.

ABOUT GAME PRODUCTION ACADEMY
Our Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.

COURSES
Udemy is hosting my 5 star Risk Management course:
https://www.udemy.com/course/risk-management-in-video-game-development/?referralCode=D6412142A30B4794B550

This is free to students and those who have lost their jobs in the games industry - just reach out to me directly for the coupons you need.

Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please sign up to the newsletter too.
http://www.game-production.com

YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@game-production-academy