70% of devs admit that they have never released bug-free game
Developers admit that the budget and efficiency of game quality control departments leave much to be desired.
Less than 25% of developers are satisfied with the quality assurance of the latest games in their studios.
According to Insider Gaming, the modl.ai group published the findings of a study among game developers regarding the work of quality assurance (QA) departments in the gaming industry. Given the frequent complaints from players about the condition of current games at launch, it likely won't surprise anyone that 77% of surveyed developers think their studios don't test their games well enough.
Moreover, 50% of them believe that QA department budgets aren't growing at a rate adequate to the increasing complexity of modern games. Hence another telling result: less than 30% of the surveyed developers assure that they have never released a bugged game.
Too big games full of bugs
"Good, but bugged" - such a sentence could be said in the context of many major games from recent years, with few exceptions. We aren't referring to minor errors, but rather to situations where a full release reminds buyers of the typical early access. Cyberpunk 2077, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (currently on Steam with "mixed" reviews from the last 30 days), and even the beloved Baldur’s Gate 3 are just some examples of such titles. However, the game of Larian Studios didn't suffer excessively because of this.
As we have already mentioned, the problem boils down to the complexity of modern games: full of elaborate systems, huge locations, and many characters, mobs, items, and options. And yet, even in old, simple 2D platformer titles created many decades ago by a few people, you can find various bugs.
In this context, releasing a sandbox packed with equipment, crafting, vehicles, NPCs, and elements of survival, RPG, simulation, strategy, etc., without major bugs can be considered a miracle.
AI to the rescue - in the distant future?
It seems that many developers view the implementation of artificial intelligence as a potential savior or at least a crucial element. This could help to notice more obvious bugs at a very early stage of game production, after which human testers would step in. This would guarantee a more polished project.
94% of the surveyed developers agree with this, but only 16% of them believe that their studios are ready to harness AI for work in QA departments. This is partly due to the limitations and cost of the technology itself, but there are also probably concerns about further layoffs.
It's no secret that quality assurance teams are among the most frequent victims of "restructuring" in the industry. Implementing artificial intelligence tests might serve as a reason for additional job cuts.
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