Roadmap Template

✏️

This is a reference framework for Project’s Roadmap. This roadmap defines the vision, production phases, design focus, team plan, and KPIs for your game project. Best used as a Notion page, Confluence doc, or internal Google Doc.

☑️ Overview

Field	Value
Game Title
Genre / Subgenre
Platform(s)
Target Audience
Core Experience	2–3 emotional goals or player fantasies

1️⃣ Vision & Design Pillars

High-Level Pitch

e.g., "A strategy survival game about balancing nature and growth on a dying planet."

Design Pillars

"Tactical depth > reaction time"
"Narrative through play, not cutscenes"
"One system = one emotion"

2️⃣ Project Structure & Phases

Phase	Duration	Deliverables	Design Focus	Common Pitfalls
Pre-Production	6–8 weeks	Concept doc, pitch deck, loop prototype	Experience, pillars, genre fit	Over-design, ignoring player motivations
Vertical Slice	6–10 weeks	Playable build, polished core loop	Feel, controls, feedback	Over-polishing visuals, under-testing logic
Production	4–6 months	All content, levels, systems	Balance, UX, system integration	Late feature creep, unclear ownership
Alpha	3–5 weeks	All systems functional, temp assets OK	System interop, fail loops	UX loss due to clutter, fatigue in tuning
Beta	3–5 weeks	Polish, telemetry, bugfixes	QA, KPIs, monetization tuning	Rushing polish without data
Launch	—	Final build + marketing/live prep	Retention mechanics, onboarding	Poor FTUE funnel = retention drop-off
LiveOps (Post)	ongoing	Events, patches, new content	Data-informed balance & pacing	Unscalable event cycle, update debt

📍Create a visual Gantt chart here with phase-color coding (e.g., Pre-prod = gray, Production = blue, Live = green).

3️⃣ Content Plan

Content Area	Plan Description
World / Levels	Number of zones, content density
Narrative Arcs	Act structure, story checkpoints
Characters	Visuals, roles, voice/cost notes
UI / UX Flows	Onboarding, shop, menus, map layers
Asset Scope	Target per month or milestone

4️⃣ Metrics & Validation

4.1 Success Metrics per Phase

Phase	KPI Example	Target
Pre-Prod	FTUE retention	50%+ past day 0
Alpha	Avg. time to level-up	≤15 min
Beta	ARPDAU / ARPPU	$0.05 / $3.00
LiveOps	Event completion	65%+

4.2 Playtest Strategy

Internal sandbox (2x weekly)
External cohort test (10–30 users)
UX observation via video + analytics
Decision point tracking (funnels, drop-offs)

📄

Example

A simple FTUE funnel diagram:

Install → Tutorial → First reward → Menu open → Monetization surfacing

5️⃣ Team & Responsibilities

Role	Phase Involvement
Creative Director	Vision, consistency, reviews
Game Designer	Mechanics, economy, balance
Narrative Designer	Arcs, worldbuilding, quest structure
UX/UI Designer	Interface, feel, onboarding
Technical Lead	Tools, architecture, deployment
Producer	Timeline, sync, delivery

📄

Example

Capacity planning:

Pre-Production: 1 designer + 1 concept artist + part-time writer
Production: 3 designers, 2 devs, full art team + PM

6️⃣ Milestone Timeline (Text/Gantt Hybrid)

Month	Key Tasks
Month 1–2	Vision lock, pitch prep, prototype core loop
Month 3–5	Early builds, testing, first content zones
Month 6–8	Full production, balance tuning, art pass
Month 9–10	Alpha, UX test, narrative finalization
Month 11–12	Beta, bugfix, polish, marketing onboarding

📎 Attachments

Core Loop Flowchart
World Map draft
XP/Gold Progression Sheet
UI Wireframes
Gantt diagram (editable)
Test Scripts / Session Templates
KPI Dashboard Link
Style Guide / Toneboards